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Pa. Judges Accused of Jailing Kids for Cash

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Kraichgauer
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19 Aug 2011, 11:07 pm

mcg wrote:
visagrunt wrote:
mcg wrote:
There are always going to be special interests that would like to use the government as a tool to advance their personal interests. The problem here is with the judges abusing their power. You can say the private detention facility caused this to happen by paying off the judges, but that's like saying that gravity caused a plane crash. It's true, but so what?


Are you suggesting, therefore, that the person who bribes is blameless, and it is only the recipient of the bribe who has engaged in any misconduct? That, to my mind, is an astonishing premise.
I'm not suggesting that they are blameless (though I would place more of the blame on government in this case), just that this is not the glaring indictment against capitalism that other posters seem to imply.


There are certain institutions the government should run, not private business, specifically because of abuses like this. Anything to do with the legal system are such institutions.
And as a matter of fact, both they who offer the bribe, and those who are on the take, are equally guilty.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer



number5
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20 Aug 2011, 3:58 pm

Kraichgauer wrote:
mcg wrote:
visagrunt wrote:
mcg wrote:
There are always going to be special interests that would like to use the government as a tool to advance their personal interests. The problem here is with the judges abusing their power. You can say the private detention facility caused this to happen by paying off the judges, but that's like saying that gravity caused a plane crash. It's true, but so what?


Are you suggesting, therefore, that the person who bribes is blameless, and it is only the recipient of the bribe who has engaged in any misconduct? That, to my mind, is an astonishing premise.
I'm not suggesting that they are blameless (though I would place more of the blame on government in this case), just that this is not the glaring indictment against capitalism that other posters seem to imply.


There are certain institutions the government should run, not private business, specifically because of abuses like this. Anything to do with the legal system are such institutions.
And as a matter of fact, both they who offer the bribe, and those who are on the take, are equally guilty.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer


Indeed. Not everything can be treated like a commodity.



visagrunt
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21 Aug 2011, 10:14 am

mcg wrote:
I'm not suggesting that they are blameless (though I would place more of the blame on government in this case), just that this is not the glaring indictment against capitalism that other posters seem to imply.


How else are we to read, "So what?" If you are not suggesting that they are blameless, you are certainly suggesting that their blame merits no corrective action. Hypocrisy of the lowest order.

And what of, " I would place more of the blame on government in this case?" Bribery and the receiving of bribes are not sanctioned or authorized by government--they are actions that tend to the undermining of government.

To my mind this is not a glaring indictment of capitalism--it is a glaring indictment of the "small government" movement.


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21 Aug 2011, 2:21 pm

mcg wrote:
visagrunt wrote:
mcg wrote:
There are always going to be special interests that would like to use the government as a tool to advance their personal interests. The problem here is with the judges abusing their power. You can say the private detention facility caused this to happen by paying off the judges, but that's like saying that gravity caused a plane crash. It's true, but so what?


Are you suggesting, therefore, that the person who bribes is blameless, and it is only the recipient of the bribe who has engaged in any misconduct? That, to my mind, is an astonishing premise.
I'm not suggesting that they are blameless (though I would place more of the blame on government in this case), just that this is not the glaring indictment against capitalism that other posters seem to imply.


As judges they are supposed to be able to rule fairly and impartially REGARDLESS of government policy on how or by whom correctional institutions are run. They are expected to be trustworthy.
I hope these judges are made a painful example of.



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21 Aug 2011, 6:39 pm

I watched this exact thing in a documentary a short while ago about corruption, basically they privatised the prison services and the judge got a backhander every time he locked someone up.

He was throwing kids in jail for the most petty of reasons, things that in the old days wouldn't have even warranted a clip around the ear.



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21 Aug 2011, 8:55 pm

It would be amusing to see how well a couple of judges will fare in the state prison.
:D



Kraichgauer
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21 Aug 2011, 10:51 pm

Raptor wrote:
It would be amusing to see how well a couple of judges will fare in the state prison.
:D


Well, if they were football players, they'd be going in quarter backs, and coming out wide receivers. :lol: :twisted:

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer



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02 Sep 2011, 10:36 pm

They should execute the judges, seize their assets, take over the private prisons, and ban private prisons. They could use the private prisons if they are better than there own, tear them down piece by piece so they can reuse parts of them, or if there's going to be an Olympic Games nearby, use them as an Athletes Village like the did in Lake Placid in 1980.


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