"Liberals got women the right to vote. Liberals got African-Americans the right to vote. Liberals created Social Security and lifted millions of elderly people out of poverty. Liberals ended segregation. Liberals passed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act. Liberals created Medicare. Liberals passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act. What did Conservatives do? They opposed them on every one of those things...every one! So when you try to hurl that label at my feet, 'Liberal,' as if it were something to be ashamed of, something dirty, something to run away from, it won't work, Senator, because I will pick up that label and I will wear it as a badge of honor." -- Matt Santos, The West Wing

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Quick Quiz

What is the fourth largest city in the US (as of Dec. 2003)?

If you said Houston, you'd be wrong.

The fourth largest city in the United States is the US prison system. It holds 2.1 million inmates at any given time, which also makes it the 36th largest state.

I say this, because our, errrrrm, President actually wants to increase the prison population as part of his new immigration scheme.
On enforcement, he pledged to harden the border with increased manpower and new technology including unmanned aerial surveillance. He proposed returning illegals to hometowns in Mexico's interior and adding capacity to detention facilities.
It could conceivably vault the US detention system to the third largest city (so long, Chicago).

By contrast, there are 40,000 people in Canadian prisons. Mind you, Canada has the *second* highest rate of incarceration in the developed world! In fact, America holds the dubious distinction of having roughly 25% of the world's prison population (but only 5% of the world's population).

Food for thought.

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posted by Carl @ 11/29/2005 09:33:00 AM  

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