Personal Introduction

I am interested in restricting governmental power, starting with the over-criminalization of acceptable human behavior. Every law comes at the price of liberty, and the government’s power at the expense of ours. I am interested in curbing mass incarceration and limiting our detention figures to those of a reasonable society, like China or Russia.

I think that institutions are difficult to change, even those whose practices aggravate their own stated ends. I think that a J.D. gives a head start to someone with such a foolish goal.

I prefer the country to the city.

-- By AlexKonik - 17 Jan 2012

Do you really consider China a reasonable society? While their published incarceration rates may be low, couldn't this be because they a) don't publish the arrest and confinement of many of those they incarcerate and b) have a government which uses fear, suppression of many liberties, and unregulated governmental violence to control its citizenry?

I find your goal commendable, not foolish. But the great strides you may make towards accomplishing that goal may appear weak if you compare them to the "accomplishments" of a government full of fear, suppression, and sanctioned violence.

-- SkylarPolansky - 6 Apr 2012

Comparing our rates to China and Russia was an attempt at irony, though failed it seems. Surely we could avoid sending people to prisons made out of stone and steel by making their lives more like prisons. That, I don't think, would be desirable.

-- AlexKonik - 07 Apr 2012

My bad. I understand the irony now -- SkylarPolansky - 07 Apr 2012