Are you in favor of giving illegal immigrants free health care?

124

Comments

  • mrussel1mrussel1 Posts: 29,814
    CM189191 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    brianlux said:
    California to Give Health Coverage to Some Undocumented Immigrants. Here’s How It Will Be Funded
    https://fortune.com/2019/07/10/california-health-coverage-undocumented/

    Must suck to pay taxes in California and not get state-funded healthcare...
    I'm in favor of giving anyone critical care whether they are documented or not but against the idea of giving free non-critical care to undocumented immigrants.  But here's the thing- California is the "breadbasket of the world"-- the fifth largest supplier of food in the world-- and no one besides undocumented workers are willing to do that kind of work for the low wages big agribusiness pays.  I did it for a summer.  It's a bitch!  Know anyone who does this kind of work, especially any 20 something whites?  Tell me! 

    So when people who rely on this state's food production complain about undocumented workers, they/ we need to ask ourselves, "Well, OK, is these people are not well, who will do the work?"

    It's a damn complex issue.
    Who wanted to do the work slaves did when the plantations couldn't use them anymore for free labour?

    Must have been taken a hit before reconstruction the business for paid labour I would guess?
    You need to reconstruct the second sentence.  What does that mean?
    Those businesses, must have taken a hit before reconstructing their business model to work with paid labour I would guess?
    Maybe slavery is still present in the US in a roundabout way... The US does love cheap labour.  
    Are what you saying, that the US is subsidizing their agriculture sector by being okey with giving wages people can not live on, not giving any legal right to vacation, not maternal leave and such?

    Are you saying they are competing by shitting on the working people?
    There is no federal farming force, so no.  

    Convicts are returning to farming – anti-immigrant policies are the reason
    ....would like to have a word...
    That's a more complicated argument.  Prisoners have been doing work forever, whether it's license plates, clean up crews, road work, etc.  Take out the argument about whether the convictions are legitimate, it's certainly true that a goodly number of prisoners actually committed a real crime.  And it costs all of us money to incarcerate them.  So I don't know that I'm uncomfortable with prisoners being leased for labor that meets all normal federal standards, including min wage laws.  I would hope that money goes into the prisoner system to pay for the incarceration.  
  • oftenreadingoftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,845
    mrussel1 said:
    CM189191 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    brianlux said:
    California to Give Health Coverage to Some Undocumented Immigrants. Here’s How It Will Be Funded
    https://fortune.com/2019/07/10/california-health-coverage-undocumented/

    Must suck to pay taxes in California and not get state-funded healthcare...
    I'm in favor of giving anyone critical care whether they are documented or not but against the idea of giving free non-critical care to undocumented immigrants.  But here's the thing- California is the "breadbasket of the world"-- the fifth largest supplier of food in the world-- and no one besides undocumented workers are willing to do that kind of work for the low wages big agribusiness pays.  I did it for a summer.  It's a bitch!  Know anyone who does this kind of work, especially any 20 something whites?  Tell me! 

    So when people who rely on this state's food production complain about undocumented workers, they/ we need to ask ourselves, "Well, OK, is these people are not well, who will do the work?"

    It's a damn complex issue.
    Who wanted to do the work slaves did when the plantations couldn't use them anymore for free labour?

    Must have been taken a hit before reconstruction the business for paid labour I would guess?
    You need to reconstruct the second sentence.  What does that mean?
    Those businesses, must have taken a hit before reconstructing their business model to work with paid labour I would guess?
    Maybe slavery is still present in the US in a roundabout way... The US does love cheap labour.  
    Are what you saying, that the US is subsidizing their agriculture sector by being okey with giving wages people can not live on, not giving any legal right to vacation, not maternal leave and such?

    Are you saying they are competing by shitting on the working people?
    There is no federal farming force, so no.  

    Convicts are returning to farming – anti-immigrant policies are the reason
    ....would like to have a word...
    That's a more complicated argument.  Prisoners have been doing work forever, whether it's license plates, clean up crews, road work, etc.  Take out the argument about whether the convictions are legitimate, it's certainly true that a goodly number of prisoners actually committed a real crime.  And it costs all of us money to incarcerate them.  So I don't know that I'm uncomfortable with prisoners being leased for labor that meets all normal federal standards, including min wage laws.  I would hope that money goes into the prisoner system to pay for the incarceration.  

    Like it says toward the end of the article, in theory there are sound reasons for employing inmates; many get where they got because they don't have any useful job skills or any ties to legitimate employment, but the devil is in the details, as always. If black prisoners are getting less desirable jobs than white prisoners, and if a big chunk of prisoners is being exposed to dangers not acceptable to the average worker, then it's just yet another avenue for discrimination. It's not clear to me if the judicial/prison system is fixable to the point where it doesn't do more harm than good. 
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 40,491
    mrussel1 said:
    CM189191 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    brianlux said:
    California to Give Health Coverage to Some Undocumented Immigrants. Here’s How It Will Be Funded
    https://fortune.com/2019/07/10/california-health-coverage-undocumented/

    Must suck to pay taxes in California and not get state-funded healthcare...
    I'm in favor of giving anyone critical care whether they are documented or not but against the idea of giving free non-critical care to undocumented immigrants.  But here's the thing- California is the "breadbasket of the world"-- the fifth largest supplier of food in the world-- and no one besides undocumented workers are willing to do that kind of work for the low wages big agribusiness pays.  I did it for a summer.  It's a bitch!  Know anyone who does this kind of work, especially any 20 something whites?  Tell me! 

