Putting the unemployed in jail, monitoring the "500,000" on the watch list...

Miscellaneous Current Events
1

I heard the following today on Big Government Talk Radio (Limbaugh and Hannity…fortunately, I listen for the entertainment value, not education):

Limbaugh: “I have a plan to reduce unemployment; anyone who does not find a job in 30 days gets put in jail”.

Hannity: “If American Express can monitor its 75 million accounts for fraudulent activity, why can’t the Federal government monitor the 500,000 people on its terrorist watch list”. No mention was made as to WHY 500,000 people are on a list.

I have to credit this forum for my new found respect for libertarian thought. When I heard these comments, I immediately appreciated the implications. These people were only half joking, I think this provides insite into their actual thinking.

2

The government can barely afford to keep the current prisoners in jail.

3

Exactly. These people who are claiming to represent the liberal program, or, capitalistic ideals-- they’re no believers in freedom. They’re nothing of the sort. These people wish for businesses and the state to be partners. They want for business to further state goals and for the state to further business goals. They don’t believe in free enterprise. They would pursue their own interest and ally with the state if it meant getting something they wanted.

4

You should not pay too much attention to these people. Their recipe is always the same: hire more policemen, introduce tougher legislation, jail as many as you can. Of course this should always apply to the “others”, like minorities without good political connections.

5

Hey, maybe they can install cameras all over and then have the 2 million strong prison population put to work of monitoring the camera feeds.

6

You know, it sounds like they were joking. What is it with all this epilepsy as if they were serious?

Reductio ad absurdum is popular form of anecdote.

Just about every time I turn on Limbaugh he is either giggling or engaging in deadpan humor. You said it yourself: its ENTERTAINMENT.

7

It is more sinister than that though, these types of talking head figures are designed to steer public thought and they are very effective with it. Regardless of how seriously Limbaugh takes it, he has plenty of dedicated listeners who take the show seriously. Sometimes it works to bring up a difficult topic, such as putting unemployed people in jail, in a seemingly joking manor to get the idea out there and then later it slowly starts gaining acceptance. It is called predictive programming.

Locking up unemployed people is obviously wrong but it also has the added danger of giving the government yet another option to target people and make them lose their jobs, then they can lock up who they wish. Political opponents or whatever. All they would have to do is overload an individual with court fees or petty fines and then when that takes it’s toll via a loss of home or vehicle unemployment will likely follow, even if it would normally be a short window of unemployment that could potentially be enough for them if a law like this was passed.

Even right now it is common for people to be accused and pay thousands of dollars to defend themselves in the legal system only to be found innocent, but they are still out thousands of dollars. It would not be difficult to pull a few strings to target people and make them go bankrupt.

If and personally I would say when the government starts seeking out and locking up political opponents they are not going to do it with one sweeping law, it will be disguised as all sorts of things. The patriot act, busted at an airport scanner, maybe locked up for being unemployed, who knows. The more options they have at doing this, the easier it will be for them.