Bernie Sanders Wants Prisoners To Have The Ability To Vote In Our Elections

[Lomasexual]

Ridiculous idea for so many reasons. But hey, allowing murderers and pedos to vote is an extreme left idea, and so would be banned anyway under the system you're suggesting.

You seem to be able to spot about half the ridiculousness that you need to be able to spot.

[Lomasexual]

1. You can lose your citizenship in some countries

2. You do lose some rights

You can't lose your citizenship in any civilised countries - not unless they have dual citizenship anyway. There are all sorts of provisions about rendering people stateless.

Which has its pros and cons.

As to losing rights? Rights need to only be curtailed when they interfere with the rights of others. Otherwise, they are just privileges, and rights wouldn't even exist.

The whole issue of crime and punishment is one that people screw up all the time. Screw up in ugly ways.

The only reason for punishment is utilitarian - it is to create an overall better society. Punishment for its own sake - seen as some kind of natural justice - is perverse, perhaps even evil.

No, harsh penalties do not create any overall improvement - this has been proven over and over again. All they do is satisfy weird urges amongst the general population to dehumanise and demonise others, and to take satisfaction in their suffering.

Society imposing any kind pf punishment on a citizen is an incredibly serious thing, and needs to be done dispassionately and when proven to be of benefit - which it sometimes is. Punishment has its place.

But the people who thrive on the idea of 'baddies' suffering are not the ones who should decide that place. Those who think of punishment as a necessity, who always want to push it further - those who want more and more, who refuse to look at science and instead rely on their gut feelings - those people have no place in the coversation at all.

Those people are plugged right into the worst parts of human nature. They cannot make the world a better place, because they don't want it to be a better place - they want it to be a worse place. Creating suffering for no reason other than some sick ideas about 'justice' is making the world a worse place.

I guess it all comes down to this: bad people don't even realise that they are bad people. They just do what makes them feel good. Trying to work out new ways to make prisoners suffer, or to dehumanise them, or to take away rights etc - that's what bad people do.

Those who look to science to see what can improve society, and how that applies to the entire cycle of crime and punishment - those are the ones who are decent human beings.

[Motorcity Cobra]

Lomasexual ethered this thread and nobody can actually counter the points he made

[DreamerUSA]

One of the main functions of punishment is to limit a person's liberty. As a criminal you have decided to give the middle finger to the rule of law, and for that, you are stripped of your freedom. Arguing that the US isn't all that free because of our high incarceration rates is dubious at best. There are many reasons for this but the two biggest are our fascination with harsh drug laws and our crazy high recidivism rates. Certainly problems, but neither of which means we aren't largely free.

[Santa_]

Great move by the Bernster, a lot of those dudes in prison were wrongfully convicted. Or are in there for some petty Marijuana charges.

[JimRaynor]

When you sing the anthem, do you pronounce the asterisk next to the word 'free', or is it silent?

Only those who don't break the law get the privilege of enjoying freedom. This is a concept that is taught to 1st grade students in USA. Seems like the education system in Australia has failed you.

[Lomasexual]

Only those who don't break the law get the privilege of enjoying freedom. This is a concept that is taught to 1st grade students in USA. Seems like the education system in Australia has failed you.

Here in Australia, where we have greater freedom on almost every index and yet less incarceration?

Yeah....failing so hard...

[Rockin']

Funk Bernie Sanders and his socialist bullsheeit! ….Rockin'

[Rockin']

I have no problem with prisoners voting, provided that they are citizens.

The US has a really weird idea about incarceration. Americans, who call themselves patriots, push for ever higher incarceration rates - even though they are already the highest in the world. Then they demonise those who go to prison.

So what are you - the land of the free, or the country with the highest incarceration rate? You can't be both - and only one of those is patriotic.

They lost their rights to vote when they committed a crime, were found guilty and were incarcerated. Funk them! ……...Rockin'

[Tony Trick-Pony]

Nah, I really don't think it's a good idea that the Boston Bomber be voting for folks who will surely loosen things up for him to get out and do it again. This is desperation at its ugliest.