Bush's Bankruptcy Bill and the Return of Debtor's Prisons

[Leilla]

Calling Mr. Dickens
Towards Debtors' Prisons?
By SETH SANDRONSKY

Bush's Bankruptcy Bill and the Return of Debtor's Prisons

The bankruptcy reform bill that President Bush just signed into law will do more than discipline those who live riotously on loans without paying them back in full. Think for a moment about new prisons to house the indebted. This trend will expand investment opportunities. Surely, Wall Street is salivating at the thought of housing incarcerated debtors. Bonds, some of them tax-exempt, will need to be issued to fund such construction projects, with many fees to be paid from the public purse. Some of this cash will get invested in Congress. Honest graft. Today, profits and punishment are the mother's milk of American politics.

In the 2005 slow/no jobs "recovery," debtor's prisons will expand payrolls. Many construction estimators, laborers and superintendents will be needed to build these facilities. Lower-paid and more numerous service workers will be hired to staff them. Behold this flavor of "economic development" that creates growth with employment. Where are you when we need you most, Mr. Dickens? Mr. Hogarth?......

http://www.counterpunch.org/sandronsky05032005.html

[barbaraann]

1. Maybe that's what all the FEMA camps are for.

n/t

[NVMojo]

2. yep, and the fuckers will be sitting in church, blessing themselves

and their wealth in the name of God....

[rodeodance]

3. oh my--Debtors Prisons should have been brought into the discussion

during the debate--might have pounded a little sense into Congress!! maybe!!

[undergroundpanther]

5. we need to stop them

if the majority of perople are asleep the ones who are awake and see the emerging hell are who has to do something to stop it.

[demnan]

4. They want our real estate

I think this law was made for the express purpose of extracting homes from people who get in trouble with their bills. They can't entice us anymore to refinance, most have already done that to the hilt.

The age of home ownership is gradually going to end. I'm seriously thinking of selling my condo now while prices are high and just buying a trailer. It's tough to try to own anything beyond that these days.

[dogday]

6. Prison Industries number 1 growing business in USA

Since it seems to be a booming business why not incarcerate everyone we can. Not only cheap labor, but we can have complete control of their lives 24 hours a day.


I think the FEMA camps are for people like us who will fight before we go boldly into the night......

[havocmom]

7. For fun and validation, google Rasicot and prisons built in Montana

then think about Rasicot the lobbyist and Rasicot the bush*cheney promoter.

Then look into prison labor for corporations.

Yeppers, since they can't outsource everything to Chinese prison labor, they need some here too.

When was the last time you gave your credit card # to a hotel or airline reservation call center? Was it outside or inside a prison?

What's in YOUR wallet & who has your number?

The real crisis in Social Security is the fact that they looted the money to justify the tax cuts and there will not be many people employed to pay into it in coming years.