Long post. You can sum a lot of this is to where do we stand on freedom of speech and use of our money. And more importantly, what money means. And how about a little religious philosophy too?
In a discussion of cash bail and the laws trying to eliminate it but then allow multiple offenders to repeat the crime over and over again… I came up with some concepts for laws making the justice system equal by class not race. That brought on an onslaught conservative talking points.
First my reform to cash bail. People make mistakes. Dont trash their lives over it. Minor crimes should be treated like sick days rather than an automatic judgement — you’re fired. The case has not been tried yet. Don’t take it upon yourself to try the case. But there are exceptions such as watching an employee tap the till. (steal money)
If it’s a jail time crime – property crime, minor drug amounts, etc, small misdemeanor charges repeated ‘x’ times (i.e. tickets/shop lifting – x value to be determined)
You get one no cash bail mistake get of jail free until trial.
next time you see a judge (but then abuse – ie someone lying – photo evidence – etc ???). No hurt crime. Financial crimes under 5000 – jail time. No white collar crime different standards. Includes missed court date judge decides if excuse valid. You need a judge to decide.
next time time – cash bail – sliding scale on assets/income and/or degree of crime. Assets would be like the income tax system. Murder no bail. Car theft punk – 50,000. Car Theft rich – 2,000,000. Make it hurt. Also gives bounty hunters incentive. Make an attempt to remove class from bail system. Of course those who have $ are the ones who cough it up to both political sides, so good luck with that one…
next time – no bail – especially if you have a lot of resources/money where you could easily be a flight risk (in this day and age you can control your ‘empire’ from anywhere on earth). Financial crimes over 10,000, death dismemberment, incitement to riot, hate crimes, violent crime, etc.
applies across the board to all people. Tough on crime mean tough on crime.
Clock resets in 3 years.
How about that? One mistake you get a break. Next maybe the judge is nice. After that, you are a criminal not someone who made a mistake.
Bail for anything that really hurts someone either physically or financially commensurate. The standard would be hard to set. Someone getting pushed down – ok – not a huge deal. Someone pushed down breaks head or neck….then? Accident? Intentional? I guess leave it up to a judge.
Judges like sentencing standards. Some go way under, and some go way over. Leeway needed for situation. Again, gets murky…. Family violence? No testify abused wife? Maybe X calls the police x times and then state testifies for spouse just as state testifies for kids. Same deal. Guy beats up wife, then threatens death, then kills her. How about lock em up faster instead.
Of course no one would go for it in today’s ‘my way or the highway’ attitudes. Not enough one side — too much the other. But it seems reasonable to me open to refinement. The libs would be the Sodom gomorah argument with God try to get 10 crimes, 3 crimes, etc. The rich would be no way I have to pay more bail than someone else. But that’s like sales tax. $10 tax on a grocery bill means nothing to rich, and a lot to poor. So…..
What about Prison Jobs? Prisoners can make money doing various work – at the 50 cent hour level. Same for any skills higher up that are more value to society. I.e. lawyer in can/CPA in can – let them assist as public defenders/income tax or gov benefits for poor. Something along those lines.
Chain gangs are a problem competing with contractors and dragging down the value of labor. But, what if it was fixing up churches or other government buildings, or rehabbing buildings like empty office buildings into homeless/low rent homes that are in rot mode where there is little or no government budget and then operating them as trustees?
Or have them teach their professional skills in prison. If you are a psychopath then you can work in the kitchen as a butcher in a locked cage and unable to leave cage until utensils returned by automated computer scanner. Then again they might kill themselves. But… you get the idea. Little slack time. Work or learn. Your choice. Regular work day like anyone else.
Since no one wants to work as a public defender if they can get more lawyers. Then pushing convicted lawyers into that role would make a big difference instead of the 5 minutes before the judge, plead x and off you go for 5 years without this ‘well you could get 20 years if you went to court . Leave out mentioning that you could also be declared no guilty. Or that you would have a criminal conviction adding another huge hurdle to the American Dream.
