Originally Posted by
Kerrigan
Changing the world is a daunting task, for sure. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you want ideas regarding changing it for the better, although that is still a very wide-open subject and certainly open to interpretation. The best way I can think of going about writing what I'm about to is to think about what I consider to be wrong in the world and possible ways to fix it. Hopefully it doesn't seem like I'm rambling, but I'm about to go off on a tangent.
An issue with USA: Education has always been an important part of my life. Both parents were very intelligent and rationale people, not perfect, but they definitely stood out in the small town in Wyoming (USA) where I grew up. Because of this, I was able to read at a very young age. This of course helped with my speech, my vocabulary, etc. This all was certainly rewarded in elementary school. It was all about learning. Somewhere after elementary and before high school, however, the focus seems to shift away from learning. Rewards are given for athletic achievements, with scholastic achievements frowned on not only by peers, but neglected by most teachers and administrators. Sports are great. I love to play the occasional game of basketball or football with friends, but that's where it should end. I understand the need for physical fitness, really, I do, but why are kids aspiring to be professional athletes and not writers or mathematicians? The focus must be shifted to scholastic achievement.
Sorry, that was just on my mind. The first step to changing something is recognizing the problem!
Next up: Marijuana vs. Alcohol. My family was wrecked by alcoholism. For many generations, including my own. My father has struggled with this addiction his entire life. He has crashed multiple cars, lost thousands of dollars, and disappeared for 3 weeks one time, only to show up at my uncle's door in very bad shape, claiming he got into a fight with an Indian.
I smoked pot the other day and wrote a song. To put it bluntly (pun intended), this is the worst that's ever come out of me smoking pot (i've written much better :)) that was not directly caused by the legality issues.
I have never seen anyone stumble out of the bathroom after vomiting multiple times only to knock themselves out on the entertainment center after smoking marijuana. I have never seen anyone break their right hand after punching their own car window in anger because they toked up a little too much. I've never seen anyone turn into another person through weed. Or have no recollection of the night before.
The injustice here is unmistakable. Thousands upon thousands are currently crowding our prisons and jails (in the US) for marijuana crimes alone.
My proposition for changing the world (or at least the US): Make jails and prisons strictly for those whose crimes infringed upon others' rights. These people are not a danger to society. There is no reason for locking them up, let alone even fining most of them. It's silly and ridiculous. It's wasting our money, every single day.
Rehabilitation is the answer, not jail.
Connected proposition: Work camps. Yeah, I know, it's a crappy-sounding name, considering the whole holocaust thing, but hear me out. Think of the government work programs that some prisons/jails have. Except, your punishment would be mandatory work hours. Why do we have these people just sitting around, when there could be much, much more done than there is. Even the work programs that are in place right now are usually for a very small amount of the day. This should be the entire point, and how long you have to stay could depend on how long you work. The more work you do, the quicker your "debt" is paid off, the less time you have to stay.
Yes, there is plenty of room for corruption here, but, I'm sorry, there's plenty of room for corruption anywhere. This just seems like there would be more because of Hitler's work camps.
Tired now. Sleep. Hope I didn't just ramble :).
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