    So when people who rely on this state's food production complain about undocumented workers, they/ we need to ask ourselves, "Well, OK, is these people are not well, who will do the work?"

    It's a damn complex issue.
    Who wanted to do the work slaves did when the plantations couldn't use them anymore for free labour?

    Must have been taken a hit before reconstruction the business for paid labour I would guess?
    You need to reconstruct the second sentence.  What does that mean?
    Those businesses, must have taken a hit before reconstructing their business model to work with paid labour I would guess?
    Maybe slavery is still present in the US in a roundabout way... The US does love cheap labour.  
    Are what you saying, that the US is subsidizing their agriculture sector by being okey with giving wages people can not live on, not giving any legal right to vacation, not maternal leave and such?

    Are you saying they are competing by shitting on the working people?
    There is no federal farming force, so no.  

    Convicts are returning to farming – anti-immigrant policies are the reason
    ....would like to have a word...
    That's a more complicated argument.  Prisoners have been doing work forever, whether it's license plates, clean up crews, road work, etc.  Take out the argument about whether the convictions are legitimate, it's certainly true that a goodly number of prisoners actually committed a real crime.  And it costs all of us money to incarcerate them.  So I don't know that I'm uncomfortable with prisoners being leased for labor that meets all normal federal standards, including min wage laws.  I would hope that money goes into the prisoner system to pay for the incarceration.  

    Like it says toward the end of the article, in theory there are sound reasons for employing inmates; many get where they got because they don't have any useful job skills or any ties to legitimate employment, but the devil is in the details, as always. If black prisoners are getting less desirable jobs than white prisoners, and if a big chunk of prisoners is being exposed to dangers not acceptable to the average worker, then it's just yet another avenue for discrimination. It's not clear to me if the judicial/prison system is fixable to the point where it doesn't do more harm than good. 
    Off topic but most prisoners would LOVE a work release program like that.
  • oftenreadingoftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,845
    mrussel1 said:
    CM189191 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    brianlux said:
    California to Give Health Coverage to Some Undocumented Immigrants. Here’s How It Will Be Funded
    https://fortune.com/2019/07/10/california-health-coverage-undocumented/

    Must suck to pay taxes in California and not get state-funded healthcare...
    I'm in favor of giving anyone critical care whether they are documented or not but against the idea of giving free non-critical care to undocumented immigrants.  But here's the thing- California is the "breadbasket of the world"-- the fifth largest supplier of food in the world-- and no one besides undocumented workers are willing to do that kind of work for the low wages big agribusiness pays.  I did it for a summer.  It's a bitch!  Know anyone who does this kind of work, especially any 20 something whites?  Tell me! 

    So when people who rely on this state's food production complain about undocumented workers, they/ we need to ask ourselves, "Well, OK, is these people are not well, who will do the work?"

    It's a damn complex issue.
    Who wanted to do the work slaves did when the plantations couldn't use them anymore for free labour?

    Must have been taken a hit before reconstruction the business for paid labour I would guess?
    You need to reconstruct the second sentence.  What does that mean?
    Those businesses, must have taken a hit before reconstructing their business model to work with paid labour I would guess?
    Maybe slavery is still present in the US in a roundabout way... The US does love cheap labour.  
    Are what you saying, that the US is subsidizing their agriculture sector by being okey with giving wages people can not live on, not giving any legal right to vacation, not maternal leave and such?

    Are you saying they are competing by shitting on the working people?
    There is no federal farming force, so no.  

    Convicts are returning to farming – anti-immigrant policies are the reason
    ....would like to have a word...
    That's a more complicated argument.  Prisoners have been doing work forever, whether it's license plates, clean up crews, road work, etc.  Take out the argument about whether the convictions are legitimate, it's certainly true that a goodly number of prisoners actually committed a real crime.  And it costs all of us money to incarcerate them.  So I don't know that I'm uncomfortable with prisoners being leased for labor that meets all normal federal standards, including min wage laws.  I would hope that money goes into the prisoner system to pay for the incarceration.  

    Like it says toward the end of the article, in theory there are sound reasons for employing inmates; many get where they got because they don't have any useful job skills or any ties to legitimate employment, but the devil is in the details, as always. If black prisoners are getting less desirable jobs than white prisoners, and if a big chunk of prisoners is being exposed to dangers not acceptable to the average worker, then it's just yet another avenue for discrimination. It's not clear to me if the judicial/prison system is fixable to the point where it doesn't do more harm than good. 
    Off topic but most prisoners would LOVE a work release program like that.

    Yes, many would. The days and weeks and months and years of tedium, without opportunity to actually build a better future after release, are terrible. 
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • Meltdown99Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739
    Prisoners are there to serve time, not to be slaves to the state...and considering the amount of people locked up doing excessive time for non-violent crimes...fuck that shit...

    Let's not forget the US loves private prisons...the only country that wants to profit off crime, and that's the government...LMFAO.
    Give Peas A Chance…
  • Spiritual_ChaosSpiritual_Chaos Posts: 30,567
    Prisoners are there to serve time, not to be slaves to the state...and considering the amount of people locked up doing excessive time for non-violent crimes...fuck that shit...

