pax
ONE love, blood, life
Martha Stewart today was sentenced to five months in prison (probably in a federal minimum security women's facility, which, granted, won't exactly be Alcatraz), as well as two years' probation. She was also ordered to pay a $30,000 fine.
I think this sentence is absolutely ridiculous. There is no need to send nonviolent, white-collar criminals to prison. Imagine how much money is spent housing, feeding, and "rehabilitating" the "prisoners" wherever Martha ends up. She (and criminals like her) should be sentenced to much heavier fines (hit 'em where it hurts!) and lengthy community service terms--say, a year or two working with the homeless in New York City. Let Martha see what the greed and graft of those who consider themselves "above the law" contributes to in our society.
Same thing with Kenneth Lay. I don't really feel that I need to be protected from Kenneth Lay. I doubt he's going to hold up the quickie mart around the corner or mug little old ladies. Instead, he should be fined a very hefty chunk of the fortune he made by cheating his employees and stockholders and be sentenced to work in the state unemployment office for a couple of years, or in a soup kitchen serving the homeless and the working poor. A few months in a minimum-security resort will do NOTHING for these people. Let's put them to work--FREE OF CHARGE to the taxpayers!
I think this sentence is absolutely ridiculous. There is no need to send nonviolent, white-collar criminals to prison. Imagine how much money is spent housing, feeding, and "rehabilitating" the "prisoners" wherever Martha ends up. She (and criminals like her) should be sentenced to much heavier fines (hit 'em where it hurts!) and lengthy community service terms--say, a year or two working with the homeless in New York City. Let Martha see what the greed and graft of those who consider themselves "above the law" contributes to in our society.
Same thing with Kenneth Lay. I don't really feel that I need to be protected from Kenneth Lay. I doubt he's going to hold up the quickie mart around the corner or mug little old ladies. Instead, he should be fined a very hefty chunk of the fortune he made by cheating his employees and stockholders and be sentenced to work in the state unemployment office for a couple of years, or in a soup kitchen serving the homeless and the working poor. A few months in a minimum-security resort will do NOTHING for these people. Let's put them to work--FREE OF CHARGE to the taxpayers!