I continue to argue that flawed government reaction and subsequent polices have extended the economic downturn longer than it should've lasted. By the way... the same thing happened in the 1930s .

And I will argue that filibustering any plans that had a chance of working by the republicans in an effort to undermine the government efforts is where the jobs went. Despite government spending being flat, taxes low, and corporate profits being through the roof, the middle class, has been eroded and the myth of the normal business cycle has been exposed.

I mean how much money do you capitalist need to circulate the money through jobs? Don't answer we already know, ALL the money ever created by mankind! And that's no guarantee for employment.

Its not the government, well NOT entirely, it's the business model itself that has sucked all the cash from the system, created nothing but a rich mans casino. This has effectively destroyed the economic circulation of the entire country. Best described as the buck has stopped here, in the pockets of a bunch of greedy, ungrateful B@STARDS.

The rights profits over people works well for the few, and enslaves, and impoverishes the many. You are right though, we have seen this before. And we see it again because all the precautions we installed have been REPEALED, by bought off government servants.

I'm late to this party so I'm starting from the beginning of the OP.

Is it my fault that after desegregation blacks self-segregate? Virtually every group in America is represented by some (or multiple) organization making sure their issues are front and center and their identity is preserved and celebrated - except for Caucasian males - I can't imagine why segregation might be a failure. As soon as some black kid is whacked by a "white" guy or some belligerent black college professor has a police encounter you libs cry "racism" in lockstep, knee-jerk fashion. Even words like "blacklist" are being banned because of 'fears' of racial overtones. The other day I wondered how long I could order my favorite beer without being called a racist by some liberal somewhere, or how long before they change the name.

I'm just trying to get along brother, it isn't me or my side intentionally keeping racism alive.

Now watch what you say or they'll be calling you a radical, Liberal, fanatical, criminal. -Supertramp, The Logical Song 1979

Hello again, Steve:

If you're the guy in charge of making POLICY, then it IS your fault.. See, you think they self segregate because of race.. I think they self segregate because of racist POLICY. The drug war is a prime example.

excon

Ok then, let's get rid of all the racist laws. Make me a list and highlight the racist part.

Hello again, Steve:

Didn't we do this once before?? Ok, let's take the drug war.

There is a 5-year minimum prison penalty for a first-time trafficking offense involving 5 grams or more of crack cocaine, which is used primarily by BLACK people or 500 grams or more of powder cocaine, which is used primarily by WHITE people.. There's more.. A 10-year mandatory minimum penalty for a first-time trafficking offense involving 50 grams or more of crack cocaine, which is used primarily by BLACK people, or 5,000 grams or more of powder cocaine, which is used primarily by WHITE people.

There ain't no getting around it, but I'm sure you'll try.

excon

Ill take a stab at it. In part the laws are in place and seemingly out of balance because of the addiction level. Crack is far more addicting then straight pharmaceutical cocaine. From what I understand there are many that can be addicted after the first few uses. It is far more dangerous a drug then cocaine.

That's a myth to justify the sentencing laws and practices of law enforcement. To get the guys in the hood, when most of the usage is done in the burbs.

Cocaine is cocaine, and none of it is pharmaceutical. Hospitals use cocaine legally in surgery. You need a federal license for it.

Nice job Ex. I will add to your list with the number of felonies a minority marijuana user gets as opposed to a suburban user, with a real attorney. Probation, and community service, as opposed to three years for possession. Not to mention loss of voting rights and that brings us to voter suppression. Another racist tactic.

Ex why did you drag that ole hobby horse out of the back of the shed. We wore that one out a while ago.

You seem to think that any law that restricts your ability to smoke dope is racist, unamerican and unconstitutional, but your constitution allows the government to preserve order and the common good and dope in any form leads to lawlessness and is not a good.