    Let's not forget the US loves private prisons...the only country that wants to profit off crime, and that's the government...LMFAO.
    I appreciate this third act plottwist.
    "Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
  • PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 49,987
    Prisoners are there to serve time, not to be slaves to the state...and considering the amount of people locked up doing excessive time for non-violent crimes...fuck that shit...

    Let's not forget the US loves private prisons...the only country that wants to profit off crime, and that's the government...LMFAO.
    Totally agree. That private prisons are even legal in the US shocked the hell out of me. It's a fucking abomination.
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • oftenreadingoftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,845
    PJ_Soul said:
    Prisoners are there to serve time, not to be slaves to the state...and considering the amount of people locked up doing excessive time for non-violent crimes...fuck that shit...

    Let's not forget the US loves private prisons...the only country that wants to profit off crime, and that's the government...LMFAO.
    Totally agree. That private prisons are even legal in the US shocked the hell out of me. It's a fucking abomination.

    I agree about the private prison aspect as well.

    Are you still anti-work release programs if it is voluntary and the prisoners get to keep the income, or at least a portion of it?
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 49,987
    PJ_Soul said:
    Prisoners are there to serve time, not to be slaves to the state...and considering the amount of people locked up doing excessive time for non-violent crimes...fuck that shit...

    Let's not forget the US loves private prisons...the only country that wants to profit off crime, and that's the government...LMFAO.
    Totally agree. That private prisons are even legal in the US shocked the hell out of me. It's a fucking abomination.

    I agree about the private prison aspect as well.

    Are you still anti-work release programs if it is voluntary and the prisoners get to keep the income, or at least a portion of it?
    I never said I was anti-work release. I am in favour of any program that decreases the rates of recidivism, that prepares prisoners to live in the real world after their release, and that doesn't turn people into slaves. As long as public safety is a high priority at the same time, I would say that I'm very pro-work release program.
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • mrussel1mrussel1 Posts: 29,814
    Prisoners are there to serve time, not to be slaves to the state...and considering the amount of people locked up doing excessive time for non-violent crimes...fuck that shit...

    Let's not forget the US loves private prisons...the only country that wants to profit off crime, and that's the government...LMFAO.
    I"m against for profit prisons, but if I have to pay financially for their crimes, why can't they contribute to the GDP if the jobs are there?  Makes no sense to me.  I don't get free food and shelter, but they do.  Work for it.  
  • CM189191CM189191 Posts: 6,927
    mrussel1 said:
    CM189191 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    brianlux said:
    California to Give Health Coverage to Some Undocumented Immigrants. Here’s How It Will Be Funded
    https://fortune.com/2019/07/10/california-health-coverage-undocumented/

    Must suck to pay taxes in California and not get state-funded healthcare...
    I'm in favor of giving anyone critical care whether they are documented or not but against the idea of giving free non-critical care to undocumented immigrants.  But here's the thing- California is the "breadbasket of the world"-- the fifth largest supplier of food in the world-- and no one besides undocumented workers are willing to do that kind of work for the low wages big agribusiness pays.  I did it for a summer.  It's a bitch!  Know anyone who does this kind of work, especially any 20 something whites?  Tell me! 

    So when people who rely on this state's food production complain about undocumented workers, they/ we need to ask ourselves, "Well, OK, is these people are not well, who will do the work?"

    It's a damn complex issue.
    Who wanted to do the work slaves did when the plantations couldn't use them anymore for free labour?

    Must have been taken a hit before reconstruction the business for paid labour I would guess?
    You need to reconstruct the second sentence.  What does that mean?
    Those businesses, must have taken a hit before reconstructing their business model to work with paid labour I would guess?
    Maybe slavery is still present in the US in a roundabout way... The US does love cheap labour.  
    Are what you saying, that the US is subsidizing their agriculture sector by being okey with giving wages people can not live on, not giving any legal right to vacation, not maternal leave and such?

    Are you saying they are competing by shitting on the working people?
    There is no federal farming force, so no.  

    Convicts are returning to farming – anti-immigrant policies are the reason
    ....would like to have a word...
    That's a more complicated argument.  Prisoners have been doing work forever, whether it's license plates, clean up crews, road work, etc.  Take out the argument about whether the convictions are legitimate, it's certainly true that a goodly number of prisoners actually committed a real crime.  And it costs all of us money to incarcerate them.  So I don't know that I'm uncomfortable with prisoners being leased for labor that meets all normal federal standards, including min wage laws.  I would hope that money goes into the prisoner system to pay for the incarceration.  
    If they are going to do the work, they should get the payday upon release to help them get back on their feet.

    You don't see how this might be abused by a for-profit prison system and a large agriculture lobby?

    We are basically replacing slave labor with prison labor.  
  • Spiritual_ChaosSpiritual_Chaos Posts: 30,567
    edited July 2019
    mrussel1 said:
    Prisoners are there to serve time, not to be slaves to the state...and considering the amount of people locked up doing excessive time for non-violent crimes...fuck that shit...

    Let's not forget the US loves private prisons...the only country that wants to profit off crime, and that's the government...LMFAO.
    I"m against for profit prisons, but if I have to pay financially for their crimes, why can't they contribute to the GDP if the jobs are there?  Makes no sense to me.  I don't get free food and shelter, but they do.  Work for it.  
    I agree. Prison Time should be as far as possible, be paid for by the ones sitting there. Self-sustainable. Is my gut feeling on the matter. 

