Mississippi's prison town are in danger of collapse, thanks to tiny reforms in the War on Drugs

boing
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Thanks for the demonstration.

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42

This… and I was here quite awhile before I figured that trick out so don’t feel too dumb about it @TheGreatParis

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43

I’m not sure this attitude was or continues to be helpful. This sense of southern sonderweg hides a whole host of ills in the rest of America, I think and reinforces a classist sense of superiority, which only reinforces southern obstinancy… not to mention it paints everyone here with the same broadbrush which doesn’t get at the electoral failures that we’re living under here.

I’m not trying to justify the tea party or policies being passed, but rather just trying to say that electoral politics do not bear the singular blame for what’s going on in southern states. It’s part of the problem, but not the only reason we’re in this mess.

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44

I guess the police might be encouraged to stop killing black people so they can be locked up instead?

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And if you point out how "trickle down’ doesn’t work and use those states as examples, you are told “Well, give it time, it will work”.

The right wing doesn’t want to admit they only serve the rich and to hell with everyone else.

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So… just use the free labour to guard the prisoners. Problem solved!

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Is that like summoning Cthulhu or summoning dogs when you open a bag of chips?

It doesn’t, but when I see places like Texas (they can leave thanks) or Alabama pass laws that discriminate against everyone who isn’t white, hetro and rich, I start to think that the people who want the hatred to stay outnumber the people who want things to change.

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48

Sure and I get that… on some level, you get the government you deserve, yeah? But there are plenty of people suffering and it tends to only cause people to double down when there is this sense that the people suffering economically are to blame. I’m all for putting blame where it belongs and calling people out, but I do think there needs to be an understanding that the complexity of the economy means that its hard to make those connections for the majority of us, not the least of which are those people who are underserved by the public education system and have no real access to political power.

So I don’t know what the answer to that complicated problem is…

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Most regressive taxes in the nation, extremely conservative outside of the Seattle bubble…

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50

If these are “private” prisons, why are the state(s) and local(s) “floating bonds”?

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Private corporations run them. States and local municipalities pay for them, in part via “floating bonds.”

Here is an insider view of private prisons:

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52

It is a complex problem and not one that can be solved through memes on Facebook or hashtags on Twitter. Unfortunately, it seems like no one wants to take the steps to get a handle on it to make things better.

I say we take off, nuke the planet from orbit. Only way to be sure.

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53

I’d wager that if you could gather a little money for this, some of these towns will, someday in the future, sell you the properties for a song.

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54

I will try that.

55

does opening a bag of brains summon Cthulhu?

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56

Thank you both!

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Oh yes. But I thought I had offended enough people for one day. :grinning:

I think the area was always like that before the big corporations, they just fit in with the attitude. They have not yet left the Wild West.

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How odd that economic practices discredited by the majority of reputable economists are resulting in poor performance!

  • It’s almost as if the fact free fantasy of Republican policymakers doesn’t actually operate in a fact-vacuum.

Also, fuck you slave-states! Get an honest economy!!!

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I like this a lot!