If the members of a particular racist group happens to be dope users this does not make the law racist or specifically directed at them. If perchance the members of another racist group preys on that first group by selling them dope this does not make the law racist

Come on Clete, Ex was specific, its not about the law, its about unequal application of the law. That's what makes it racist. If all the doppers were treated the same way, we wouldn't be having this conversation. That's the whole point.

Tal if your law and order departments target certain persons because they are easy targets, they may be racist or racially motivated but more than likely they just have to fill their quota for the month. If your courts levy penelties in accordence with the law are they racist? If your legislators formulate laws that are racist then your Supreme Court can examine them and strike them down. What part of due process does Ex not understand?

Now I would agree that there are far too many people incarcarated in your country for what are essentially minor offences and offences against their own person and that law and order is a more serious problem there than here but this is because of drugs and all the undesirable aspects of the traffic of narcotics. Some narcotics are a bigger problem than others and if your enforcement programmes focused more on economic penelties and detoxification than incarceration you may have greater success. This is about the manner in which the law is applied and it is about wider issues than drugs

Where I come from only black people sniff petrol, is the restriction of the supply of petrol to an inferior product so these people can't get their kicks racist. Should all vehicles be converted to diesel or LPG in a racist attempt to kurb the activities of these black people? Should white people be convicted of an offense for supplying petrol to black people? What Ex is saying is that possession of a rediculously small quantity of a substance which at that quanity is unlikely to addict should be treated exactly the same as a similar quantity of a highly addictive substance simply because a different class of people use different substances is ridiculous and your legislators had the good sense to see it before they filled your prisons with even more offenders as a result of class warfare

No they didn't, come see for yourself, racism by legislators and politicians is alive and well in America, and too sophisticated it seems for you to recognize its insidious forms. I agree with you on many things, not this.

Hello again,

Just because the racist legislators SAID that crack is more addictive that powder, doesn't mean it's true. They WANTED it to be true.. So do you.. It ISN'T true... It's RACIST. That's what's true.

Exocn

Very true. Racists can always justify themselves with good sounding LIES. They don't have to hang you for whistling at their women, They put you in jail for jaywalking, hang you in jail, and call it suicide.

Or get you for jaywalking three times and that gets you life.

And you call this freedom, liberty, democracy, an example the rest of the world should emulate

As always more exagerations from a skewed view. Its no wonder when the truth comes out you have to refuse to see it. Why not concentrate on the problem rather then exacerbating it? Sure you want to call racism every time but you don't seem to want to stand up and do something about it. So every black person is being racially treated no matter what they have done is quite a stretch. When do you step back and examine the root behavior and say something needs to be done about it independent of skin color. After all blaming it on color is racist.

Your right dad, my broad brushed and general analogy was not trying to say ALL, but was pointing at where the real problems started, with the local law makers. They have made an industry from incarcerating specifically targeted youth, or groups of people.

Any law that takes advantage of those with socially created problems, and punishes victims of it with jail, is patently racist. Arrests are NOT the answer. Nor laws that make those arrest easy.

Its called profiling, and the way its done is patently racist. I mean come on, they could have put all that prison money into schools and policies that worked, and not disadvantaged, and got better results. That's what I think at least, and lumping people into one spot and parking a paddy wagon down the street is NOT a solution, it just perpetuates the prison system.

More prisons for targeted drivers looking for dope is not the answer, but looks great on paper. But the white guys with dope get away scot free. Just like little johnny in the burbs whose dad gets him a lawyer, instead of a plea bargaining public defender, with 15 other clients caught with a joint.

You really don't have to be a racist to push racist policies you know, but the results are the same. Aren't they?

You mean that 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act that was sponsored by the good Texas Democrat Jim Wright and had 301 cosponsors including Harold E. Ford Sr and Charlie Rangel? What in the world were they doing sponsoring racist laws?

How about a link so we understand your FACTS!

No problem.

H.R.5484 Cosponsors

You might find some more interesting cosponsors, like ex's buddy Henry Waxman.