    But don't tell my tinder matches. 
    "Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
  • mrussel1mrussel1 Posts: 29,814
    CM189191 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    CM189191 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    brianlux said:
    California to Give Health Coverage to Some Undocumented Immigrants. Here’s How It Will Be Funded
    https://fortune.com/2019/07/10/california-health-coverage-undocumented/

    Must suck to pay taxes in California and not get state-funded healthcare...
    I'm in favor of giving anyone critical care whether they are documented or not but against the idea of giving free non-critical care to undocumented immigrants.  But here's the thing- California is the "breadbasket of the world"-- the fifth largest supplier of food in the world-- and no one besides undocumented workers are willing to do that kind of work for the low wages big agribusiness pays.  I did it for a summer.  It's a bitch!  Know anyone who does this kind of work, especially any 20 something whites?  Tell me! 

    So when people who rely on this state's food production complain about undocumented workers, they/ we need to ask ourselves, "Well, OK, is these people are not well, who will do the work?"

    It's a damn complex issue.
    Who wanted to do the work slaves did when the plantations couldn't use them anymore for free labour?

    Must have been taken a hit before reconstruction the business for paid labour I would guess?
    You need to reconstruct the second sentence.  What does that mean?
    Those businesses, must have taken a hit before reconstructing their business model to work with paid labour I would guess?
    Maybe slavery is still present in the US in a roundabout way... The US does love cheap labour.  
    Are what you saying, that the US is subsidizing their agriculture sector by being okey with giving wages people can not live on, not giving any legal right to vacation, not maternal leave and such?

    Are you saying they are competing by shitting on the working people?
    There is no federal farming force, so no.  

    Convicts are returning to farming – anti-immigrant policies are the reason
    ....would like to have a word...
    That's a more complicated argument.  Prisoners have been doing work forever, whether it's license plates, clean up crews, road work, etc.  Take out the argument about whether the convictions are legitimate, it's certainly true that a goodly number of prisoners actually committed a real crime.  And it costs all of us money to incarcerate them.  So I don't know that I'm uncomfortable with prisoners being leased for labor that meets all normal federal standards, including min wage laws.  I would hope that money goes into the prisoner system to pay for the incarceration.  
    If they are going to do the work, they should get the payday upon release to help them get back on their feet.

    You don't see how this might be abused by a for-profit prison system and a large agriculture lobby?

    We are basically replacing slave labor with prison labor.  
    I agree with that, to a certain extent.  I don't think it should be the full amount, again because we have to pay taxes to incarcerate people.  So I don't mind a fund or something that is provided upon release, but I would want the prisoner to pay for some level of incarceration.  As I said earlier, I also think that the wage must be prevailing market rates, not some dirt cheap number that cannibalizes the free population jobs.  
  • Spiritual_ChaosSpiritual_Chaos Posts: 30,567
    edited July 2019
    Now let me refresh your memory on one great philosophy to build a society on:

    "Sometimes referred to as "the Swedish Middle Way", folkhemmet was viewed as midway between capitalism and socialism. The base of the folkhem vision is that the entire society ought to be like a small family, where everybody contributes, but also where everybody looks after one another."

    Some things should not - for philosophical and practical reasons - be up for sale in society. Or in the name of capitalism compete on an open market. Some aspects of society should not be run for "profit" - prisons being an obvious one (others being health care, education, the police force etc). 

    Post edited by Spiritual_Chaos on
    "Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
  • oftenreadingoftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,845
    PJ_Soul said:
    PJ_Soul said:
    Prisoners are there to serve time, not to be slaves to the state...and considering the amount of people locked up doing excessive time for non-violent crimes...fuck that shit...

    Let's not forget the US loves private prisons...the only country that wants to profit off crime, and that's the government...LMFAO.
    Totally agree. That private prisons are even legal in the US shocked the hell out of me. It's a fucking abomination.

    I agree about the private prison aspect as well.

    Are you still anti-work release programs if it is voluntary and the prisoners get to keep the income, or at least a portion of it?
    I never said I was anti-work release. I am in favour of any program that decreases the rates of recidivism, that prepares prisoners to live in the real world after their release, and that doesn't turn people into slaves. As long as public safety is a high priority at the same time, I would say that I'm very pro-work release program.

    Okay, misunderstood your "totally agree" comment. 
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • Meltdown99Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739
    mrussel1 said:
    Prisoners are there to serve time, not to be slaves to the state...and considering the amount of people locked up doing excessive time for non-violent crimes...fuck that shit...

    Let's not forget the US loves private prisons...the only country that wants to profit off crime, and that's the government...LMFAO.
    I"m against for profit prisons, but if I have to pay financially for their crimes, why can't they contribute to the GDP if the jobs are there?  Makes no sense to me.  I don't get free food and shelter, but they do.  Work for it.  
    As long as it’s voluntary and they get a portion of wages to help restart their life, as was suggested above.  Personally I fail to see how farm labour work, or cleaning ditches prepare inmates for life after jail...that may just drive them back into crime...

    the reason some resort to a life of crime is the odds are stacked against or that is how they feel.

    how about make make sure they have grade and offer skills training that will lead to sustainable employment.

    and there is a whole host of things you and I both pay for that we’d rather not...


    Give Peas A Chance…
  • Spiritual_ChaosSpiritual_Chaos Posts: 30,567
    and there is a whole host of things you and I both pay for that we’d rather not...


    And that is how it is to be part of a family! Sometimes you help your sister with her schoolwork. Sometimes you get help getting your Pearl Jam poster up. 

