Time to fix the prisons

[mattskramer]

Originally posted by Hobbit
The fact of the matter is that casino gambling is designed around causing those who participate to lose. That's how they make money. Sure, everything commerce attracts thieves, but this type of gambling attracts, say it with me now, organized crime, and on a much larger scale than poachers stealing crops. You wanna know what kind of stuff happened when there were casinos in Arkansas? People would be foolish and gamble away their savings in the casinos, then they'd take out loans from loan sharks, sure that they were just about to "win it big." Then they'd lose it all and end up working as a money-launderer or hitman for the mob in order to pay off the debt. As soon as the casinos disappeared, the mob left and the crime rate plummetted, mainly in the violent crime area. That's why the a bill a few years ago that would have brought casinos back to Arkansas got smacked into the ground when it went to the public vote. There, I have relevant, imperical data that shows a trend between the presence of the casinos and the presence of organized crime, and since the mob left shortly after the casinos did, I've got pretty strong evidence concerning what caused what.

I live a few driving hours from Shreveport where I go to gamble from time to time. I find it entertaining. I have yet to gamble away my savings. In fact, last year I won and my winnings tripled the personal "allowance" (the limit I set for myself to spend) . I drove home with 3 times the amount of money I came with. On some trips, I quickly lost money but I never allowed myself to spend more than I limited for myself. I will never go into debt due to gambling. The one who chooses to "throws away" his life savings is being foolish. If he then engages in illegal activity, he becomes a criminal.

When I was very young, I wanted to swim to China from the USA. I didn't have a boat so I thought that I could jump into the Pacific ocean and swim to China. I even started to walk into the water. Thankfully, my father was there to stop be from making such a poor and potentially unhealthy decision. As children, we are often prevented from making choices because we are not considered to be educated enough on the issue or mature enough to handle the consequences. Yet, as adults we are expected to be mature enough to handle the additional freedoms and opportunities that we are given. It should not be the role of government to baby sit adults and to prevent them from making foolish choices.

So some fools can't handle gambling. Gee. Some people can't control themselves when the look at pornographic magazines. That does not mean that gambling and porn should be denied to everyone else. The same goes for drugs and just about anything else.

 

[MadMax]

Originally posted by mattskramer
One way to free up some jail space is to legalize "victimless crimes" - also called "crimes of consent". With the legalization of drugs, gamboling, and prostitution, many supposed criminals can be released.

Hear hear I agree wholeheartedly.

 

[Hobbit]

Originally posted by mattskramer
I live a few driving hours from Shreveport where I go to gamble from time to time. I find it entertaining. I have yet to gamble away my savings. In fact, last year I won and my winnings tripled the personal "allowance" (the limit I set for myself to spend) . I drove home with 3 times the amount of money I came with. On some trips, I quickly lost money but I never allowed myself to spend more than I limited for myself. I will never go into debt due to gambling. The one who chooses to "throws away" his life savings is being foolish. If he then engages in illegal activity, he becomes a criminal.

When I was very young, I wanted to swim to China from the USA. I didn't have a boat so I thought that I could jump into the Pacific ocean and swim to China. I even started to walk into the water. Thankfully, my father was there to stop be from making such a poor and potentially unhealthy decision. As children, we are often prevented from making choices because we are not considered to be educated enough on the issue or mature enough to handle the consequences. Yet, as adults we are expected to be mature enough to handle the additional freedoms and opportunities that we are given. It should not be the role of government to baby sit adults and to prevent them from making foolish choices.

So some fools can't handle gambling. Gee. Some people can't control themselves when the look at pornographic magazines. That does not mean that gambling and porn should be denied to everyone else. The same goes for drugs and just about anything else.

Yeah, the people who get into debt gambling are stupid, and if they take out a loan with a crime family, they're stupider. That doesn't mean it's not a problem. If the local movie theater was causing crime in the neighborhood, I'd vote for it to be shut down and I'd either drive up the road or just start using DVDs. I value my town and would rather have a lower crime rate than more entertainment. There's other laws that I'm sure you can understand that follow the same principle. I like guns. I like testing my skill on shooting ranges. I would go hunting, but my dad never goes and my friends usually go when I'm too busy. Well, there happens to be a ban on selling guns to minors and against selling them without a background check. You also need a liscence. This puts a huge damper on my fun. Now, people who go violent with guns and kids who shoot people and think it's funny are all idiots, but those limitations are there, anyway because some people will misuse guns, much in the same way that some people will misuse gambling.

Now, as for drugs and gambling. I have no problem with alcohol, although I wish it was more strictly regulated (still too many drunken minors and drivers, and IMO, drunks in general). I only have a problem with tobacco because it causes cancer. Any substance which doesn't have harmful effects, I'm ok with, and harmful effects include any effects it may have on society as a whole. Gambling in general, I don't have a problem with. It's the effects that I, personally, have seen that I'm against. The race track in Hot Springs doesn't seem too bad, except that race season means more drug dealers, but that applies to other tourist attractions. Now, if there was a way to regulate gambling that kept the crime lords away, then I wouldn't mind it.

Prostitution, however, is something that repulses me, partially because I'm a Christian and hold sex as a sacred act that should only occur between you and one other person (of the opposite sex) your entire life. However, there's also just thinking about how such a highly emotional act can be turned into just another "fun ride" to be sold to whoever will pay the fee is beyond my comprehension. Even if I didn't believe in monogamy, I'd still have a problem with people having sex with someone they didn't love. I am 100% opposed to prostitution, and while there's not much I can do about Amsterdam or Vegas, all I have to say is, "Not in my town."

 

[pegwinn]

I am impressed. We started discussing radical prison reform and ended up debating "victimless crimes" without anyone flaming anyone. Even Big D, who normally draws fire like oxygen, was civilized within his own sphere. My goodness, but I believe we just got along. Thanks for reading guys.