The real pity is that it’s the state religion of the Roman Empire from its more unsympathetic phases; rather than the part where at least paying lip service to highly effective civil government as an ideal and national justification was a thing; and that a great many people think that this is a virtue, not something to be corrected.
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Land of the free…
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Amazingly, both Clarke and Arpaio are out of office.
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“Are there no prisons?”
“Plenty of prisons…”
“And the Union workhouses.” demanded Scrooge. “Are they still in operation?”
“Both very busy, sir…”
“Those who are badly off must go there.”
“Many can’t go there; and many would rather die.”
“If they would rather die,” said Scrooge, “they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”
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Speaking of Dickens, I have no doubt that Xtianist entrepreneurs are already eyeing opportunities in the emerging industry of “rehab”* for delinquent debtors (not paying your debts makes Prosperity Jeebus cry).
[*the quotes should be mandatory; these Xtianists care as much about actual rehab as they do the basic teachings of their chosen Messiah]
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That was the Republic. In one of Macaulay’s lays he imagines a Roman of the Empire looking back on the days of the Republic:
Then none were for the party
and all were for the state
then the rich man helped the poor man
and the poor man loved the great…
the Romans were like brothers
in the brave days of old.
But Macaulay goes on to say that the picture wasn’t totally realistic.
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If you call it Christian you don’t have to pay taxes or have any oversight. And you can really abuse people and claim its related to religion and no one in the government will be able to question it or do anything because of freedom of religion. So long as you don’t actually kill too many people or do something that threatens anyone with real power, you can get away with virtually anything if you call it Christian.
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I’m sure these good christians aren’t just in it for personal enrichment but because nothing teaches one better to avoid drugs than being servile and happy to be destitute.
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If you make it religious enough, you don’t even have to file public Form 990s.
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We all fall short of our ideals, but some fall short of better ideals than others.
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You gotta love that work obsession Protestantism brings out in some folks. Honestly, anyone who thinks work makes one a better person doesn’t understand why we work in the first place (as to not have to work all the time).
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…the “therapy” they received for their health problems was “work and prayer.”
Well, I guess it’s better than “thoughts and prayers.” At least the inmates are alive. Sort of.
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The rehab program is voluntary, if selected to go you may refuse. And in many cases participants have to apply and there is a waiting list to join. It’s an alternative to being on the prison grounds. If anyone is forced, then that is surprising and perhaps they should ship in volunteers from other districts if they cannot keep the programs full.
The act of doing work is a significant part of the treatment itself. And individuals should not be paid for their work. Because for those participating in the program it’s not about making money. It strongly fits with Christian ideas of charity (which have always been at odds with American ideas of capitalism)
My main complaint is that someone is making money off these people, and that money should have been directed to a bona fide charity.
Some people find peace in their labor. And spend every day searching for that feeling of a job well done.
Most modern jobs are horrible and drain your soul away. I feel better after digging holes for fence poles, and worse after having marathon meetings on the new changes to process workflow.
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I think that complaint isn’t really separate from the rest, it infects the whole program. When the program is basically selling off their labour to private businesses who are doing that so they don’t have to pay fair wages to workers, the whole thing is completely tainted.
And if prisoners are volunteering because the living conditions are better, then they are being “paid” for their work anyway. It’s just they are being paid in kind instead of in cash.
Maybe you are right that a work-based rehab program that attempts to give people a sense of purpose in their lives so they don’t feel the need to turn to drugs could work. I think the moment you see those “in treatment” as a profit source instead of as people, any chance of it working goes out the window.
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For some, there’s apparently no clear distinction among people with a disease (addiction to substances), crime and sin. Back to school with them, I say.
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There’s falling short of our ideals, and then there’s taking a running leap into a pit of filth in the opposite direction of those ideals.
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Even if all the labor and other abuses are legal, there’s one major thing that should be illegal. The state can NOT impose a religion on you. On that basis alone, a program like this should be in front of the Supreme Court. I think we should take this to the UN ambassador for religious freedom! Save them Sam Brownback!
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So if it’s religious, how is it legal for a judge to force somebody to go to it? That violates religious freedom.
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Slightly off topic, but that’s a good word along with ‘Smite’, though it’s amusing thought how we use the derivative ‘smitten’
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