Disenfranchisement

The Fall 2012 issue of Sentencing Times reports that as of the 2012 elections 5.85 million Americans could not vote because of felony convictions. The Republicans are winning. Unfortunately one can't blame just the Republicans; the Democrats share responsibility. Prohibiting a convicted felon from voting is discrimination of the most blatant kind; we simply don't call it discrimination. Why is it that a convicted felon can not vote? Are folks who have a felony drunk driving conviction, have been caught producing methamphetamine, or selling crack not subject to the same laws, responsibilities, use the same roads, pay the same taxes as those of us who do not have felony convictions? Or, is it simply punishment? In my view it is simply that if a person will not do what he is told to do, he won't be able to vote. There isn't much more to it than this. It is clear why the Republicans don't want these people to vote; they will not support the idea of being tough on crime and usually they are receiving some sort of government support which indicates they are morally deficient. Morally deficient people should not be given assistance; it merely engenders more moral deficiency. Moral deficiency is loosely translated as those who can not support themselves, who require disability payments, food stamps, housing assistance, free medical care, etc. Those who wish all forms of public assistance be terminated to not know what they wish; and besides, not one dollar of public assistance does not eventually end up on the pocket of those who do not receive any. It is the trickle up effect. I have had the notion at various, idle moments that at some point in the life of this country, the land of the free and the home of the brave, that we will all be required to take our turn in jail. It will be a sort of mandatory thing that all will be required to do somewhat like military subscription was at one time for all men. As more and more of us will become felons, the number of people disenfranchised will increase until the powers that be have just the people they want electing them. They will not be Romney's 47%; they will be, rather, those who have spent their lives acquiring wealth and living in gated communities having contact with the rabble only when shopping. There is nothing about this process that is catastrophic or sudden which would draw the attention of those paid to report the news; it is incremental-slow and steady. Every legislative session we create more felons; it is an annual event. There must be a big poster nailed somewhere on the halls of government reminding those elected to do our business that it is time to disenfranchise another group of citizens. Elections have become way too costly; too many people must be convinced to vote for a particular person. The fewer people who can vote, the less it will cost and the less time and effort it will take.

A Growth Industry

Looking at crime as a national disgrace or a plague upon us is wrong, very wrong. Crime is a major contributor to GNP. It is a vast industry reaching from coast to coast employing hundreds of thousands of people. I can't say that I have come across statistics on the employment from crime, but it must be a significant percentage of the total economic activity of the country. This alone should make us stop and think about the attitude we all seem to have about crime. The prevailing opinion is that we should do whatever we can to stop crime; to encourage all citizens to be law abiding and productive members of our society. This, of course, is rubbish. The people who are involved with crime and make their living from it numbering in the hundreds of thousands if not millions need more crime; their livelihood depends on it. Let us enumerate some of the occupations that would be affected if crime were suddenly to disappear. Jailers and prison guards would be the first standing in the unemployment line. There are a vast number of these folks in that we have several million of our citizens in jail or prison. In addition, if no one is in jail or prison, the jails and prisons stand empty, a waste of valuable resources. And let's not forget probation and parole officers. Since we have tens of millions of our citizens either on probation or parole, those monitoring their behavior and directing their activities will no longer be employed. Then we have the people paid to arrest those committing crimes; paid to ensure us as citizens do what we are told. These include city police, county sheriffs, highway patrols, departments of criminal investigation, departments of public safety, clerks of court, DNR officers, the FBI, DEA, ATF, postal inspectors, secret service, ICE, the border patrol, U.S. Marshals, and others I have either forgotten or never heard of. These people would not have jobs; they would be unable to send their children to the colleges of their choice, buy cars, or have a nice house. It would not be pretty. And don't forget the counseling industry. We have anger management classes, drunk driving classes, sex offender treatment, substance abuse counseling, cognitive training classes, outpatient treatment, inpatient treatment, halfway houses, AA, NA, and a host of therapies involving psychologists and social workers plus psychiatrist for medications. The demand for these services would approach zero without crime and the courts. Criminal defense attorneys, such as myself, would be out of work as would be the prosecutors and many judges. Without crime, the courtrooms would be empty most days. This brings us to the title of the piece-"A Growth Industry". We, who are involved with crime, should not despair for the legislators are there. Each year more crimes are added to the laws of each city, county, state, and the United States. Each year there are more people in the United States. Consequently each year there is more crime; the courtrooms are fuller, and all of us who are involved in crime have more to do. It is a wonderful situation. When I make the statement to someone that we need more crime, they take it as a joke or an irreverent comment. Not so. I am perfectly serious. Crime is good for me, good for the State of Iowa, and good for the country. Its time we changed our thinking on the subject.

Local Manufacturing

For decades now the movement of manufacturing to Mexico and overseas has been a phenomenon decried both nationally and locally. The public wringing of hands of politicians, the wailing of the labor unions, the continual editorializing in the papers, and the obsessive discussions by the television talking heads all point to the demise of America as a result of the loss of jobs resulting from the movement of manufacturing out of the country. And yet Congress and the state legislatures are often responsible for this loss of jobs. A perfect example of this is methamphetamine. The manufacture of methamphetamine was a home grown industry. The ingredients required to manufacture meth are easily obtainable. The process by which it is manufactured is easily learned and the equipment necessary in the manufacturing process is readily available. Making meth was a source of income for many who had no income or were otherwise unemployable. The retail end of the business produced additional income for others in the supply chain. On the demand side, the market was never fully satisfied. I will admit things slowed considerably during the recession. The slow down in the construction industry has been a significant factor in lower demand. When one realizes that a very large percentage of roofers, brick layers, concrete workers, and others associated with construction and residential repair use a little meth in the morning to get the day started and again a snort or two after lunch to fight the early afternoon blahs, one realizes the effect on demand. But the demand is there and is now growing again but the ability to manufacture meth and been terribly restricted and has now moved to Mexico as has so much of our manufacturing. The particular factors in the loss of these jobs is due totally to our various legislative bodies. First and foremost if you are caught by the authorities making meth, you go to prison; often for many years especially if the federales capture you. Getting high is considered a sin and therefore criminal in all jurisdictions of this country. In addition, it is now difficult to obtain the ingredients for the production of meth. The purchase of pseudoephedrine, a necessary ingredient, is now monitored nationally so that law enforcement can learn who has purchased it anywhere in the United States; and in Iowa as an example, a person is limited in the amount of pseudoephedrine one can purchase in any given month. If you purchase pseudo for someone planning on using it to make meth, you are committing a felony. Another traditional ingredient, anhydrous ammonia, used by farmers as fertilizer and traditionally easily obtainable by those desiring to make a little meth is now required to be under lock and key and the possession of it with the intent to use it to make meth is also a felony. It is difficult to explain the container of anhydrous ammonia in your garage as fertilizer for your garden, especially since most of the people inclined to make meth are not avid gardeners. Consequently anyone possessing it without a tractor in the barn can expect prison time. This example illustrates once again the mendacity of our legislatures. They will tell you that meth is destroying lives and must be got rid of entirely and on the other hand they bemoan the loss of your job to poorly paid Mexican peasants. To find the good stuff, called ice, one now has to find an importer from Mexico. Often this importer is an illegal and shouldn't be here in the first place. Not only do we not profit from the manufacture of meth, but we also lose the wholesale markup to illegals. This is an unacceptable situation especially in rural areas where the population continues to dwindle for lack of jobs. Those of you who are unemployed or unemployable should be contacting your congressman or senator, or locally, your senator or representative to begin reversing this onslaught of legislation restricting you from gainful employment.