    Folding your arms being all "I don't wanna pay for this or that because it doesn't directly affect me" is a shit attitude - you pay to help out the Society as a whole, that is part of being in a society.

    But it still stings when you see how much every prisoner per day costs. It's obscene amounts. At least in Sweden. In Sweden an inmate costs 620 euros per day(!) - in Bulgaria it is 3 euros. The European average is 100 euros. 
    "Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
  • Meltdown99Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739
    and there is a whole host of things you and I both pay for that we’d rather not...


    And that is how it is to be part of a family! Sometimes you help your sister with her schoolwork. Sometimes you get help getting your Pearl Jam poster up. 

    Folding your arms being all "I don't wanna pay for this or that because it doesn't directly affect me" is a shit attitude - you pay to help out the Society as a whole, that is part of being in a society.

    But it still stings when you see how much every prisoner per day costs. It's obscene amounts. At least in Sweden. In Sweden an inmate costs 620 euros per day(!) - in Bulgaria it is 3 euros. The European average is 100 euros. 
    In Canada it is 115 000/year to house a federal inmate...

    I get that prison is expensive...society would be better served getting them useful skills...not farm labour or cleaning ditches.  

    And yes that’s the concept behind universal health care ... spread the cost out amongst everyone.  I would never want the US system of insurance companies...insurance companies are crooked and I wake up everyday that I am not in the despicable insurance industry...
    Give Peas A Chance…
  • CM189191CM189191 Posts: 6,927
    ...bears repeating, but...

    maybe the US could stop incarcerating so many people?!

    The U.S. incarcerates 716 people for every 100,000 residents, more than any other country. In fact, our rate of incarceration is more than five times higher than most of the countries in the world. Although our level of crime is comparable to those of other stable, internally secure, industrialized nations, the United States has an incarceration rate far higher than any other country.

    https://www.prisonpolicy.org/global/

    ....says a lot that former slave states have the highest rates...

    This is what structural racism looks like
  • mrussel1mrussel1 Posts: 29,814
    and there is a whole host of things you and I both pay for that we’d rather not...


    And that is how it is to be part of a family! Sometimes you help your sister with her schoolwork. Sometimes you get help getting your Pearl Jam poster up. 

    Folding your arms being all "I don't wanna pay for this or that because it doesn't directly affect me" is a shit attitude - you pay to help out the Society as a whole, that is part of being in a society.

    But it still stings when you see how much every prisoner per day costs. It's obscene amounts. At least in Sweden. In Sweden an inmate costs 620 euros per day(!) - in Bulgaria it is 3 euros. The European average is 100 euros. 
    In Canada it is 115 000/year to house a federal inmate...

    I get that prison is expensive...society would be better served getting them useful skills...not farm labour or cleaning ditches.  

    And yes that’s the concept behind universal health care ... spread the cost out amongst everyone.  I would never want the US system of insurance companies...insurance companies are crooked and I wake up everyday that I am not in the despicable insurance industry...
    Most prisons offer high school GED and other education programs to prepare them for release.  I don't think this is in conflict to that.  But generating some income, with part of it offsetting the prison cost seems fair to me.  

    I don't agree that insurance and prison are analogies for shared costs.  I have never run up a prison bill in my life, but I have for medical, like everyone else.  
  • Meltdown99Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739
    mrussel1 said:
    and there is a whole host of things you and I both pay for that we’d rather not...


    And that is how it is to be part of a family! Sometimes you help your sister with her schoolwork. Sometimes you get help getting your Pearl Jam poster up. 

    Folding your arms being all "I don't wanna pay for this or that because it doesn't directly affect me" is a shit attitude - you pay to help out the Society as a whole, that is part of being in a society.

    But it still stings when you see how much every prisoner per day costs. It's obscene amounts. At least in Sweden. In Sweden an inmate costs 620 euros per day(!) - in Bulgaria it is 3 euros. The European average is 100 euros. 
    In Canada it is 115 000/year to house a federal inmate...

    I get that prison is expensive...society would be better served getting them useful skills...not farm labour or cleaning ditches.  

    And yes that’s the concept behind universal health care ... spread the cost out amongst everyone.  I would never want the US system of insurance companies...insurance companies are crooked and I wake up everyday that I am not in the despicable insurance industry...
    Most prisons offer high school GED and other education programs to prepare them for release.  I don't think this is in conflict to that.  But generating some income, with part of it offsetting the prison cost seems fair to me.  

    I don't agree that insurance and prison are analogies for shared costs.  I have never run up a prison bill in my life, but I have for medical, like everyone else.  
    The universal healthcare was just an analogy, saying it is better to spread the cost of healthcare amongst all.  That was directed more towards SC.

    At the end whatever programs minimize repeat offending I am all for.
    Give Peas A Chance…
  • mrussel1mrussel1 Posts: 29,814
    mrussel1 said:
    and there is a whole host of things you and I both pay for that we’d rather not...


    And that is how it is to be part of a family! Sometimes you help your sister with her schoolwork. Sometimes you get help getting your Pearl Jam poster up. 

    Folding your arms being all "I don't wanna pay for this or that because it doesn't directly affect me" is a shit attitude - you pay to help out the Society as a whole, that is part of being in a society.

