American Prison Statistics

[Kennedy 0]

I regularly take long roadtrips. We don't stop for anyhing but gas. There are usuall three zeros in the mileage. At those distances, every single mile/hour that I can gain is a significant amount of time.

My last trip was 962.09 miles, each way. I had to take that drive both ways with no significant stops other than a long dinner at Cracker Barrel. If we use 1924 as the trip length, and 65 as the legal speed limit, speeding by just five miles an hour saves me 2.12 hours. (29.6-27.48) Speeding by fifteen for half the trip and five the other half saves me almost four hours of driving.

However, idiots who weave in and out of traffic on their daily comute are ... beyond words I really want to to use. They're murderers, as far as I'm concerned. They intentionally place their life and the life of everyone else on the road at risk so they can waste gas and save a minute or two on the wa home. I haven't the words.

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[mr2mk1g 10]

Increasing penalties as a deterrent can be a double edged sword. If you push penalties up for motoring offenses, (ie offenses that most everyone in the country commits), conviction rates drop dramatically.

Juries don't like sending people to jail for something when it could just as easily be them in the dock.

[Ron 10]

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However, idiots who weave in and out of traffic on their daily comute are ... beyond words I really want to to use. They're murderers, as far as I'm concerned. They intentionally place their life and the life of everyone else on the road at risk so they can waste gas and save a minute or two on the wa home. I haven't the words.

What makes you different than them?

Is their time less valuble than yours?

I drive 80 miles a day. Every 24 days I drive the same 1924 miles you just talked about....Why is it OK for you to save 2.12 hours, but not me?

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[kallend 2,175]

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I regularly take long roadtrips. We don't stop for anyhing but gas. There are usuall three zeros in the mileage. At those distances, every single mile/hour that I can gain is a significant amount of time.

My last trip was 962.09 miles, each way. I had to take that drive both ways with no significant stops other than a long dinner at Cracker Barrel. If we use 1924 as the trip length, and 65 as the legal speed limit, speeding by just five miles an hour saves me 2.12 hours. (29.6-27.48) Speeding by fifteen for half the trip and five the other half saves me almost four hours of driving.

However, idiots who weave in and out of traffic on their daily comute are ... beyond words I really want to to use. They're murderers, as far as I'm concerned. They intentionally place their life and the life of everyone else on the road at risk so they can waste gas and save a minute or two on the wa home. I haven't the words.

Your road usage is atypical.

Most of the speeders one sees are on local streets on trips of 5 miles or so. On city streets your average speed is primarily dictated by the stops and starts, not by how fast you go in between. Spending less time stopped at intersections will save more time than going 40 in a 30 zone for a couple of miles. Traffic lights are the invention of Satan.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[EBSB52 0]

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You know, I read a report that intiially had me pretty baffled.

http://beta.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=3&u=/ap/20050424/ap_on_re_us/prison_population

It mentions there being 2.1 million people in prisons in America. That's a lot. Then it mentioned 726 per 100,000 people are in the can in America, whcih works out to only 1 in 138, which doesn't sound so bad. But 61 percent of the prison population are minorities. I decided to take this thinking to a different level and compare it to something a bit more understandable.

I imagine driving along and stopping in a town of 275 people. 26 of them are black, 200 are white, and 50 are other minorities. Stopping by the Sheriff, I found out that out of all those people two were in jail - one white, one black.

WHen viewed in that way, it doesn't seem to be too much of a problem. It's simply that 2.1 million is a lot of people, but so is 275 million people.

There is a lot of talk about how many people are in prison nowadays in the US. But when you think about it being less than one percent of the population, the numbers just don't seem that bad...

But when you compare the US with other nations and realize we are worse with incarceration rates than most other nations, land of the free, then it becomes worse. Compile that with the fact that most or all prisons are run by corporations and it gets much worse. It smells of gross Fascism and I don't want a corp to define the 8th Amendment based upon some standard of profit.

