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The Biden Presidency

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ahhell said:
The thing I don't understand about the anti-private crowd, its not as though self-interest and greed go away just because the obvious profits are removed.
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It may not end it, but ending them is a no brainer.


ahhell said:
Edit to add. What I really like to see is some State work out a bonus program for private prisons that rewards reduced recidivism. Something like, they get an extra 10 grand for every 10 years a former inmate doesn't re-offend. We might actually see some sort of innovation that might actually improve society. Hell, even if all they do is give ex-cons low end jobs that might be an improvement.
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Sorry, I don't trust private industry to perform certain functions. They will look for any way to cheat and manipulate. Prisons do not reform anyone. They just house people.

And recidivism varies tremendously depending on the nature of the crime. For example here's an interesting bit of trivia for you. Criminals that commit violent crimes have the lowest rate of recidivism.

ahhell said:
Anyrate, prior to getting rid of private prisons we need to:
End the war on drugs, at least decriminalize.
Let ex-cons vote.
Stop preventing them from getting decent jobs after they get out.
Increase education in prisons including general ed and vocational training. Let unions set up shop in prisons to teach plumbing and what not.
Take a look around the world at the systems that have reduced recidivism and do some of that.
Convince Americans not be so vindictive.
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Not prior. But I agree with the rest of your points. I'd add we need to end paying below minimum wage to prisoners that work.
 
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ahhell said:
To be clear, I don't much care about private prisons, I just don't think they matter all that much. Get rid of all of them all today, and all you've done is increase the population in the public systems. You still have all the issues associated with private prisons.

The thing I don't understand about the anti-private crowd, its not as though self-interest and greed go away just because the obvious profits are removed.
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As part of the anti-private crowd, I feel like pointing out something in response to this. It's not that the current state of public prisons is "good." It's really really not. It's that private prisons are even more problematic in a number of ways and are fundamentally unnecessary.


ahhell said:
Edit to add. What I really like to see is some State work out a bonus program for private prisons that rewards reduced recidivism. Something like, they get an extra 10 grand for every 10 years a former inmate doesn't re-offend. We might actually see some sort of innovation that might actually improve society. Hell, even if all they do is give ex-cons low end jobs that might be an improvement.
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Similar could be done in public prisons, too, for that matter. It would actually be a rather interesting experiment in how much and whether things would change in prisons if the prison staff got small bonuses for former inmates that don't re-offend.
 
Aridas said:
As part of the anti-private crowd, I feel like pointing out something in response to this. It's not that the current state of public prisons is "good." It's really really not. It's that private prisons are even more problematic in a number of ways and are fundamentally unnecessary.
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I've not seen much compelling evidence for that.
Similar could be done in public prisons, too, for that matter. It would actually be a rather interesting experiment in how much and whether things would change in prisons if the prison staff got small bonuses for former inmates that don't re-offend.
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Likewise, not sure how. How do you modify the incentives for state run enterprises?
 
President Manchin opposes D.C. statehood bill.

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said Friday he does not support a bill to make Washington, D.C. the 51st state, likely dooming the measure's chances in the Senate. Manchin argued that D.C. statehood should be addressed with a constitutional amendment.

"If Congress wants to make D.C. a state, it should propose a constitutional amendment," Manchin said in an interview with the West Virginia MetroNews radio network. "It should propose a constitutional amendment and let the people of America vote."
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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/machin-washington-dc-statehood-bill/
 
Captain_Swoop said:
President Manchin opposes D.C. statehood bill.



https://www.cbsnews.com/news/machin-washington-dc-statehood-bill/
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The Dems have a favorable map in 2022 and it seems unlikely the Republicans will take the House. I don't think their gains in 2020 are all that solid unless they do something other than try to block things Biden wants to do that are really popular. If the Dems pick up Senate seats in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and keep Georgia the filibuster is dead, DC and Puerto Rico are states and Manchin gets to sit in the corner and play hide and go **** yourself.
 
gnome said:
Were other territories made states by constitutional amendment?
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No, but DC was created by a line in the constitution which requires a carve out for the federal government that is not part of any state.


The Congress shall have Power To… exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such Disstrict (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Consgress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States… (The U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 17)
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It seems like Congress could however just shrink that district to be just the Whitehouse, Capitol, and Supreme Court without an amendment.

I will be surprised if the Reps don't pick up seats in the House in 2022 and maybe even the Senate. If the Reps pick up seats in the Senate, the fillibuster may still be dead on account of it getting in the way of the Rep agenda. I kind of hope that happens, I'll enjoy the various pundits and congress folks doing a 180 on their opinions from 5 minutes before.
 
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Craig4 said:
The Dems have a favorable map in 2022 and it seems unlikely the Republicans will take the House. I don't think their gains in 2020 are all that solid unless they do something other than try to block things Biden wants to do that are really popular. If the Dems pick up Senate seats in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and keep Georgia the filibuster is dead, DC and Puerto Rico are states and Manchin gets to sit in the corner and play hide and go **** yourself.
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The problem becomes the House of Representatives. With the gerrymandering and reapportionment happening, the House looks lost for the Dems. A bill created during in 2021 dies at the end of the Congressional term.
 
just make Capitol Hill and the White House into a Vatican City and give the rest to the people of DC as their own State.
This isn't rocket science.
 
acbytesla said:
Nope. Manchin is pissing me off to no end.
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You know, I don't understand why he's dancing around it. How would it have been any worse for him to just say "Hey, this measure strays too far from what my constituents are willing to support, so I say no."

Isn't that the whole problem in the first place, that his voters are more conservative than most democrats? Who is he trying to appeal to by pretending it's anything else?
 
gnome said:
You know, I don't understand why he's dancing around it. How would it have been any worse for him to just say "Hey, this measure strays too far from what my constituents are willing to support, so I say no."

Isn't that the whole problem in the first place, that his voters are more conservative than most democrats? Who is he trying to appeal to by pretending it's anything else?
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I don't know what he's thinking.
 
Captain_Swoop said:
President Manchin opposes D.C. statehood bill.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/machin-washington-dc-statehood-bill/
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From that link:
"If Congress wants to make D.C. a state, it should propose a constitutional amendment," Manchin said in an interview with the West Virginia MetroNews radio network. "It should propose a constitutional amendment and let the people of America vote."
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Hey, Joe Doofus, the people don't vote on constitutional amendments.
 
I'm actually not in favor of statehood for DC or Puerto Rico. I think rWashington, DC should be considered another congressional district in Maryland for voting purposes. Of course, other Marylanders wouldn't like that as it dilutes their voting power.

The residents of Puerto Rico have shown a weak, variable interest in statehood. I'd like them to have a referendum that results in a clear, unambiguous desire for statehood before we tie the knot.
 
ahhell said:
No, but DC was created by a line in the constitution which requires a carve out for the federal government that is not part of any state.

It seems like Congress could however just shrink that district to be just the Whitehouse, Capitol, and Supreme Court without an amendment. ...
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Yeah, ^ this.

The rest, not so much. I think the Democrats are going to be pretty popular by 2022.
 
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