General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forumsif i was barack obama, and i was going to be succeeded by a thug
i would drop a huge jobs issue by releasing as many pot prisoners, really drug prisoners in general, before leaving office.
how cool would a pardon bomb be?
let the thugs find them jobs.
right?
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)But maybe use it as leverage to convince congress to fund a comprehensive infrastructure bill so that they and redeem themselves in advance of the shaming.
geckosfeet
(9,644 posts)You really think thugs will work for released prisoners?
mopinko
(70,099 posts)srsly?
geckosfeet
(9,644 posts)Your point is taken.
But the op implied using prisoners for some kind of arm twisting.
Why do you think everyone in prison for drug charges deserves to be released? Some may. But i suspect it is less than 100%. There may be some dangerous people being turned loose with no viable job prospects.
mopinko
(70,099 posts)literary license.
Autumn
(45,079 posts)It might make you feel better though.
mopinko
(70,099 posts)freeing people imprisoned on bogus charges would hardly really be dumping. except in the unemployment stats.
badtoworse
(5,957 posts)Fuck 'em. They'll find a way to survive.
When it comes to caring about people who need help., you'd give the Republicans a run for their money.
mopinko
(70,099 posts)the mayors of their cities will care about them and if they live in a smart city, like mine, they will be able to put at least some of the pieces back together.
still, would you rather be in prison?
that would be a bad thing?
badtoworse
(5,957 posts)NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)Wow.
Just wow.
Autumn
(45,079 posts)in that situation go through. Just so that they get a little personal satisfaction that a President who will get out of office and become increasingly wealthy and really doesn't give a fuck what people think of him can get a little pay back. What a callous thing for someone to want. But hey, they'll feel better cause Obama shit on the politicians .
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)Look it was a tongue in cheek suggestion, but it isn't shitting on the victims of the war on drugs.
Are you saying they're better off in jail, that being released is a bad situation?
I'm confused.
Autumn
(45,079 posts)Yes, you are confused.
mopinko
(70,099 posts)and how about you? ever been to prison?
Autumn
(45,079 posts)I'm well aware of the problems my Niece encountered when she got out of prison. Now I will enjoy a one day visit to the land of 'i cant hear you' and imagine the peace of ignore. You have a real nice day
mopinko
(70,099 posts)srsly?
Autumn
(45,079 posts)Last edited Thu Apr 17, 2014, 01:28 PM - Edit history (2)
Have a nice day. srsly
No one objects to prisioners being freed, no one. But you think Obama should be petty and do that and cause employment problems in case republicans gain the WH just to satisfy your little ego cause Obama got picked on.
"drop a huge jobs issue " and "how cool would a pardon bomb be?
let the thugs find them jobs." , petty, petty.
Thank God Obama is not a small petty person, unlike some people
moriah
(8,311 posts)Wow.
mopinko
(70,099 posts)iirc he directed doj to start accepting pleas for clemency from those caught in the coke/crack disparity.
hoping for the same in states where laws have changed.
mopinko
(70,099 posts)this is one of them.
it would be bad to let people out of jail?
drug prisoners?
on du that is a bad thing?
because it might make the democratic president look good? and give his enemies some grief?
and nobody can take a joke anymore?
holey moly.
that's all i can say.
chrisa
(4,524 posts)Has pot smoking ever hurt anyone? Let them go.
(Unless if their jailing is about something else, like cash? That couldn't be it, could it?)
mopinko
(70,099 posts)and prolly, in my state, there are damn few pot smokers in jail. south part of the state, maybe, but the state prisons are way overcrowded. they divert anyone they can.
that the thing, i have to assume that most of those under draconian sentences are in red states.
CK_John
(10,005 posts)NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)There would still be a significant number who could be released.
Good question, I'm not certain.
mopinko
(70,099 posts)but hopefully the great du brain trust will chime in.
He doesn't have the power to pardon state prisoners, only federal prisoners.
Only state governors have the power to pardon state prisoners.
Lizzie Poppet
(10,164 posts)Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)And about 300,000 in the states.
The number of drug prisoners in the states has begun a slow decline after three decades of steady increases, thanks to sentencing reforms passed in the last decade, but the number of federal prisoners is still on the increase, driven in part by drug prisoners, but also, recently, by Obama's illegal immigration crackdown.
The president commuted the sentence of one marijuana offender this week. One.
The president COULD commute the sentence of every single drug offender if he wanted. No one could stop him.
mopinko
(70,099 posts)there are a lot of good dem governors who might join the cause.
although, most of those already dont have that many cannabis prisoners to begin with.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)But he should pardon all the Federal cannabis prisoners anyway.
LuvNewcastle
(16,844 posts)Prisoners who are doing time for non-violent drug offenses should be released and, depending on certain factors, should possibly be sent to rehab. I would send non-violent drug offenders who are in prison for hard drugs like heroin, crack, meth, etc., to rehab and people in prison for pot would be released and given complete freedom. Sure, the unemployment rate might go up some, but a lot of new jobs would also be created at rehab centers, so it wouldn't be huge increase.
If the president were petty enough to keep nonviolent offenders locked away in our overloaded and inhumane system just to dump them on a Republican, in what way would he be better than a Republican?
dilby
(2,273 posts)If you are doing it to punish someone you are a jerk, if you are doing it because you care about prisoners why not do it now and not wait till you are leaving office. Either way your idea is a bad one.
mopinko
(70,099 posts)please check to see if you have a sense of humor at all. it's called kidding on the square. used to be a fine art around here, but i guess not so much any more.
and for those that say do it now-
that just isnt how it is done. it is something you do on the way out the door, because it protects the pardoned from becoming political pawns. mostly.
he isnt running for anything again. i think it is just the sort of thing that he would do with great pride and great joy. but he is the most rooted in reality president ever and doesnt fall into too many of pandora's boxes.
that is a good thing.
onenote
(42,700 posts)At least not if its being spun as a way of creating an unemployment problem for the repubs. And it wouldn't amount to more than a drop in the bucket anyway, at least not if its limited to pot convictions.
Of the 24,366 federal drug offenders known to have been sentenced for drug related offenses, 6,336 were sentenced for marijuana-related offenses and 4,309 were sentenced for methamphetamine-related offenses in 2010.
Source:
Sacco, Lisa N. and Finklea, Kristin M., "Synthetic Drugs: Overview and Issues for Congress, Congressional Research Service (Washington, DC: Library of Congress, October 28, 2011), p. 11.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42066.pdf - See more at: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Prisons_and_Drugs#sthash.VJ6J6X6i.dpuf