Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
Monday, March 22, 2010
16 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
Indicative of how repressive a state Pa. truly is! Archaic laws that put non-violent people in jail for addiction and child support problems. Build more jails is the conservative mantra. Let the State deal with them instead of the community. Your tax dollars at work.
ReplyDeleteIs this related to a rise in convictions/longer sentences or is it because we're taking overflow prisoners from other states?
ReplyDeleteWe just sent a few thousand inmates to Michigan jails. Sentencing is the root of the problem and stupid mandatory sentences. Judges have no choice but to incarcerate.
ReplyDeleteIt's the drug war, stupid.
ReplyDeleteDave is right. Sentencing is the main cause of this problem. Judges lack the discretion they shoud have in determining each case.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bernie. I know this subject inside out! The facts are there for all to see. NY and NJ have rid themselves of repressive laws that clog the prisons for no good reason. Wake up PA!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletedeleted again, what is with this censorship?
ReplyDeleteI have deleted two comments here by a person who knows why he's been deleted, and I will continue to delete him. I am fairly relaxed about somments, but commenting here is no First Amendment right. It is a privilege, and those who abuse it to make points about an unrelated topic will be deleted.
ReplyDeleteIn this instance, the commenter is attempting to demean Ron Angle in a post having nothing to do with him. It was very subtle, but I caught it. It's the kind of comment I usually tolerate. But frankly, I'm tired of the childish nonsense right now, especially when it come from anonymous cowards and on the heels of some vicious attacks at Ron's family.
Anonymous coward, you don't have to comment or read here. You can even start your own "I hate Angle" or "I hate Stoffa" blog.
@ Dave...when people go to prison, they usually go for a reason. There are rehabilitation programs in place for those inmates that are incarcerated for drug related offenses. Also, for child support, they don't sit in the main population, they go to work release, at a cost for the inmate. Try some research before you spout off facts.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that there are plenty of people who are in prison for a ridiculous amount of time for non-violent offenses, don't negate the necessity for people to do some time. I think plenty of single parents out there who aren't getting money coming in for child support would take issue with calling it "repressive" on the inmate.
I am sorry my spelling and or understanding of the English language is not great, but that is no reason to delete my post. I am not college educated and I may make some grammatical errors, and for that I get punished and my post get deleted?
ReplyDeleteIf I use a word in the wrong context or misspell something just let me know.
If I knowed that coming into this I would have done better at spelling. Sorry about that.
Sentencing should be left to the judges we appoint not legislative mandates! You have no idea who is in our jail or why they are there. I know..I make it my business to know what is being done in the name of me and you who pay the bills. Get your facts straight.
ReplyDeleteSadly in Northampton County we have Executive Stoffa to thank for the crime rate. He is unable to resolve the prison issue.
ReplyDeleteYeah Stoffa commits all the crime...even people in his administratin go to jail...oops sorry that was someone else`s administration.
ReplyDeleteDave doesn't make anything worthwhile "his" business. Just another blowhard know-it-all. Go back to sleep "dave"
ReplyDeleteIn Lehigh County, lots of people go to prison for stupid reasons, but its the biggest money maker for the county and that's the main reason. Also, most of the prisoners are latino or black, and do not know how to fight the system nor have the income to do so, and that's the 2nd reason. The judges also are the biggest contributors to this population because they agree with whatever the cops say in court and always go against the defendants! See if I am not incorrect. Go into court and sit in the hearings and you will see for yourself that the defendants do not get much time to talk, bc the judges decide ahead of time to find the defendants guilty and give jailtime out like its the only answer. They do not have the professional abilities or knowledge to decifer truth from trump. In their small, racist, better-than-thou minds, anyone who is a defendant is a low life scum and the cops are kings? It's like we have a legal system run by euro-snob gangsters. No fairness allowed is their credo. Go back into the history of Lehigh and Northampton counties and read up on the Molly Maguires. They were innocent workers who were being mistreated and underpaid by the wealthy landowners and biz owners and when the people who were suppressed and oppressed started to speak up, they were arrested for crimes they did not commit and hung outside the Lehigh and Northampton county courthouses. One of the men stated that he was innocent and put his hand against the prison wall and said that to prove his innocence, his handprint would never leave the wall and it is still there today. The prison officials have ordered it painted over and it still came thru. So we have an evil spirit of oppression here in these counties north of Bucks. If we want to have justice, we have to stand up together and speak our minds in the form of public meetings. Too many people thing anyone in prison belongs there. The cops also make money on every tow they do. That is also another "income" they have besides their entry level wages of $50,000/year salary. (Bucks is more fair and the judges actually listen to both sides of a story and allow the defendants to speak. That is in common pleas court. The district magistrates are mostly pretty much in the cops' pockets like up here.)
ReplyDelete