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sperry · 2012-02-23, 11:06 AM

Holy crap, I agree with Alex!?

Freakonomics is on Netflix for download if you want to see their "study" on the abortion/crime correlation. IMO, their presentation leaves me feeling like they may be promoting their own agenda a bit because there's not much presented in the way of an opposing viewpoint, but I still agree with their conclusions.

The real problem with the war on drugs is that it turns burnouts into criminals. Like Alex said, the world would be a better place if people that want to ruin their lives with drugs are free to do so rather than locking them up in over-crowded jails at the taxpayer's expense. If we spent 10% of the money we spend on jailing drug offenders on rehabilitation programs we could probably help tons more people get off drugs all while pocketing 90% of our money and reducing the violent crime that goes along with illegal drugs. Not to mention the sales tax revenue on legalized recreational drugs. But we also might have to fight a new war with the cartels that stand to lose trillions of dollars if the US legalizes their products.

Another mindshattering concept, regarding crime, is that because many jails today are privately owned for-profit businesses, the jail corporations are actually lobbying for stiffer penalties in the law because it means more prisoners and therefore more profit. Meanwhile, by gradually moving to harsher and harsher penalties for smaller and smaller crimes, we're taking people that may have made a small mistake in their lives and surrounding them with hardened criminals. We're actually turning petty criminals into repeat offenders... which of course is exactly what's most profitable for the prison system, of course.

When it comes to public services, it's a conundrum. We can't trust for-profit providers because their greed tends to reduce the quality of service and/or raises cost. We can't trust government providers because the lack of profit incentive results in either crap quality of service, or high bureaucratic overhead, or both. So what's the solution? Non-profit corps?

IMO there's a list of services that should be guaranteed/available to all people regardless of their economic situation (military & police protection, fire/rescue, healthcare/insurance, education, and access to justice/the legal system). Yet I can't think of one example where these services are provided at a high quality and cost effective level. Our military is incredibly capable... and insanely expensive. Fire/rescue, police departments, public education are all under-funded and service quality suffers. Healthcare/insurance is one of the biggest scams currently being perpetrated on the American public today... there is no reason why we should be paying twice as much for healthcare as other 1st world nations and getting half the quality of service while the healthcare/pharma companies are raking in billions each year... not for providing a service that *should* be a basic right of anyone in an industrialized nation. And the legal system in this nation is basically a joke for ensuring justice based on anything other than "he who has the most expensive lawyers wins".

We need some new way to fund/operate social programs that gives them the incentive to provide high quality service, without the eventual cutting of corners and price gouging to maximize profits.

/rant

2012-02-23, 11:06 AM	#11
sperry The Doink Real Name: Scott Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 20,335 Car: '09 OBXT, '02 WRX, '96 Miata Class: PDX/TT-6 The way out is through	Holy crap, I agree with Alex!? Freakonomics is on Netflix for download if you want to see their "study" on the abortion/crime correlation. IMO, their presentation leaves me feeling like they may be promoting their own agenda a bit because there's not much presented in the way of an opposing viewpoint, but I still agree with their conclusions. The real problem with the war on drugs is that it turns burnouts into criminals. Like Alex said, the world would be a better place if people that want to ruin their lives with drugs are free to do so rather than locking them up in over-crowded jails at the taxpayer's expense. If we spent 10% of the money we spend on jailing drug offenders on rehabilitation programs we could probably help tons more people get off drugs all while pocketing 90% of our money and reducing the violent crime that goes along with illegal drugs. Not to mention the sales tax revenue on legalized recreational drugs. But we also might have to fight a new war with the cartels that stand to lose trillions of dollars if the US legalizes their products. Another mindshattering concept, regarding crime, is that because many jails today are privately owned for-profit businesses, the jail corporations are actually lobbying for stiffer penalties in the law because it means more prisoners and therefore more profit. Meanwhile, by gradually moving to harsher and harsher penalties for smaller and smaller crimes, we're taking people that may have made a small mistake in their lives and surrounding them with hardened criminals. We're actually turning petty criminals into repeat offenders... which of course is exactly what's most profitable for the prison system, of course. When it comes to public services, it's a conundrum. We can't trust for-profit providers because their greed tends to reduce the quality of service and/or raises cost. We can't trust government providers because the lack of profit incentive results in either crap quality of service, or high bureaucratic overhead, or both. So what's the solution? Non-profit corps? IMO there's a list of services that should be guaranteed/available to all people regardless of their economic situation (military & police protection, fire/rescue, healthcare/insurance, education, and access to justice/the legal system). Yet I can't think of one example where these services are provided at a high quality and cost effective level. Our military is incredibly capable... and insanely expensive. Fire/rescue, police departments, public education are all under-funded and service quality suffers. Healthcare/insurance is one of the biggest scams currently being perpetrated on the American public today... there is no reason why we should be paying twice as much for healthcare as other 1st world nations and getting half the quality of service while the healthcare/pharma companies are raking in billions each year... not for providing a service that should be a basic right of anyone in an industrialized nation. And the legal system in this nation is basically a joke for ensuring justice based on anything other than "he who has the most expensive lawyers wins". We need some new way to fund/operate social programs that gives them the incentive to provide high quality service, without the eventual cutting of corners and price gouging to maximize profits. /rant __________________ Is you is, or is you ain't, my con-stit-u-ints? Last edited by sperry; 2012-02-23 at 11:10 AM.