Centrist Pundits

One of the issues on the NY state ballot this last election was a question of whether or not to allow prisoners to do volunteer work while in prison.  I presume this would be work of the kind that could be done reasonably in a prison - envelope stuffing and the like.  I have to admit, that question gave me pause.

One of the places I lose my “liberal” cred is law and order, crime and punishment.  I’m for the death penalty, I’m for harsh sentences, I’m for prisons being a crappy place to have to live.  I’m not all “conservative” on my law and order stances - I’m for rehabilitation over punishment of drug users, for example - but by and large, I’m pretty harsh on those who break the law.

But you’d think the spirit of volunteerism would be something we’d want to foster in even the harshest, roughest souls, even in such soil as criminals.  You’d think that, as a former volunteer coordinator for  a non-profit, that I’d be sympathetic to allowing giving such groups access to any volunteers that they may have available.

But none of that really crossed my mind as I considered the question.  I’ll tell you what did, and I’m still not sure of the answer.  My question, as I considered the question, is what is the point of a prison?  I figure there are two options: it is a place of rehabilitation, or it is a place of punishment.

If it is a place of rehabilitation, then learning to give to your fellow man, learning that volunteering is a good thing, would be part of that rehabilitation.  If it’s a place of punishment, then letting them get the “volunteers high” would be a mistake, because it wouldn’t fit their punishment to let them feel good about their accomplishments.

So I ask you, readers, what are prisons?

JC Uncategorized

I’m having trouble focusing on any one thing today, so instead I’ll just say various things that are on my mind.  Probably most of it will be cheap shots at people.

Megan McCain was on Colbert the other night talking about being a Pro-Sex Republican Woman.  Rowr!  We’re all pro-Megan McCain talking about her sex life on national TV!  Except maybe her dad.  He’s probably against it.

Sarah Palin says that Obama is as predictable as snow in Alaska.  Of course, she forgot to mention that with global warming, snow in Alaska is less predictable than it used to be…  High-yo…

I’ve decided I’m perfectly willing to give up Nancy Pelosi as “guitly” of knowing about torture if it means we get a verdict of “guilty” on Bush, Cheney, and the rest as well.  Its a small sacrifice.

Michael Steele says that the age of GOP apologies is over.  Hey, Steele, are you sure it ever begun?  Ha ha.

Bill Clinton is the UN’s new special envoy the Haiti.  I hope Haiti is prepared for the sudden jump in chubby kids with great hair.  I predict the wave will start in about 9 months.

JC Uncategorized Clinton, culture, obama, Steele, torture

The economic stimulus package cost taxpayers $787 billion. That’s about a hundred billion dollars less than the total FICA receipts for FY2007.

If Congress really wants to get the economy back on its feet, it could have used that money to cover a year’s worth of FICA contributions from both the employees and the employers. Every working American would get an immediate tax cut, and the cost of hiring new people would go down for every business in the country — from the largest multinationals to a mom-and-pop grocery.

I suspect, however, that since such a plan would bypass the pork-barrel buffet, such an idea would never get much traction in Congress.

How many of the country’s problems could be solved if we put more people to work? Shouldn’t making it easier to hire people be the central theme behind any economic stimulus package?

Greg Congress, Economy, National Politics, Uncategorized pork, stimulus, taxes