    But it still stings when you see how much every prisoner per day costs. It's obscene amounts. At least in Sweden. In Sweden an inmate costs 620 euros per day(!) - in Bulgaria it is 3 euros. The European average is 100 euros. 
    In Canada it is 115 000/year to house a federal inmate...

    I get that prison is expensive...society would be better served getting them useful skills...not farm labour or cleaning ditches.  

    And yes that’s the concept behind universal health care ... spread the cost out amongst everyone.  I would never want the US system of insurance companies...insurance companies are crooked and I wake up everyday that I am not in the despicable insurance industry...
    Most prisons offer high school GED and other education programs to prepare them for release.  I don't think this is in conflict to that.  But generating some income, with part of it offsetting the prison cost seems fair to me.  

    I don't agree that insurance and prison are analogies for shared costs.  I have never run up a prison bill in my life, but I have for medical, like everyone else.  
    The universal healthcare was just an analogy, saying it is better to spread the cost of healthcare amongst all.  That was directed more towards SC.

    At the end whatever programs minimize repeat offending I am all for.
    I think we can all agree on that.  
  • Meltdown99Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739
    I will say this thread has been on a wild ride...started off about healthcare for undocumented workers to farm labour to prison work farms...LOL
    Give Peas A Chance…
  • PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 49,987
    edited July 2019
    PJ_Soul said:
    PJ_Soul said:
    Prisoners are there to serve time, not to be slaves to the state...and considering the amount of people locked up doing excessive time for non-violent crimes...fuck that shit...

    Let's not forget the US loves private prisons...the only country that wants to profit off crime, and that's the government...LMFAO.
    Totally agree. That private prisons are even legal in the US shocked the hell out of me. It's a fucking abomination.

    I agree about the private prison aspect as well.

    Are you still anti-work release programs if it is voluntary and the prisoners get to keep the income, or at least a portion of it?
    I never said I was anti-work release. I am in favour of any program that decreases the rates of recidivism, that prepares prisoners to live in the real world after their release, and that doesn't turn people into slaves. As long as public safety is a high priority at the same time, I would say that I'm very pro-work release program.

    Okay, misunderstood your "totally agree" comment. 
    Oh sorry, I was just agreeing that prisoners are not there to be slaves, that non-violent criminals are in there and shouldn't be treated as though they are violent ones, and that US private prisons SUCK. I actually didn't even know what the original context of Meltdown's comment was when I said that TBH.
    Post edited by PJ_Soul on
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • Spiritual_ChaosSpiritual_Chaos Posts: 30,567
    mrussel1 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    and there is a whole host of things you and I both pay for that we’d rather not...


    And that is how it is to be part of a family! Sometimes you help your sister with her schoolwork. Sometimes you get help getting your Pearl Jam poster up. 

    Folding your arms being all "I don't wanna pay for this or that because it doesn't directly affect me" is a shit attitude - you pay to help out the Society as a whole, that is part of being in a society.

    But it still stings when you see how much every prisoner per day costs. It's obscene amounts. At least in Sweden. In Sweden an inmate costs 620 euros per day(!) - in Bulgaria it is 3 euros. The European average is 100 euros. 
    In Canada it is 115 000/year to house a federal inmate...

    I get that prison is expensive...society would be better served getting them useful skills...not farm labour or cleaning ditches.  

    And yes that’s the concept behind universal health care ... spread the cost out amongst everyone.  I would never want the US system of insurance companies...insurance companies are crooked and I wake up everyday that I am not in the despicable insurance industry...
    Most prisons offer high school GED and other education programs to prepare them for release.  I don't think this is in conflict to that.  But generating some income, with part of it offsetting the prison cost seems fair to me.  

    I don't agree that insurance and prison are analogies for shared costs.  I have never run up a prison bill in my life, but I have for medical, like everyone else.  
    The universal healthcare was just an analogy, saying it is better to spread the cost of healthcare amongst all.  That was directed more towards SC.

    At the end whatever programs minimize repeat offending I am all for.
    I think we can all agree on that.  
    Finally you agree that universal health care is a better system.
    "Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
  • mrussel1mrussel1 Posts: 29,814
    mrussel1 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    and there is a whole host of things you and I both pay for that we’d rather not...


    And that is how it is to be part of a family! Sometimes you help your sister with her schoolwork. Sometimes you get help getting your Pearl Jam poster up. 

    Folding your arms being all "I don't wanna pay for this or that because it doesn't directly affect me" is a shit attitude - you pay to help out the Society as a whole, that is part of being in a society.

    But it still stings when you see how much every prisoner per day costs. It's obscene amounts. At least in Sweden. In Sweden an inmate costs 620 euros per day(!) - in Bulgaria it is 3 euros. The European average is 100 euros. 
    In Canada it is 115 000/year to house a federal inmate...

    I get that prison is expensive...society would be better served getting them useful skills...not farm labour or cleaning ditches.  

    And yes that’s the concept behind universal health care ... spread the cost out amongst everyone.  I would never want the US system of insurance companies...insurance companies are crooked and I wake up everyday that I am not in the despicable insurance industry...
    Most prisons offer high school GED and other education programs to prepare them for release.  I don't think this is in conflict to that.  But generating some income, with part of it offsetting the prison cost seems fair to me.  

    I don't agree that insurance and prison are analogies for shared costs.  I have never run up a prison bill in my life, but I have for medical, like everyone else.  
    The universal healthcare was just an analogy, saying it is better to spread the cost of healthcare amongst all.  That was directed more towards SC.

