One thing about Tim Hudak's call for chain-gangs is that its a good reason to listen to Sam Cooke (who taught Rod Stewart to sing, incidentally). You can play it while you're reading the rest:
My favorite bit of Tory policy wonkery with respect to the chain gang proposal so far:
Details on whether inmates would be manacled together to prevent escape have yet to worked out, [Hudak] said.
Personally, I think Hudak has to come clean on the manacles/no-manacles issue before he can be taken seriously. I would obviously prefer a "no-manacle" policy, but as a typical Canadian compromise I would be able to accept manacles if they were offered in a series of attractive colours, and if the sex offenders and low level drug-dealers on the work crew filling pot-holes in downtown Markham were allowed to choose the colour of their own set of manacles. There's more opportunity for self-realization that way, in my opinion. But I'm a Liberal--I'm soft.
PS. It's hard to know how faithfully Conservative bloggers represent the Conservative rank & file, but this guy has an interesting take.
A more pertinent question is how will Hudak force inmates to actually work. If they don't actually work there's really no point to it.
ReplyDeleteDetails on whether inmates would be manacled together to prevent escape have yet to worked out, [Hudak] said.
ReplyDelete"You run one time, you got yourself a set of chains. You run twice you got yourself two sets. You ain't gonna need no third set, 'cause you gonna get your mind right. "
- Cool Hand Luke.
A more pertinent question is how will Hudak force inmates to actually work.
Boss Paul: That ditch is Boss Kean's ditch. And I told him that dirt in it's your dirt. What's your dirt doin' in his ditch?
Luke: I don't know, Boss.
Boss Paul: You better get in there and get it out, boy.
The modern inmate would no doubt reply that he was making a present of the dirt to the state, no strings attached.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I remain bemused by the sadism on the Right. You'd think there was a crime wave or something. They're always trying to outdo each other.