Why does the United States have the largest prison population in the world ?

[Blues Man]

Are you sure?

Prohibition of anything will create a black market. Black markets run on violence. I only need to point to alcohol as an example.

And people accidentally set their places on fire all the time even without being drug addicts.

How many apartments have caught fire because of space heaters, candles and forgotten cigarettes?

And your last comment is telling.

YOU have experienced too many tragedies involving drugs so you assume everyone will and you want to tell them what to do and how to live their lives.

You are free to make your own chices but you are not free to force your choices on others.

Fires don't just start by themselves in the basement, especially at 3:00 am on Monday.

Yes, prohibition creates black markets, however how many people die a year because of cigarettes and alcohol today? If we had prohibition on those two items, do you think more or less would die?

You can't put out a fire with gasoline.

I don't care what anybody does as long as they don't bother me. But again, legalizing drugs doesn't stop the problem. It will only increase the amount of addicts and overdoses. Legalizing it won't stop the black market. Just look a the states that have legalized pot. They jack up the taxes so high that people look for other sources and continue to buy illegal pot as they always have.

I remember years ago when it was promised that if we passed the lottery bill, it would increase school revenue and eliminate illegal gambling. Well guess what? I didn't do either. The state reduced funds equal to the amount the schools got from the lottery, and the mob simply increased their payout and now use the lottery numbers for their own games.

I hate to tell you this but fires can start by themselves it's called spontaneous combustion.

And so what if it was 3 AM? Does a person have to be a drug addled addict to use a space heater, or to fall asleep with a candle burning too close to something combustible, or to fall asleep with s cigarette?

You want to blame everything under the sun on drugs.

Don't you think the fire department knows about those things? They pointed out where the fire originated and no explanation for how it could have started. It wasn't near the hot water tanks, not near the furnaces, and no candles or space heaters near the area, no combustable products either. It was started by somebody who ignited the contents in a garbage can and built the fire so it was large enough to reach the first floor.

This house stood here for over 100 years with no problems. And all of a sudden when drug users move in, it magically almost burns down.

So it was arson. You have not given any proof that drugs were the cause of the fire.

Correct. Some lone arsonist decided to light it on fire and never did it again. Just ignore the obvious in a failed attempt to support your argument.

You have no proof that drugs caused the fire.

Maybe you're a shitty landlord and they guy was pissed at you

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Fires don't just start by themselves in the basement, especially at 3:00 am on Monday.

Yes, prohibition creates black markets, however how many people die a year because of cigarettes and alcohol today? If we had prohibition on those two items, do you think more or less would die?

You can't put out a fire with gasoline.

I don't care what anybody does as long as they don't bother me. But again, legalizing drugs doesn't stop the problem. It will only increase the amount of addicts and overdoses. Legalizing it won't stop the black market. Just look a the states that have legalized pot. They jack up the taxes so high that people look for other sources and continue to buy illegal pot as they always have.

I remember years ago when it was promised that if we passed the lottery bill, it would increase school revenue and eliminate illegal gambling. Well guess what? I didn't do either. The state reduced funds equal to the amount the schools got from the lottery, and the mob simply increased their payout and now use the lottery numbers for their own games.

I hate to tell you this but fires can start by themselves it's called spontaneous combustion.

And so what if it was 3 AM? Does a person have to be a drug addled addict to use a space heater, or to fall asleep with a candle burning too close to something combustible, or to fall asleep with s cigarette?

You want to blame everything under the sun on drugs.

Don't you think the fire department knows about those things? They pointed out where the fire originated and no explanation for how it could have started. It wasn't near the hot water tanks, not near the furnaces, and no candles or space heaters near the area, no combustable products either. It was started by somebody who ignited the contents in a garbage can and built the fire so it was large enough to reach the first floor.

This house stood here for over 100 years with no problems. And all of a sudden when drug users move in, it magically almost burns down.

So it was arson. You have not given any proof that drugs were the cause of the fire.

Correct. Some lone arsonist decided to light it on fire and never did it again. Just ignore the obvious in a failed attempt to support your argument.

You have no proof that drugs caused the fire.

Maybe you're a shitty landlord and they guy was pissed at you

I was a shitty landlord because I rented to drug heads. But learn from experience. Now if I get an application and any mention of drugs by the applicant or court documents, in the shredder it goes.