    At the end whatever programs minimize repeat offending I am all for.
    I think we can all agree on that.  
    Finally you agree that universal health care is a better system.
    Reading is fundamental. 
  • Spiritual_ChaosSpiritual_Chaos Posts: 30,567
    mrussel1 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    and there is a whole host of things you and I both pay for that we’d rather not...


    And that is how it is to be part of a family! Sometimes you help your sister with her schoolwork. Sometimes you get help getting your Pearl Jam poster up. 

    Folding your arms being all "I don't wanna pay for this or that because it doesn't directly affect me" is a shit attitude - you pay to help out the Society as a whole, that is part of being in a society.

    But it still stings when you see how much every prisoner per day costs. It's obscene amounts. At least in Sweden. In Sweden an inmate costs 620 euros per day(!) - in Bulgaria it is 3 euros. The European average is 100 euros. 
    In Canada it is 115 000/year to house a federal inmate...

    I get that prison is expensive...society would be better served getting them useful skills...not farm labour or cleaning ditches.  

    And yes that’s the concept behind universal health care ... spread the cost out amongst everyone.  I would never want the US system of insurance companies...insurance companies are crooked and I wake up everyday that I am not in the despicable insurance industry...
    Most prisons offer high school GED and other education programs to prepare them for release.  I don't think this is in conflict to that.  But generating some income, with part of it offsetting the prison cost seems fair to me.  

    I don't agree that insurance and prison are analogies for shared costs.  I have never run up a prison bill in my life, but I have for medical, like everyone else.  
    The universal healthcare was just an analogy, saying it is better to spread the cost of healthcare amongst all.  That was directed more towards SC.

    At the end whatever programs minimize repeat offending I am all for.
    I think we can all agree on that.  
    Finally you agree that universal health care is a better system.
    Reading is fundamental. 
    yes.
    "Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,297
    mrussel1 said:
    CM189191 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    brianlux said:
    California to Give Health Coverage to Some Undocumented Immigrants. Here’s How It Will Be Funded
    https://fortune.com/2019/07/10/california-health-coverage-undocumented/

    Must suck to pay taxes in California and not get state-funded healthcare...
    I'm in favor of giving anyone critical care whether they are documented or not but against the idea of giving free non-critical care to undocumented immigrants.  But here's the thing- California is the "breadbasket of the world"-- the fifth largest supplier of food in the world-- and no one besides undocumented workers are willing to do that kind of work for the low wages big agribusiness pays.  I did it for a summer.  It's a bitch!  Know anyone who does this kind of work, especially any 20 something whites?  Tell me! 

    So when people who rely on this state's food production complain about undocumented workers, they/ we need to ask ourselves, "Well, OK, is these people are not well, who will do the work?"

    It's a damn complex issue.
    Who wanted to do the work slaves did when the plantations couldn't use them anymore for free labour?

    Must have been taken a hit before reconstruction the business for paid labour I would guess?
    You need to reconstruct the second sentence.  What does that mean?
    Those businesses, must have taken a hit before reconstructing their business model to work with paid labour I would guess?
    Maybe slavery is still present in the US in a roundabout way... The US does love cheap labour.  
    Are what you saying, that the US is subsidizing their agriculture sector by being okey with giving wages people can not live on, not giving any legal right to vacation, not maternal leave and such?

    Are you saying they are competing by shitting on the working people?
    There is no federal farming force, so no.  

    Convicts are returning to farming – anti-immigrant policies are the reason
    ....would like to have a word...
    That's a more complicated argument.  Prisoners have been doing work forever, whether it's license plates, clean up crews, road work, etc.  Take out the argument about whether the convictions are legitimate, it's certainly true that a goodly number of prisoners actually committed a real crime.  And it costs all of us money to incarcerate them.  So I don't know that I'm uncomfortable with prisoners being leased for labor that meets all normal federal standards, including min wage laws.  I would hope that money goes into the prisoner system to pay for the incarceration.  

    Like it says toward the end of the article, in theory there are sound reasons for employing inmates; many get where they got because they don't have any useful job skills or any ties to legitimate employment, but the devil is in the details, as always. If black prisoners are getting less desirable jobs than white prisoners, and if a big chunk of prisoners is being exposed to dangers not acceptable to the average worker, then it's just yet another avenue for discrimination. It's not clear to me if the judicial/prison system is fixable to the point where it doesn't do more harm than good. 
    I don't know if black prisoners are getting less desirable jobs or not (would be worth knowing though).  But speaking of, I saw a Cal Fire truck today at Coloma State Park along The America River.  Their armored car looking bus thing pulled into the picnic area parking lot where we were sitting.  It looked like they were there for a break- probably for a good 1/2 hour or more.  The majority of the prisoners were black.  No shackles or restraints of any kind.  They just hung out, some talking to the crew chief, some going down to the river to skip stones.  I thought it was cool. 

