The President's biggest regret

Lots to chew on here...

If there were jobs to give the homeless and if someone could teach such people basic work skills that would be great. Trouble is that it costs money. Also many, if not most homeless people are either elderly, mentally or physically ill, have criminal records or are otherwise unemployable.

US Prisons being like the Hilton? Well the better prisons where big time tax cheats, CEOs and corrput politicians like George Ryan go are pretty decent.

But other prisons are not. Japan really is not a good example since Japanese prisons are notoriously severe. Japan, an ethnically homogonous society where ther is traditional respect for authority is very different from the US anyway. I did some research on this topic long ago and found out that the Scandanavian justice system is remarkably effective in rehabilitatin offenders. This is because they make a real effort in rehabilitating, rather than merely punishing individuals for crimes. Denmark, in particular has prisons where men and women are intergrated. Inmates can have coginal visits. Prisons look more like college dormatories than penal institutions. Typically few inmates will serve more than 20 years and seldom will non-violent inmates serve more than a year.

Conservatives may scoff at coddling inmates, yet Denmark has a crime rate far below that of the US. In fact when I was in Copenhagen I noted that most people did not even lock their bicycles. You even will see people leave keys in their cars

No I am serious. And sometimes I consider Air America to be too narrowly focused.

 

"If there were jobs to give the homeless and if someone could teach such people basic work skills that would be great. Trouble is that it costs money."

- As a person who worked with the homeless, illegal immigrants, and minorities in retail and the education field, I know for a fact that there are plenty of jobs in the US to give the homeless. For example, instead of giving jobs to illegal immigrants, how about giving a homeless citizen a job. I know for a fact that plenty of college students from foreign countries work illegally off-campus to pay for educational costs. I tried to help a homeless man secure a job in my department and he utterly refused.

In Puerto Rico, my families church tried to help homeless people, but they would go into hiding. This does not mean we should stop helping the homeless because they may go into hiding, but the jobs are out there and money is of no consequence.

"Also many, if not most homeless people are either elderly, mentally or physically ill, have criminal records or are otherwise unemployable."

- I supervised employees who, at the time, were elderly with mental and physical disabilities. In fact, the homeless person who I tried to hire had a criminal record. There are social services that assist the previously incarcerated in finding employment and companies willing to give the homeless a chance. I think any living person is employable. There is no caste system in the US as known in a certain Asian country.

"US Prisons being like the Hilton? Well the better prisons where big time tax cheats, CEOs and corrput politicians like George Ryan go are pretty decent."

- That is correct, US prisons are like the Hilton in comparison to prisons in Latin America, much of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

"But other prisons are not. Japan really is not a good example since Japanese prisons are notoriously severe. "

- That is my point. You said that US prisons need "cleaning up".

"Japan, an ethnically homogonous society where ther is traditional respect for authority is very different from the US anyway"

- As a person who has family in Japan, I disagree with your comment that Japan is an ethnically homogeneous society. I do agree that there are cultural and social differences between the two countries.

"I did some research on this topic long ago and found out that the Scandanavian justice system is remarkably effective in rehabilitatin offenders. This is because they make a real effort in rehabilitating, rather than merely punishing individuals for crimes. Denmark, in particular has prisons where men and women are intergrated. Inmates can have coginal visits. Prisons look more like college dormatories than penal institutions. Typically few inmates will serve more than 20 years and seldom will non-violent inmates serve more than a year. "

- It is possible that we can learn something from Scandinavian the penal system. Regardless, I believe that very few individuals who are arrested in the United States serve 20 years and a minority who go through the court system serve more than a year ( correct me if I'm wrong Bruce ). I do agree that a measure of reform is needed in the US prison system. There are still issues within the danish prison system however. http://www.redorbit.com/news/oddities/39658/denmark_prisons_ban_heavy_dumbbells/

"Conservatives may scoff at coddling inmates, yet Denmark has a crime rate far below that of the US. In fact when I was in Copenhagen I noted that most people did not even lock their bicycles. You even will see people leave keys in their cars. "

- Japan, known for conservatism and liberalism ( among the youth ) has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. ( that is changing gradually ). You want rehabilitation, just the thought of going to a Japanese prison keeps the crime rate low. That thought probably keeps most people in Japan rehabilitated. Yes people in Japan keep their bicycles unlocked and feel safe leaving their doors unlocked. Many in the US leave their keys attached to their doors, but I doubt it's because of safety.