There are a lot of guns out there. Perhaps any significant crime has a seizure of your firearms until 5 years after your sentence is completed with no crimes. You are not deprived of your right, but you deprived yourself of your right and have a waiting period. 2nd crime in waiting period – guns destroyed. What about that one? Pull guns away from dealers and thugs. Certain level of crime means pre-approved search warrant. guns — destroyed. The gun makers should love that to move more product.
Just like many laws it seems few think it through as in the 100 times jailed thief released in ‘catch and release’ nonsense.
This brought in the conservative talking points inserted here how we got to the crime problem not a a discussion on what to do about it bringing up George Soros blah blah blah.
Now we get to why cash bail is only a symptom:
The finger pointing of why cash bail law fails does not matter. Could not care less. What I thought about is balancing the system. The law as it stands is not working. Fix it instead of using it as a political football or hammer.
I don’t give a shit who you listen to. Daily Kos or Fox news or the Daily Stormer.
Rich people on both sides do the same thing. Nothing to see here. You hear about one you don’t hear about the other. Those who have a dog in the pit make the other guy out the devil. What else is new? I hear Bill Gates is the devil. The Clinton foundation is the devil. You name it – devil.
In religious terms this might actually may figure in a big piece of the puzzle for the god/devil concept – may even explain the bigger splits of positions around the world. You can’t have moderates. They won’t ‘stick’ to a particular metaphysical entity with absolute obsequious kowtowing – time to use the whole human system to push people into one set of followers for a cultural civil war. Age of information could be the development that the god/devil finally need to reach a majority audience to see where the quatloos fall.
Pelosi is the Devil. McConnell is the Devil. I see both as very effective political leaders and two sides of the same coin. Agree or not I admire their skill.
So what does Soros do: https://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/george-soros-criminal-justice-reform-227519
And what do the Adlesons do: https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/adelsons-pour-500k-into-group-backing-republican-aligned-state-supreme-court-candidate-other-judicial-candidates
So there you go – judges/DA – who can gain more for their position. We all vote. We all have freedom of speech. We are equal under the law. But (having money) some are more equal than others. Orwell was right.
You want to talk to a politician you can email him which goes to a staff member who might tally your vote. Maybe. On an issue. Or you can call and a staffer (if you are lucky) will pick up the phone. Listen politely and thank you for your views or maybe even give some feedback. Why they are not using call centers in India is beyond me. We accept it everywhere else.
In the 22 years I have lived in this district, Hensarling and Sessions put out the party line never once asking for my opinion. I did respond to talking points to bring in the other side of it. At least their staff knew who I was. Maybe. Alred sends out polls on where he should stand on an issue. Imagine a politician asking us how to best represent our views. Communist. In a jaundiced view the polls could be ignored. But generally I see in the next newsletter he moves on an issue.
You want to talk to a politician best have not only bought a plate at whatever high dollar fundraiser they are having, but also have a check to walk through the door of the political pay toilet. Or better have a huge contribution to the pac that hires lobbyists who are going to write laws that will validate your parking ticket and the RNC/DNC to tell a politician who they need to talk to.
In the corporate world we have the same – we can vote our shares – but those in charge always have 51%.
Been this way for years as our politicians have to raise money to keep in power.
https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2012/03/30/149648666/senator-by-day-telemarketer-by-night
Since I don’t watch broadcast but watch how the system works I find these ads funny and explain it in simple terms by Gil Fulbright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz_V4lRdtjo 1 minute or so
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMOkw07mQPM 1 minute or so
or as Carlin put it and I have posted on FB about 3 times a year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acLW1vFO-2Q 3 minutes — it is a big club and you aint in it.
Who gets what and how much? https://www.opensecrets.org/parties/ There you go. Pick the dog you hate and bark your head off.