    But what I want to know is, why is the black prisoner population the higher percentage in prison when on the outside, they are in the minority?  That is sincerely fucked up and it's because of something very wrong with our society that causes this discrepancy.  When I saw those guys hanging by the river, I felt like they were getting little crumbs of justice- which was cool, better than nothing- but not good enough. 
    "Pretty cookies, heart squares all around, yeah!"
    -Eddie Vedder, "Smile"

    "Try to not spook the horse."
    -Neil Young













  • oftenreadingoftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,845
    brianlux said:
    mrussel1 said:
    CM189191 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    mrussel1 said:
    brianlux said:
    California to Give Health Coverage to Some Undocumented Immigrants. Here’s How It Will Be Funded
    https://fortune.com/2019/07/10/california-health-coverage-undocumented/

    Must suck to pay taxes in California and not get state-funded healthcare...
    I'm in favor of giving anyone critical care whether they are documented or not but against the idea of giving free non-critical care to undocumented immigrants.  But here's the thing- California is the "breadbasket of the world"-- the fifth largest supplier of food in the world-- and no one besides undocumented workers are willing to do that kind of work for the low wages big agribusiness pays.  I did it for a summer.  It's a bitch!  Know anyone who does this kind of work, especially any 20 something whites?  Tell me! 

    So when people who rely on this state's food production complain about undocumented workers, they/ we need to ask ourselves, "Well, OK, is these people are not well, who will do the work?"

    It's a damn complex issue.
    Who wanted to do the work slaves did when the plantations couldn't use them anymore for free labour?

    Must have been taken a hit before reconstruction the business for paid labour I would guess?
    You need to reconstruct the second sentence.  What does that mean?
    Those businesses, must have taken a hit before reconstructing their business model to work with paid labour I would guess?
    Maybe slavery is still present in the US in a roundabout way... The US does love cheap labour.  
    Are what you saying, that the US is subsidizing their agriculture sector by being okey with giving wages people can not live on, not giving any legal right to vacation, not maternal leave and such?

    Are you saying they are competing by shitting on the working people?
    There is no federal farming force, so no.  

    Convicts are returning to farming – anti-immigrant policies are the reason
    ....would like to have a word...
    That's a more complicated argument.  Prisoners have been doing work forever, whether it's license plates, clean up crews, road work, etc.  Take out the argument about whether the convictions are legitimate, it's certainly true that a goodly number of prisoners actually committed a real crime.  And it costs all of us money to incarcerate them.  So I don't know that I'm uncomfortable with prisoners being leased for labor that meets all normal federal standards, including min wage laws.  I would hope that money goes into the prisoner system to pay for the incarceration.  

    Like it says toward the end of the article, in theory there are sound reasons for employing inmates; many get where they got because they don't have any useful job skills or any ties to legitimate employment, but the devil is in the details, as always. If black prisoners are getting less desirable jobs than white prisoners, and if a big chunk of prisoners is being exposed to dangers not acceptable to the average worker, then it's just yet another avenue for discrimination. It's not clear to me if the judicial/prison system is fixable to the point where it doesn't do more harm than good. 
    I don't know if black prisoners are getting less desirable jobs or not (would be worth knowing though).  But speaking of, I saw a Cal Fire truck today at Coloma State Park along The America River.  Their armored car looking bus thing pulled into the picnic area parking lot where we were sitting.  It looked like they were there for a break- probably for a good 1/2 hour or more.  The majority of the prisoners were black.  No shackles or restraints of any kind.  They just hung out, some talking to the crew chief, some going down to the river to skip stones.  I thought it was cool. 

    But what I want to know is, why is the black prisoner population the higher percentage in prison when on the outside, they are in the minority?  That is sincerely fucked up and it's because of something very wrong with our society that causes this discrepancy.  When I saw those guys hanging by the river, I felt like they were getting little crumbs of justice- which was cool, better than nothing- but not good enough. 

    The article in the link said that studies have shown that black prisoners get less desirable work placements than white prisoners, but no further details were given. There are so many potential factors here that could be at play that it's hard to comment without knowing the details of the studies, but it is clear that black Americans get shafted in many, many ways by the "justice" system. 
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,297
    brianlux said:

    Like it says toward the end of the article, in theory there are sound reasons for employing inmates; many get where they got because they don't have any useful job skills or any ties to legitimate employment, but the devil is in the details, as always. If black prisoners are getting less desirable jobs than white prisoners, and if a big chunk of prisoners is being exposed to dangers not acceptable to the average worker, then it's just yet another avenue for discrimination. It's not clear to me if the judicial/prison system is fixable to the point where it doesn't do more harm than good. 
    I don't know if black prisoners are getting less desirable jobs or not (would be worth knowing though).  But speaking of, I saw a Cal Fire truck today at Coloma State Park along The America River.  Their armored car looking bus thing pulled into the picnic area parking lot where we were sitting.  It looked like they were there for a break- probably for a good 1/2 hour or more.  The majority of the prisoners were black.  No shackles or restraints of any kind.  They just hung out, some talking to the crew chief, some going down to the river to skip stones.  I thought it was cool. 

    But what I want to know is, why is the black prisoner population the higher percentage in prison when on the outside, they are in the minority?  That is sincerely fucked up and it's because of something very wrong with our society that causes this discrepancy.  When I saw those guys hanging by the river, I felt like they were getting little crumbs of justice- which was cool, better than nothing- but not good enough. 

    The article in the link said that studies have shown that black prisoners get less desirable work placements than white prisoners, but no further details were given. There are so many potential factors here that could be at play that it's hard to comment without knowing the details of the studies, but it is clear that black Americans get shafted in many, many ways by the "justice" system. 
    Yeah they do, for sure.  In some states its worse than others no doubt. 
    "Pretty cookies, heart squares all around, yeah!"
    -Eddie Vedder, "Smile"

    "Try to not spook the horse."
    -Neil Young













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