 

[Markle]

And they do that now.

The thing is if we stop the failed war on drugs we will save billions of dollars annually and a small portion of that money could be used to offer rehab. I does no good to throw addicts in jail.

And as I said in Portugal after decriminalizing all drugs there was a drop in use overall and a drop in crime

Simple users are not sent to prison. Gracious, you are behind the times. Please read up on Drug Court.

Portugal...same population as New York City. Try finding something relevant.

We could reduce our prison population by simply following the lead of other very large countries such as China or India. They shoot them. That would sure thin out our prisons as well as being a strong deterrent to anyone who thinks dealing drugs is profitable and glamorous.

 

[Markle]

I hate to tell you this but fires can start by themselves it's called spontaneous combustion.

And so what if it was 3 AM? Does a person have to be a drug addled addict to use a space heater, or to fall asleep with a candle burning too close to something combustible, or to fall asleep with s cigarette?

You want to blame everything under the sun on drugs.

Don't you think the fire department knows about those things? They pointed out where the fire originated and no explanation for how it could have started. It wasn't near the hot water tanks, not near the furnaces, and no candles or space heaters near the area, no combustable products either. It was started by somebody who ignited the contents in a garbage can and built the fire so it was large enough to reach the first floor.

This house stood here for over 100 years with no problems. And all of a sudden when drug users move in, it magically almost burns down.

So it was arson. You have not given any proof that drugs were the cause of the fire.

Correct. Some lone arsonist decided to light it on fire and never did it again. Just ignore the obvious in a failed attempt to support your argument.

You have no proof that drugs caused the fire.

Maybe you're a shitty landlord and they guy was pissed at you

I was a shitty landlord because I rented to drug heads. But learn from experience. Now if I get an application and any mention of drugs by the applicant or court documents, in the shredder it goes.

You might want to keep all the applications whether or not you rent to them. If someone sues you for discrimination, you will have to prove that you did not. In fair housing suits, the plaintiff is presumed to have prima facia evidence. In other words, you are considered guilty unless you prove yourself innocent. Yep, whacky. Have written policies regarding your rental procedures. Be very careful about not renting to someone who has been on drugs. If someone has successfully completed a rehabilitation program for either or both, they are considered to be handicapped.

 

[francoHFW]

And they do that now.

The thing is if we stop the failed war on drugs we will save billions of dollars annually and a small portion of that money could be used to offer rehab. I does no good to throw addicts in jail.

And as I said in Portugal after decriminalizing all drugs there was a drop in use overall and a drop in crime

Simple users are not sent to prison. Gracious, you are behind the times. Please read up on Drug Court.

Portugal...same population as New York City. Try finding something relevant.

We could reduce our prison population by simply following the lead of other very large countries such as China or India. They shoot them. That would sure thin out our prisons as well as being a strong deterrent to anyone who thinks dealing drugs is profitable and glamorous.

right, why don't we have a war on drugs and just say no? Portugal is relevant we should give up this war and give people treatment. all of a sudden Honduras Guatemala and El Salvador are a lot more livable.

 

[Markle]

Probably because the USA has the most lawyers...

.

A very real possibility.

Too Many Lawyers: The Legal Profession Needs A Cull

How the Fuck Are There Too Many Lawyers?
Alright, so a while back I wrote in a post about how there were approximately 1,315,000 licensed and practicing attorneys in the United States. There are roughly 321,400,000 people in general in the United States. That comes out to about 1 lawyer for every 244 people in the United States. That means that when you’re in a crowded theater, you’re guaranteed to be sitting in a room with at least 1-3 lawyers, depending on the size of the venue. If someone trips down the stairs at a 30,000 stadium from a little too much beer, 122 lawyers could come rushing out the woodwork to hand out business cards.

We have to many lawyers due to our antiquated judicial system. Several changes could change all that and make our system far more fair.

 

[Blues Man]

And they do that now.

The thing is if we stop the failed war on drugs we will save billions of dollars annually and a small portion of that money could be used to offer rehab. I does no good to throw addicts in jail.

And as I said in Portugal after decriminalizing all drugs there was a drop in use overall and a drop in crime

Simple users are not sent to prison. Gracious, you are behind the times. Please read up on Drug Court.

