Bigthink - Idea Comments Feed

Comment on: War on Drugs

Bigthink — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:58:27 +0100

Hmm that is very interesting, i was not at all aware of this. I remember recentlly seing a documentary on the prison system in amarica, and how much it costs to incarsirate someone. And the figures were pretty up there, but they did not mantione anything about manufacturing.

Comment on: War on Drugs

Bigthink — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:01:07 +0100

Actually, many companies are using prison labor for cheap American labor. Some of the labor is manufacturing (furniture, clothing, etc.) and call centers. Prison labor is very cheap and allows manufacturers to call their products "American made" and have English speaking operators to take their phone calls.

Comment on: War on Drugs

Bigthink — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:57:23 +0100

I can not agree at all the incarciration system is sucking untold amounts of money from state and federal government. No inmates are really working, exept small tasks around the prison itself. And this is actually another reason the war on drugs is faling we are paying to keep people in prison that have done nothing to anyone, and that could be at the very least semi productive members of society were they to be let out.

I dont know maby eventually the state will use inmates for labor. But right now it costs alot to imprison people.

Comment on: War on Drugs

Bigthink — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:16:23 +0100

My friend is an attorney and she maintains that what we are in the infant stages of here is a whole new economy.

Look at how many colleges and community colleges have criminal justice programs? Prisons are a new and emerging industry and they could provide labor on the cheap. Think about it, no labor problems, no unions, no troublesome workers to have to negotiate with.

Within a short time the entire country will be a nation of criminals and those how incarcerate them.

Of course the whole idea of imprisoning people for victimless crimes is repugnant to me personally, but that isn't the point. This is pure economics.

Comment on: War on Drugs

Bigthink — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 14:57:50 +0100

There has been a few ideas about this topic. You may want to check them out.

First, faceless pretty much hit it with the practical and financial aspect of the war on drugs. It is a waste of money, and it fills up the prisons.

On top of that it is a complete violation of individual rights. We are aresting people who have not done anything to harm anyone else. I think the concept of a victimless crime is absurd, it is simplly societys way to force the morals o the majority upon the individual.

Comment on: War on Drugs

Bigthink — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 10:50:53 +0100

Are we winning of loosing????? We are loosing terribly! We are pouring money into an unwinable war. The question should be should we have a war on drugs at all?

There are many good arguments for why we should call it off. Ecomically we could create jobs by legalizing drugs like weed, cocaine (in the same somewhat limited way that alcohol is legal), draw the line where you want (mushrooms, acid, heroin). We would also be able to transfer the money currently spent on it into other programs (socialized medicine, better schools). Drugs could even be taxed, bringing in more money for the government to spend on better programs.

Also, many nonviolent criminals in prison could be released leaving room for criminals whose crimes hurt others.

I think many arguments for keeping illegal drugs illegal ignores that the long term affects of such drugs are similar to cigarettes and alcohol, and other strong drugs available in the form of painkillers or anti-depressants ect. We also are losing the war. Those who want the drugs can still get them, so much of our efforts are for not. And the war is unwinable, the demand will always exist and it will find a supplier.