Next question would be that of how many of the 2.1 mill are innocent and how many are poor and couldn't afford anything but a court appointed attny.

[EBSB52 0]

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I regularly take long roadtrips. We don't stop for anyhing but gas. There are usuall three zeros in the mileage. At those distances, every single mile/hour that I can gain is a significant amount of time.

My last trip was 962.09 miles, each way. I had to take that drive both ways with no significant stops other than a long dinner at Cracker Barrel. If we use 1924 as the trip length, and 65 as the legal speed limit, speeding by just five miles an hour saves me 2.12 hours. (29.6-27.48) Speeding by fifteen for half the trip and five the other half saves me almost four hours of driving.

However, idiots who weave in and out of traffic on their daily comute are ... beyond words I really want to to use. They're murderers, as far as I'm concerned. They intentionally place their life and the life of everyone else on the road at risk so they can waste gas and save a minute or two on the wa home. I haven't the words.

However, idiots who weave in and out of traffic on their daily comute are ... beyond words I really want to to use.

And they weave because????? They weave because many people don't follow the concept of moving to the right if cars are stacking up behind you. Actually, a person should be able to percieve if that's about to happen and move before the jam starts. Even cops will tell you to let em go by and they will get em later - don't impede. SO there is a mutuality to it.

[EBSB52 0]

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>The liberals say . . .

>The conservatives say . . .

And most reasonable people (i.e. not the extremists on either side) are glad criminals are in prison rather than on the streets, but are concerned that there are so many of them.

And many other wise people realize that there are many innocent people in jail/prison. Also, the amount of crime you can commit is diectly proportionate with the amount of money you have, so the system is skewed with classims rather than this laughable concet of deterrence.

[kallend 2,175]

More than 8% of the entire black male population is incarcerated in the US on any given day. The report just mentions "An estimated 12.6 percent of all black men in their late 20s were in jails or prisons".

If that isn't indicative of a systemic problem in our society, I don't know what is.

Edited to add: maybe this has something to do with it: Under federal law, dealing five grams of crack cocaine (favored in poor black communities) gets a first offender a mandatory minimum sentence of five years. 500g of powder cocaine (favored in affluent white communities) is needed to get the same sentence. That's a 100:1 disparity.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[lawrocket 3]

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More than 8% of the entire black male population is incarcerated in the US on any given day. The report just mentions "An estimated 12.6 percent of all black men in their late 20s were in jails or prisons".

If that isn't indicative of a systemic problem in our society, I don't know what is.

Is the incarceration rate of black males a problem in society? Yes. The question is, professor, what do you think is the problem that it indicates?

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[mnealtx 0]

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But when you compare the US with other nations and realize we are worse with incarceration rates than most other nations, land of the free, then it becomes worse. Compile that with the fact that most or all prisons are run by corporations and it gets much worse. It smells of gross Fascism and I don't want a corp to define the 8th Amendment based upon some standard of profit.

Next question would be that of how many of the 2.1 mill are innocent and how many are poor and couldn't afford anything but a court appointed attny.

And what the hell does a corporation running the operation of a prison have to do with conviction rates, the interpretation of the Bill of Rights or legal defense?

Sorry, EBS - your whole "Fascist America" byline is worn out from trying to stretch it to cover too many things - this one doesn't fly.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[lawrocket 3]

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And what the hell does a corporation running the operation of a prison have to do with conviction rates

Thank you for writing what I thought. Corporations (he used the products of dozens if not hundreds of corporations just to make that post) are not inherently evil.

Oooh, smells of fascism. Somehow, I don't recall corporations being the evildoers in WWII....

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[justinb138 0]

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And many other wise people realize that there are many innocent people in jail/prison.

I'm sure there are some innocent people in prison, however, there are many many more guilty people there. The system isn't perfect (and you won't find one that is), but I think it does a pretty good job.

[rehmwa 2]

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Traffic lights are the invention of Satan.