Portugal...same population as New York City. Try finding something relevant.

We could reduce our prison population by simply following the lead of other very large countries such as China or India. They shoot them. That would sure thin out our prisons as well as being a strong deterrent to anyone who thinks dealing drugs is profitable and glamorous.

Why is it you can't understand that we could do the same thing Portugal did on a state by state basis?
And people get sent to prison for possession all the time. It just depends on how much they have on them at the time

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

And they do that now.

The thing is if we stop the failed war on drugs we will save billions of dollars annually and a small portion of that money could be used to offer rehab. I does no good to throw addicts in jail.

And as I said in Portugal after decriminalizing all drugs there was a drop in use overall and a drop in crime

Simple users are not sent to prison. Gracious, you are behind the times. Please read up on Drug Court.

Portugal...same population as New York City. Try finding something relevant.

We could reduce our prison population by simply following the lead of other very large countries such as China or India. They shoot them. That would sure thin out our prisons as well as being a strong deterrent to anyone who thinks dealing drugs is profitable and glamorous.

Some people believe pandering to the offender is more effective than offering a deterrent. I say a 25 year sentence to the dealer unless they rat out who they bought the drugs from and how they got them.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Don't you think the fire department knows about those things? They pointed out where the fire originated and no explanation for how it could have started. It wasn't near the hot water tanks, not near the furnaces, and no candles or space heaters near the area, no combustable products either. It was started by somebody who ignited the contents in a garbage can and built the fire so it was large enough to reach the first floor.

This house stood here for over 100 years with no problems. And all of a sudden when drug users move in, it magically almost burns down.

So it was arson. You have not given any proof that drugs were the cause of the fire.

Correct. Some lone arsonist decided to light it on fire and never did it again. Just ignore the obvious in a failed attempt to support your argument.

You have no proof that drugs caused the fire.

Maybe you're a shitty landlord and they guy was pissed at you

I was a shitty landlord because I rented to drug heads. But learn from experience. Now if I get an application and any mention of drugs by the applicant or court documents, in the shredder it goes.

You might want to keep all the applications whether or not you rent to them. If someone sues you for discrimination, you will have to prove that you did not. In fair housing suits, the plaintiff is presumed to have prima facia evidence. In other words, you are considered guilty unless you prove yourself innocent. Yep, whacky. Have written policies regarding your rental procedures. Be very careful about not renting to someone who has been on drugs. If someone has successfully completed a rehabilitation program for either or both, they are considered to be handicapped.

Let them try. I have records that I did exactly that. The guy was a remodeler who served rehab and time in prison. He wanted to do some remodeling to the unit I gave him. He ripped the bathroom totally apart, went back on drugs, and just sat there and never finished the job. That cost me a few thousand to finish up the remodeling and down time during the process.

 

[Markle]

right, why don't we have a war on drugs and just say no? Portugal is relevant we should give up this war and give people treatment. all of a sudden Honduras Guatemala and El Salvador are a lot more livable.

Your ignorance about the Drug Court is not surprising.

Saying Portugal, an entire country with a smaller population than one of our cities is likewise, not surprising coming from a tired ol' Troll.

 

[Markle]

Why is it you can't understand that we could do the same thing Portugal did on a state by state basis?
And people get sent to prison for possession all the time. It just depends on how much they have on them at the time

Right, if they're a dealer, they go to prison. In China, India and other countries, they get shot.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

right, why don't we have a war on drugs and just say no? Portugal is relevant we should give up this war and give people treatment. all of a sudden Honduras Guatemala and El Salvador are a lot more livable.

Your ignorance about the Drug Court is not surprising.

Saying Portugal, an entire country with a smaller population than one of our cities is likewise, not surprising coming from a tired ol' Troll.

The principle is the same. Why can you not see it ? Decriminalise drugs. Slap a tax on drugs to fund rehab schemes. You could also use the money saved by having empty jails.
Central American countries have a legal export and become better places to live and so immigration is not an issue.

Less crime,less prisons, less gangs - its all good.

 

[danielpalos]

only the right wing never gets it; Government solves all problems for them.

 

[Markle]

Let them try. I have records that I did exactly that. The guy was a remodeler who served rehab and time in prison. He wanted to do some remodeling to the unit I gave him. He ripped the bathroom totally apart, went back on drugs, and just sat there and never finished the job. That cost me a few thousand to finish up the remodeling and down time during the process.

Just keep the denied applications and have a written policy. I know of what I speak. I have taught Fair Housing Law and Diversity all around my state (Florida) as well as around our Country for our National Association.

Being completely innocent will not prevent someone from suing you and that few thousand will mushroom! I'm serious when I ask you to keep records and have a written policy listing your requirements for renting to a person. What checks will be done, what is the minimum score if you do a credit check.

A close business associate of mine was sued for discrimination. He owned and managed a number of single-family residences. He too was (I say was because he passed a couple of years ago) a Realtor and very knowledgeable about all the related laws. He was accused of discrimination on the basis of charging more rent because someone had children. He had a written policy of charging a tenant $10.00 more per month if they wanted monthly pest control. They accused him of charging more because they had children. It was the option of the tenant.

He had to demonstrate that he had a written policy, that he had used the same criteria on every tenant including those he had refused. He had to provide all the applications showing the various races he had rented to and those he refused.

In the end, he was tied up for over two years in various court proceedings and it cost him over $11,000 in attorney fees to be found in compliance with all the Fair Housing Laws.

Just sayin'!

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Let them try. I have records that I did exactly that. The guy was a remodeler who served rehab and time in prison. He wanted to do some remodeling to the unit I gave him. He ripped the bathroom totally apart, went back on drugs, and just sat there and never finished the job. That cost me a few thousand to finish up the remodeling and down time during the process.

Just keep the denied applications and have a written policy. I know of what I speak. I have taught Fair Housing Law and Diversity all around my state (Florida) as well as around our Country for our National Association.

Being completely innocent will not prevent someone from suing you and that few thousand will mushroom! I'm serious when I ask you to keep records and have a written policy listing your requirements for renting to a person. What checks will be done, what is the minimum score if you do a credit check.

A close business associate of mine was sued for discrimination. He owned and managed a number of single-family residences. He too was (I say was because he passed a couple of years ago) a Realtor and very knowledgeable about all the related laws. He was accused of discrimination on the basis of charging more rent because someone had children. He had a written policy of charging a tenant $10.00 more per month if they wanted monthly pest control. They accused him of charging more because they had children. It was the option of the tenant.

He had to demonstrate that he had a written policy, that he had used the same criteria on every tenant including those he had refused. He had to provide all the applications showing the various races he had rented to and those he refused.

In the end, he was tied up for over two years in various court proceedings and it cost him over $11,000 in attorney fees to be found in compliance with all the Fair Housing Laws.

Just sayin'!

My applications asks if the tenant or people residing in the unit have any felony convictions. Any lie on the application is grounds for automatic disqualification.

I not only keep applications I rejected, but I also keep records on who lived here in the past, why they left, and if they were evicted or not. I also advertise on CraigsList and people who reply by email usually don't give me their name until I contact them in person first. That way nobody can say I discriminated based on a name.

I was listening to a local radio show discussing rental property. A person called in to share his experience. He advertised his units with a no pet policy. One guy called him and said he had cats; they keep him from getting depressed. The landlord rejected his application. A lady called in and said she was paranoid of people breaking into her home, and she needed her dog for that reason. Again, the landlord rejected her application.

A few months went by and the unit was rented. The state sent him a fine for $5,000 because he didn't make accommodations for people with disabilities that required a pet. His lawyer said he could probably beat the charge, however to drive to the capital (about 100 miles away) to fight it, he would save more money by just paying the fine.

A few years after I heard that story, the state sent a fake applicant making a similar claim. Remembering the story, I told him I would accept the pet provided he buy insurance coverage for my property, and he gives me a doctors prescription stating he needs the animal. Never heard back from him. LOL!

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

right, why don't we have a war on drugs and just say no? Portugal is relevant we should give up this war and give people treatment. all of a sudden Honduras Guatemala and El Salvador are a lot more livable.

Your ignorance about the Drug Court is not surprising.

Saying Portugal, an entire country with a smaller population than one of our cities is likewise, not surprising coming from a tired ol' Troll.

The principle is the same. Why can you not see it ? Decriminalise drugs. Slap a tax on drugs to fund rehab schemes. You could also use the money saved by having empty jails.
Central American countries have a legal export and become better places to live and so immigration is not an issue.

Less crime,less prisons, less gangs - its all good.

Except for the fact that it doesn't work.

In states that have legalized pot, illegal pot is still available. They taxed it so high that people opted to buy the non-government pot at a cheaper price. Also because like tobacco, pot has an age restriction. So kids buy it off other kids just like when I went to school.

So legalizing and taxing dangerous narcotic will not solve the gang or prison problem we have. In fact it would only make things worse.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

right, why don't we have a war on drugs and just say no? Portugal is relevant we should give up this war and give people treatment. all of a sudden Honduras Guatemala and El Salvador are a lot more livable.

Your ignorance about the Drug Court is not surprising.

Saying Portugal, an entire country with a smaller population than one of our cities is likewise, not surprising coming from a tired ol' Troll.

The principle is the same. Why can you not see it ? Decriminalise drugs. Slap a tax on drugs to fund rehab schemes. You could also use the money saved by having empty jails.
Central American countries have a legal export and become better places to live and so immigration is not an issue.

Less crime,less prisons, less gangs - its all good.

Except for the fact that it doesn't work.

In states that have legalized pot, illegal pot is still available. They taxed it so high that people opted to buy the non-government pot at a cheaper price. Also because like tobacco, pot has an age restriction. So kids buy it off other kids just like when I went to school.

So legalizing and taxing dangerous narcotic will not solve the gang or prison problem we have. In fact it would only make things worse.

So you could lower the tax rate ? Its not complicated Ray. You put a man on the moon . This isnt a problem.

 

[francoHFW]

right, why don't we have a war on drugs and just say no? Portugal is relevant we should give up this war and give people treatment. all of a sudden Honduras Guatemala and El Salvador are a lot more livable.

Your ignorance about the Drug Court is not surprising.

Saying Portugal, an entire country with a smaller population than one of our cities is likewise, not surprising coming from a tired ol' Troll.

I am not ignorant at all about drug court but there are many states in the United States that don't have them and screw the hell out of people for simple possession duh.

Population of Portugal has nothing to do with it. That is always the last and stupidest argument of ignorant GOP dupes. What works in Holland and Portugal will work here. The War on Drugs certainly does not work. We have ten times the prison population per capita of any European countryand we've also destroyed Mexico Central America and much of South America with our stupidity. GOP stupidity that is, super duper.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

right, why don't we have a war on drugs and just say no? Portugal is relevant we should give up this war and give people treatment. all of a sudden Honduras Guatemala and El Salvador are a lot more livable.

Your ignorance about the Drug Court is not surprising.

Saying Portugal, an entire country with a smaller population than one of our cities is likewise, not surprising coming from a tired ol' Troll.

The principle is the same. Why can you not see it ? Decriminalise drugs. Slap a tax on drugs to fund rehab schemes. You could also use the money saved by having empty jails.
Central American countries have a legal export and become better places to live and so immigration is not an issue.

Less crime,less prisons, less gangs - its all good.

Except for the fact that it doesn't work.

In states that have legalized pot, illegal pot is still available. They taxed it so high that people opted to buy the non-government pot at a cheaper price. Also because like tobacco, pot has an age restriction. So kids buy it off other kids just like when I went to school.

So legalizing and taxing dangerous narcotic will not solve the gang or prison problem we have. In fact it would only make things worse.

So you could lower the tax rate ? Its not complicated Ray. You put a man on the moon . This isnt a problem.

I don't think you'll ever knock out competition. Competition just finds better ways to compete.

Many years ago the lottery proposal was an issue. It had to be approved by the voters. What they promised is that we would eliminate illegal gambling if the lottery was passed; it would knock out the mob.

That didn't happen. Several years afterwards I got a job at a store that was also running numbers for the mob. That phone was ringing off the hook. What the mob did to combat the lottery is use their numbers to run their games, and offered a better payout. If anything, the lottery helped the illegal gambling because you didn't just learn about the winning number from the people you bought the number from, you actually seen it on television and knew it was totally legit.

 

[danielpalos]

Prohibition only engenders corruption.