CNN Quick Vote: Should the United States abolish the death penalty?

[sinkingfeeling]

http://www.cnn.com/

Should the United States abolish the death penalty?

No 66% 51764
Yes 34% 26603

Total votes: 78367
This is not a scientific poll

[tblue]

1. I only want to live with 34% of the people.

The rest are a real drag.

[hlthe2b]

3. ditto...

At least we know that that 34% is exceedingly unlikely to include any of the fringe RW fundies or teabaggers.

[ixion]

2. several thousand years later, people still like a public execution

I think that says very clearly that we never really left the Bronze Age.

[FiveGoodMen]

4. Yes.

1) It's very costly.

2) It results in the state-sponsored killing of innocent people.

3) Streamlining the process to address point 1 would aggravate point 2.

4) The justice system should not be about revenge.

Sure, some people DO deserve to die.

But our society deserves better than to kill them.

[Chorophyll]

5. Ironic.

We don't trust the government to provide social services or deliver the mail, but we're fine with giving it power over life and death.

[Parker CA]

7. Perfect! So perfect!

[tblue]

10. They LOVE Big Government when it comes to life and death

of the little people.

[FiveGoodMen]

11. Very, VERY good point!

[Chorophyll]

12. Thanks all. Once in a while I say something smart.

But yeah. We do seem as a society to be obsessed with regulating birth and death and nothing much in-between. Much like how certain Christians love Baby Jesus and Crucified Jesus but ignore all the stuff he said as a living adult.

And with that, I have used my ration of thinkin' cells up for today.

[teddy51]

6. This really does show why America is in deep shit. We certainly shouldn't

be criticizing Arab (and other nations) for putting people to death.

[Snotcicles]

8. Pretty narrow segment of the market they are reaching, I'd say. nt

[Drale]

9. No they shouldn't BUT!

it should only be reserved for the worst of the worst. People like Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Ted Kaczynski and honestly for War Criminals. Bush and Chaney deserve nothing less, having killed hundreds of thousands to no reason other then profit.

[HereSince1628]

13. The US should abolish ALL penalties that are irrevocable

I'd put all jail sentences without the possibility of parole into that same category.

[sfpcjock]

14. I voted, thx. If they did it they need to sit in jail and do their time.

It turns out that is much more punitive. Then stop putting the poor and jobless in private profit prisons for minor drug infractions--5% of the world's population and 25% of its prisoners :rant: