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excon · Feb 17, 2009, 06:37 AM

Hello wingers:

I have to laugh. You're SO out of touch. I don't think you can ever come back.

There is no question that California is the brokest among already broke states. It IS headed for the rails...

So, Beck and whomever he was talking to, kept saying that California should CUT programs. Cut, welfare - CUT unemployment - CUT health care - CUT help for the poor...

Then, whomever he was talking to mentioned that California is SOOO broke, that a federal appeals court was ordering them to release 40,000 prisoners because they're over DOUBLE the max allowed...

Without losing a beat, Beck said California should build more prisons...

Now, I know you righty's won't have any idea WHY I'm bringing this up, because you too think we don't have enough prisons in this country...

But, the rest of you are laughing your butts off at his stupidity.

excon

RickJ · Feb 17, 2009, 06:42 AM

Yes, Beck and the likes of him (Hannity, Limbaugh, etc.) are a joke in many ways.

... but what I find interesting is that people do not comment on what they say that MAKES SENSE... like being against a stimulus package that no one knows the details of. A stimulus package that is so full of pork.

Forget that crap. Cut taxes and cut gimmie programs for takers who don't want to work. THAT will stimulate the economy.

tomder55 · Feb 17, 2009, 07:14 AM

Yeah I'm sure Kalifornia can just raise more revenues... or beg for Federal intervention like the RINOnator has been doing lately . They don't ever consider where their budget could shrink.

Regarding prisons I just have to wonder how many illegal alien criminals are being housed at the people of Kaliforia's expense. Rapid deportation to the proper authorities in their native nation would probably save the State plenty of $$$$$

excon · Feb 17, 2009, 07:28 AM

Originally Posted by tomder55

I just have to wonder how many illegal alien criminals are being housed at the people of Kaliforia's expense. Rapid deportation to the proper authorities in their native nation would probably save the State plenty of $$$$$

Hello tom:

Hmmm... California doesn't imprison people for being illegal aliens. If they're in the slam, it's because they committed a crime...

I find it interesting that you're FOR the release and deportation of ILLEGAL ALIEN CRIMINALS, many of whom are very bad VIOLENT offenders serving LONG prison sentences, but for the continued incarceration of AMERICANS, many of whom are NON-VIOLENT drug offenders...

Your priorities aren't much different than Beck.

excon

George_1950 · Feb 17, 2009, 07:54 AM

Glenn Beck's idea:
The Nine Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
http://www.glennbeck.com/content/art...cle/198/21018/

Beck sounds like a libertarian with morals.

RickJ · Feb 17, 2009, 07:58 AM

You beat me to it, George. I believe in those principles, for the most part... and I bet Excon does too... with the possible exception of #2.

What say you, Excon?

excon · Feb 17, 2009, 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by RickJ

I believe in those principles, for the most part...and I bet Excon does too...with the possible exception of #2. What say you, Excon?

Hello guys:

You know me pretty good, Rick. You're absolutely right.

Those principals translate perfectly into MY political philosophy, as I'm sure they do yours.

But, you can believe in those principals, and still be wrong about building more prisons, as Beck clearly is.

If you know me that well, Rick, then you also know that I'm not against prisons nor putting people in them simply because I myself have been there. You also would know that I'm a supporter of putting BAD people away for a LONG time.

As opposed to Beck and his sort, though, I'm not a believer in the idea that simply because a guy is IN the slam, it automatically makes him a BAD guy. I suppose Beck thinks that way, because he can't imagine a law that would be unfair, unless it was about his right to own a gun, and he can't imagine anybody being wrongfully convicted.

I don't think that way. I think there are MANY people in prison who are the VICTIMS of the very laws they are accused of breaking. I believe further that imprisoning THOSE PEOPLE, IS a crime...

But, beyond that, even if you didn't want to PUNISH lawbreakers, as most conservatives do, but you simply want to PROTECT society, which SHOULD be the goal, you'd see the ludicrousness of locking up NON violent offenders. You'd ESPECIALLY see it, when your state is broke, and your states spends MORE on prisons than it does on EDUCATION.

You WOULDN'T see it, though, if you're Glen Beck.

excon

RickJ · Feb 17, 2009, 08:40 AM

I'm with you more than you might guess, EC :)

speechlesstx · Feb 17, 2009, 09:17 AM

I had to actually find the interview and listen before I could comment. You left quite a bit out, ex, aren't you glad you have me to hold you accountable?

Beck first wondered what the point was of Pelosi stuffing $20 million in the "stimulus" to preserve the Salt Marsh Mouse given California's budget crisis. Sounds like a good question to me.

Then he and his guest, eBay CEO Meg Whitman, discussed how California is the world's eight largest economy and Beck wondered why then the state seems to do everything in its power to make it more difficult to do business there. Another excellent point if you ask me.

Beck then said they need to "cut the budget." Meg then said California can't afford the programs and the bureaucracy and like any good company needs to reduce the head count. There was no going on and on about "Cut, welfare - CUT unemployment - CUT health care - CUT help for the poor," but there was talk of the billions they spend on illegal aliens and teacher unions and both agreed they needed more prisons and the impending release was in Meg's words "unconscionable."

I've never been one to just say "build more prisons" but I'm also not one to just say let's just release them to the streets. It has to be done right because protecting the public IS one of those things government is charged with doing. But otherwise the two made a lot of sense.

The rumors of the impending death of the GOP are still premature.

George_1950 · Feb 17, 2009, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by speechlesstx

I had to actually find the interview and listen before I could comment. You left quite a bit out, ex, aren't you glad you have me to hold you accountable?
The rumors of the impending death of the GOP are still premature.

Yes, it takes a village.

TexasParent · Feb 18, 2009, 12:19 PM

I've posted this before in another thread but it's worth repeating.

History has shown that we suffer a recession every 7 - 14 years on average, why can't companies and governments alike put money aside for when the eventual downturn comes?

Surely governments know on average how revenues will be affected. Why can't they run surpluses and put say 3% - 7% of the revenue away for a rainy day fund?

You know my father was an simple working man, but even he knew not to spend money he didn't have; lived within his means and saved for that rainy day.

Corporations disgust me just the same. Management are happy to take bonuses when the times are good, but the first person to lose their job when times are bad is the little guy because they didn't put money aside to weather the storm, because eveyone (shareholders included) are so eager to cash in when times are good in the short term and the people who pay for that cashing in are the little guys when they have to cut jobs in a downturn.

There need to be a different culture of financial responsibility across America, and that includes it's citizens.

Do I still believe in social programs, sure I do; I'm a center-lefty. However, spend only what you can afford.

speechlesstx · Feb 18, 2009, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by TexasParent

There need to be a different culture of financial responsibility across America, and that includes it's citizens.

Do I still believe in social programs, sure I do; I'm a center-lefty. However, spend only what you can afford.

Absolutely. Even Obama just said the same thing...

"Individuals must take responsibility for their own actions. And all of us must learn to live within our means again. These are the values that have defined this nation."

Couldn't agree more. So when will he actually mean what he says?

TexasParent · Feb 18, 2009, 01:40 PM

As for prison's, I'm with you excon on not imprisoning those who have committed victimless crimes. Community service is a much better option; heck picking up trash off the sides of the highways is better than the cost of imprisoning them.

More and more prisons only compound the problem of cost and creating a larger criminal component as it makes it more difficult for a excon to find employment if they have a prison record.

Of course Beck wants more prisons because if his called cuts to all those social safety nets go through there will be a huge increase in crime and he knows it. So lets imprison the poor instead of help them...

... yeah, that's the ticket :rolleyes:

George_1950 · Feb 18, 2009, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by TexasParent

Of course Beck wants more prisons because if his called cuts to all those social safety nets go through there will be a huge increase in crime and he knows it. So lets imprison the poor instead of help them...

OK, where did he say this?

tomder55 · Feb 20, 2009, 09:43 AM

One myth being spread here is that the prison population is loaded with non-violent pot smokers .

This is not true ;at least not directly .

Here is the breakdown .
19.6 % of those incarcerated are in for drug offenses(all drugs... all offenses ) . 52.1% violent crimes . 19.6% all property related crimes . And a about 7-10 % other categories.

The national prison population is 1.6 million people would drop to about 1.28 million people if there were no drug offenders in jail.
http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t600012004.pdf

The bigger problem with the prison population explosion (as Excon has mentioned many times ) is mandatory sentences for multiple crimes . A drug conviction may not send someone to prison, but it will make the person serve more time for any future crime they commits or ,if the person's last offense was a drug crime the same rule applies.