The person responsible for the stoplight is Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr., an African-American, who was born in Paris, Kentucky, on March 4, 1877, to Sidney and Elizabeth (Reed) Morgan. Elizabeth Morgan had been a slave freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. She and Sidney had eleven children. Garrett Morgan was the seventh.

So, Satan, huh? Not very PC of you if you ask me. If you worked at an Ivy league, you'd be in trouble for that harmless joking comment. A politician would be ruined.

Edit: As far as referencing a mythical religious character - let's just keep it in church there, God-boy, alright? You evangelical types chap my hide.

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[kallend 2,175]

The Dark Lord works in mysterious ways, Bill.

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[rehmwa 2]

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The Dark Lord works in mysterious ways, Bill.

Ow, ow ow ow, my eyes are burning, another hidden cliche.

When you're on, you are really good.

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Kennedy 0]

Do you really not see a difference between a person speeding in one lane on open highway and someone else weaving in and out of rush hour traffic?

The point was I save two hours and barely raise the risk of personal injury at all. They save fifteen seconds, and threaten everyone around tehm with death and dismemberment.

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[rehmwa 2]

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The point was I save two hours and barely raise the risk of personal injury at all. They save fifteen seconds, and threaten everyone around tehm with death and dismemberment.

Yeah, well, someday they'll pay

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Ron 10]

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Do you really not see a difference between a person speeding in one lane on open highway and someone else weaving in and out of rush hour traffic?

Oh I do...Its this I had issue with

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The point was I save two hours and barely raise the risk of personal injury at all. They save fifteen seconds

In my case every 25 days I save as much time as you....But since my time is spead out you seem to think your time is worth more.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[Kennedy 0]

Not at all. If all you are doing is speeding by a few miles an hour, I doubt I'd have any problem with your driving.

It's the maniacs swerving in and out of lanes, cutting people off, and flooring the gas then jamming on the brakes that I take issue with. If you're one of those, then yeah, I wouldn't like you much on the road.

My time saving is not better than yours because it happens faster. It is better because it is safer.

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[rehmwa 2]

In terms of car pool lanes - As long as you both realize that the time of people who drive hybrids, carpools and motorcyle, is more important than your time.

Which is funny, if they are more efficient, shouldn't they be in the slow lanes?

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Zep 0]

I agree with you 100% doing 10-15 mph or maybe a little more on a long run and on the open road is perfectly aceptable
The impatent driver ie: the weaver is a danger to every one around him
I have a switch installed which I can turn on the brake/stop lights, When I see a weaver behind me I touch the switch an watch his hood take a dive from the panic braking.

Gone fishing

[billvon 3,131]

>Which is funny, if they are more efficient, shouldn't they be in the slow lanes?

Why? A hybrid doing 80mph is getting 40mpg. You'd have to be going 30mph to get that sort of mileage in most cars. Perhaps you could have a "slow lane" for larger vehicles . . .

[jumper03 0]

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It's the maniacs swerving in and out of lanes, cutting people off, and flooring the gas then jamming on the brakes that I take issue with. If you're one of those, then yeah, I wouldn't like you much on the road.

Just shoot'em.

Scars remind us that the past is real

[justinb138 0]

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>Which is funny, if they are more efficient, shouldn't they be in the slow lanes?

Why? A hybrid doing 80mph is getting 40mpg. You'd have to be going 30mph to get that sort of mileage in most cars. Perhaps you could have a "slow lane" for larger vehicles . . .

I love larger vehicles on the highway (as long as the driver isn't insane or somtheing). It is kinda nice to be right behind a big truck when I'm driving my car. I can be running about 70-80mph and get 35-40mpg easily as long as I stay behind them.

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[DrunkMonkey 0]

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>Which is funny, if they are more efficient, shouldn't they be in the slow lanes?

Why? A hybrid doing 80mph is getting 40mpg. You'd have to be going 30mph to get that sort of mileage in most cars. Perhaps you could have a "slow lane" for larger vehicles . . .

DUDE...we get it--you've got a hybrid. Haven't you grown weary of patting yourself on the back yet?