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The criminalization of life

H

Horatio Parker

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It's not just Ferguson or police.

http://gawker.com/ferguson-and-the-criminalization-of-american-life-1692392051

Almost every institution in America—from our corporations to our schools, hospitals, and civic authorities—now seems to operate largely as an engine for extracting revenue, by imposing ever more complex sets of rules that are designed to be broken. And these rules are almost invariably enforced on a sliding scale: ever-so-gently on the rich and powerful (think of what happens to those banks when they themselves break the law), but with absolute Draconian harshness on the poorest and most vulnerable. As a result, the wealthiest Americans gain their wealth, increasingly, not from making or selling anything, but from coming up with ever-more creative ways to make us feel like criminals.
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How about a law that states revenue from the courts cannot be used to service debt. That would settle their hash.

I don't know what is so hard about knowing how much is in your checking account. Seems people are perfectly capable of performing simple arithmetic until you put a dollar sign in front of it.
Of course, states allowing companies to require people to have direct deposit does not help, especially among the poor.
Do high school student receive any education on budgeting? I didn't back in the day, but it was not such a necessity. Even if they did, I'm sure the evil, greedy powers that be would influence the curriculum for our schools.
 
TV and credit cards said:
How about a law that states revenue from the courts cannot be used to service debt. That would settle their hash.

I don't know what is so hard about knowing how much is in your checking account. Seems people are perfectly capable of performing simple arithmetic until you put a dollar sign in front of it.
Of course, states allowing companies to require people to have direct deposit does not help, especially among the poor.
Do high school student receive any education on budgeting? I didn't back in the day, but it was not such a necessity. Even if they did, I'm sure the evil, greedy powers that be would influence the curriculum for our schools.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't mind seeing a budgeting course that consists of a spendable asset everyone is allotted in highschool on a weekly basis, and a monthly 'mortgage' that they need to pay off every year, and if they miss payments they get detention or have to do summer school budget courses.

Maybe make punishments be fines against their 'fund', or put some treats on the lunch line that they can buy.
 
Horatio Parker said:
It's not just Ferguson or police.

http://gawker.com/ferguson-and-the-criminalization-of-american-life-1692392051

Almost every institution in America—from our corporations to our schools, hospitals, and civic authorities—now seems to operate largely as an engine for extracting revenue, by imposing ever more complex sets of rules that are designed to be broken. And these rules are almost invariably enforced on a sliding scale: ever-so-gently on the rich and powerful (think of what happens to those banks when they themselves break the law), but with absolute Draconian harshness on the poorest and most vulnerable. As a result, the wealthiest Americans gain their wealth, increasingly, not from making or selling anything, but from coming up with ever-more creative ways to make us feel like criminals.
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Last night on HBO John Oliver did a segment on the profiteering that goes on over minor crimes.

Some guy stole a two dollar beer and was shackled to some blood sucking private enterprise and ended up going to jail because he owed the blood suckers more per day than he could make in a day.

This is privatization in action.

A bunch of unaccountable private tyrannies that prey off the most vulnerable.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/23/john-oliver-fuck-barrel_n_6921650.html
 
Terrell said:
hurtinbuckaroo said:
Nice Squirrel said:
Doesn't the average American commit three felonies per day?
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Damn, I have some catching up to do.
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Maybe you're already caught up, but just don't know it.
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What you guys are missing is that when they say "average", that's a "mean", not a "median". The distribution is highly skewed.

(Okay, okay, I'll admit it. I commit 900 million felonies per day. I'm sorry.)
 
Bomb#20 said:
Terrell said:
hurtinbuckaroo said:
Nice Squirrel said:
Doesn't the average American commit three felonies per day?
Click to expand...

Damn, I have some catching up to do.
Click to expand...

Maybe you're already caught up, but just don't know it.
Click to expand...
What you guys are missing is that when they say "average", that's a "mean", not a "median". The distribution is highly skewed.

(Okay, okay, I'll admit it. I commit 900 million felonies per day. I'm sorry.)
Click to expand...
What you're missing is that when they "average", that's a "typical", neither a "mean" nor a "median".
 
untermensche said:
Last night on HBO John Oliver did a segment on the profiteering that goes on over minor crimes.

Some guy stole a two dollar beer and was shackled to some blood sucking private enterprise and ended up going to jail because he owed the blood suckers more per day than he could make in a day.

This is privatization in action.

A bunch of unaccountable private tyrannies that prey off the most vulnerable.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/23/john-oliver-fuck-barrel_n_6921650.html
Click to expand...

Contracting, not privatization.
 
DBT said:
Ever tighter regulation appears to be the way of the future, but I don't see many people protesting.
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I believe the OP was not against regulation for the sake of social protections. What he is addressing is the CRIME OF BEING POOR AND BLACK. The reason the minor offenses are so enforceable is that they are simple and are classed as "infractions" from which no citizen is to be defended by a public defender. You are on your own. Now the rich and corporate America...they blatantly ignore the public good but can always pay these little costs...mostly because they are undertaxed and local governments fear they will leave, taking the tax they do pay and the employment they provide with them.

The crime is simply being a person who has no special connections, is not employed and who must keep himself fed.
 
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