Post by SoulTrainOz on Jul 16, 2006 23:29:52 GMT -5
To the editor, Delta Democrat Times
I read your column with great interest and agree it is futile to kill a killer in a sterile prison environment. Its purpose is revenge, permanently removing the person from the population, and it is effective. Although it is a matter of law, morality and ethics, all different perspectives, these three conflict in capital cases. Killing in war or in self defense is legal, moral and ethical.
As an alternative, why not simply jail all those convicted of capital
(execution by death) crimes for life, no possibility for parole, yet require them to pay for their imprisonment through work? And while we're at that, why not require all prisoners to pay for their imprisonment and other expenses - medical as well as repayment and compensation for their crimes?
Most of them could do so. I am well aware of Supreme Court decisions in reference to prisoners' "rights." Private enterprise could certainly run a prison for profit much easier than the government.
Education has an effect on prison populations. Uh-oh! Did I say that? Yep, we need to privatize any system that is not working and you should be able to imagine that I'm referring to most government programs and systems (IRS?). I realize our public schools are improving, but we have lost two generations of many youth to our prisons, some dead, because of low-quality education. The cost per pupil in public education vs. private schools, the academic standards, scholarships awarded, graduation percentages in high school and universities, and other factors make me think that we have been fooling ourselves for too long. If parents had to pay for their children's education, they would certainly pay more attention to the quality of education and demand quality and quantity for their money. Expensive? Maybe not if private education can do a better job at half the cost. So, how do "poor" parents pay for such? It would have to be gradually done over several years with tuition costs approaching full payment. The results would be dramatic immediately from the first year. The final result would be students who will be much more qualified to make a living, pay for their children's education in the future, have a choice where to go to school, have less or no need for welfare, know how to be more frugal, and how to stay out of jail.
I know the MAE and NAE will "get in my face" and my phone will ring off the hook because of my opinions. I was in education for 19 years and saw the daily waste of money and low quality education. Could I complain? Not unless I wanted to be fired.
Bill McGraw
Greenville
Source : Delta Democrat Times
www.ddtonline.com/articles/2006/07/14/news/letters/letters1.txt
I read your column with great interest and agree it is futile to kill a killer in a sterile prison environment. Its purpose is revenge, permanently removing the person from the population, and it is effective. Although it is a matter of law, morality and ethics, all different perspectives, these three conflict in capital cases. Killing in war or in self defense is legal, moral and ethical.
As an alternative, why not simply jail all those convicted of capital
(execution by death) crimes for life, no possibility for parole, yet require them to pay for their imprisonment through work? And while we're at that, why not require all prisoners to pay for their imprisonment and other expenses - medical as well as repayment and compensation for their crimes?
Most of them could do so. I am well aware of Supreme Court decisions in reference to prisoners' "rights." Private enterprise could certainly run a prison for profit much easier than the government.
Education has an effect on prison populations. Uh-oh! Did I say that? Yep, we need to privatize any system that is not working and you should be able to imagine that I'm referring to most government programs and systems (IRS?). I realize our public schools are improving, but we have lost two generations of many youth to our prisons, some dead, because of low-quality education. The cost per pupil in public education vs. private schools, the academic standards, scholarships awarded, graduation percentages in high school and universities, and other factors make me think that we have been fooling ourselves for too long. If parents had to pay for their children's education, they would certainly pay more attention to the quality of education and demand quality and quantity for their money. Expensive? Maybe not if private education can do a better job at half the cost. So, how do "poor" parents pay for such? It would have to be gradually done over several years with tuition costs approaching full payment. The results would be dramatic immediately from the first year. The final result would be students who will be much more qualified to make a living, pay for their children's education in the future, have a choice where to go to school, have less or no need for welfare, know how to be more frugal, and how to stay out of jail.
I know the MAE and NAE will "get in my face" and my phone will ring off the hook because of my opinions. I was in education for 19 years and saw the daily waste of money and low quality education. Could I complain? Not unless I wanted to be fired.
Bill McGraw
Greenville
Source : Delta Democrat Times
www.ddtonline.com/articles/2006/07/14/news/letters/letters1.txt