Obama just noted the irony of having a nation of new prisons and old schools

[usregimechange]

Makes no sense to me either...

[lvx35]

1. Oooh, good one.

and unfortuantely, completely true.

[Frances]

2. Aren't a lot of prisons being built by private companies

that make a lot of money from building the prisons?

I think that privatization is just an excuse for people in power to steal from the middle class.

[blm]

5. Yep - Poppy Bush got into the business of private prisons in the 90s.

BushInc grew by leaps and bounds in the 90s since they were let off the hook for all their crimes of office throughout the 90s.

That worked out well didn't it? By allowing a return of Bush2.

[BattyDem]

3. Wow. That's a great point. It's also very sad.

:-(

[polichick]

4. Really, talk about whacked-out values...

It's as if the U.S. has turned itself inside out and upside down!

[Texas_Kat]

6. Then he should go talk to the Governors of the states

The Federal system is not in charge of state prisons -- I'm surprised he (and you) don't know that.

[MH1]

8. Don't mandatory minimum sentences

and similar laws, increase the need for prison capacity?

[EffieBlack]

10. You don't know the role that the federal government plays in the prison system across the country?

You should learn more about how this works before criticizing anyone on this.

[EffieBlack]

7. Loved that line! "New prisons. Old schools."

[JI7]

9. packing a lot of substance into a political rally

anyone listening to him knows he gets the issues and has experience to deal with them.

[sandnsea]

11. He gets what is really important

He is running to be OUR President, the President of the under $75,000, the 50% who don't vote because nobody ever talks about our issues.

[my2sense]

12. Excellent Point

How is it that a society such as this spends more money on prisons and claims to be advanced...smdh

[truedelphi]

13. I think the prison spending shows how racism is alive and well

In my college days, I had any of a number of friends who got busted for pot or even harder drugs.

Affluent white kids don't go to prison.

Less well off people, especially people of color do.

[caligirl]

14. throwing away our people, instead of interveneing early and putting them

on a different track. Dean spoke about this in 04. They can identify kids early, Kindergarten, intervene and avoid the mess of todays criminal penal system to a large degree.

[truedelphi]

15. I'm sure they could, but there's no money for that.

But they always have money for the prisons. And at thirty five to forty thousand dollars a year, per inmate, it makes you wonder why they don't help out more with scholarships etc rather than having someone matriculate from say, San Quentin.