On and on: https://gai.georgetown.edu/an-inside-look-at-congressional-fundraising/
Bernie sanders says what I say – somehow get the money out of politics: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3491036-sanders-calls-for-dnc-to-ban-on-super-pac-money-in-democratic-primaries/
I also believe in ending gerrymandering and only have balanced districts even if not contiguous. The idea is that the best person would win – but then we go back to Gil Fulbright. Who will tell us how good a candidate is? The obvious change would be if someone molests a child. That’s about the last taboo that hasn’t be crossed as ‘means validates the end’. What Hart did and Clinton did with putzing around is no big deal now. If you were traced to drug cartel money that might be a problem. Maybe.
As in my law suggestion, any other concept that doesn’t look at and apply the same principles is wrong. Both parties influenced by money alone just see who can scream the loudest to use social wedge issues to get whatever their political donors want that really matter is all that matters. The whole pro choice/life issue is just one prime example. People will vote against their own interests on the issue.
As I see it – a fetus costs us nothing – let’s fight over it. When the child is born for whatever reason and whatever disability then equal access to education and social supports that force a parent to bring a child to term as an unviable fetus or ‘starting over’ because the kid will be a vegetable…. Blah blah blah. Currently the law is you have to be poor to get social supports for a disabled kid. So if you have money you have to spend it all. Whatever the shortened abortion time frame is, you get to the point that you don’t know if the ‘product’ is going to ‘need maintenance’. You then get to prenatal euthanasia. If you want to be hard core pro life then provide equal access to everything.
And while I think about it – lets look at an example of our Corporate Drug Cartels and how their lobbyists shoved in provisions for them for laws they wrote and then the lawmakers claim ignorance while the DEA tried to fix the problem: https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2022/07/25/american-cartel-opioid-industry
I think the point is made.
So ignore the politicians. Ignore talking points. Instead look at it from 20,000 ft and say – what should happen to fix it. Get behind that. Try to get that message out. May take 100 years trying to get equal rights for minorities or letting people marry or be who they want. You can’t press a button to fix it and you have to find a politician who won’t shit on it. What happened to debate and compromise as our founding fathers intended it?
And bottom line – we have 0 influence. We can cast our 1 vote. So why even talk about any of this in the first place
Other than….
To see if you agree god/devil working at all levels just like companies and parties working at all levels to satisfy their donors. It is an interesting concept — religious, spiritual, or as an atheist how culture fits in.
We have an oligarchy influencing politics. In other countries they don’t even have that. I haven’t studied other democracies, but….
Our leaders learn from them: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62431415 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62313579
I found all these interesting reads.
Social media makes it even more interesting and smart people figured out how it works. The more a topic is talked about the more it is fed into the system. Then advertisers glom on to that.
https://www.army.mil/article/123703/social_media_helping_destabilize_world_strategist_says_at_war_college
Social media is cheap and micro targeting. Why screw around with broadcast when you can drill down to the people who might buy your product.
So on facebook I post the occasional shaming rant when I decide I am Rabbi Arnstein, and otherwise music stuff.
And this goes back to day 1 for the US.
https://www.americanheritage.com/long-stormy-marriage-money-and-politics
And again – it’s a big club and you ain’t in it. Wail moan cry bitch complain. Unless you go out and work for your party or give it money like everyone else. Well, you get what you put up for.
Reforms won’t come when we can scream about dead babies and forget about uncorrupting the system. Social wedge issues pull the country down in other ways or to the advantage of those who can buy influence.
Take covid – by the numbers 1 million dead in 235 million – well – big deal – who cares – plenty don’t die. What about traffic accidents? Cancer? Common Flu? 3500 die at the NYC Trade Center – 20 year war. Whaddyer like?
School kid shootings – few dead babies out of 235 million – well big deal – don’t try to change the gun laws – and it is locking the barn door decades after the horse is dead. But defanging power hungry crackpots like Alex Jones and using the laws for 10 years to finally step on his idiot conspiracy theories putting him out of business for visiting misery on a family that already lost a child. Well, there is some justice. Maybe the next crackpot will consider that lesson.
What do we as Americans do? Shut off the damn TV and radio. Read about the issues on both sides. Go back and consider how the system works and see if we can even fix it. Or if we can.
Otherwise be happy with what you got.