Prisons and Politics 5-7-09

Prisons and Politics 5-7-09 “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will continue ‘till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.” ---Fredrick Douglass Aug. 3, 1857--- I open with Mr. Douglass’ quote because I see that this “…quietly submit…” is happening here in the U.S. We are allowing the budgets for education systems across America to be cut and slashed to the bone. While the States and Federal government increase prison budgets. Shouldn’t this be the other way around? I was just reading in the paper how violent crime was falling across the U.S. Since it’s always the “violent” offenders that “society” wants locked up and violent crime is going down, why are prison budgets going up? It costs the taxpayers of the State of California over $10 billion a year to run its prison system. That’s more than all the state funded higher education in California combined! How long will we quietyly submit while our government condems another generation of poor uneducated men and women to a life in jails and prisons. Come on, WAKE UP! We can’t be a free society with the most per capita incarceration rate of any other democratic country. Is this what we, Americans, want? I don’t think we do, I know I don’t; but then I can be accused of having an agenda. This is our kids we are flushing down the no education sewer. How long are we going to keep doing this? It seems as Herbert Spencer’s famous “Survival of the Fittest” has become the mantra of America. The only problem with that is not a level field and it can be sustained. We can’t keep cranking out educational failures-it’s just not moral. We the People need to hold our political officials accountable for each and every child that can’t read or can’t write. How are we going to build things in this country when our labor force can’t read a blue print? The focus of our state should be: 1) Violent Criminals in prison-with rehabilitation; 2) non-violent criminals in mental health treatment, drug treatment, vocational training or whatever is needed to keep them out of prison; 3) But above all do not sacrifice the children for the sins of their parents. Educate the Children. Please Support Education NOT Incarceration, With Respect, Veritas5509