Listening to Cash Jackson today was really a nice experience overall. Being able to get a look and what its like in the real world, and listen to how professionals talk. The questions that I would have asked Mr. Jackson came from what he said when telling us about his priorities. The first one that I wanted to ask him was related to marijuana and what his thoughts were on the further legalizing of it. I assumed that his position was to make it legal everywhere if it were his choice. The main point I wanted to address is, let’s say that marijuana is made recreationally legal and medically legal like it is the states that already have it like California. In California you have to be 18 years old the get your medical marijuana user card, and to get a recreational user card you have to be 21 years old. Under these laws there are still people who can be caught with weed and be charged with a crime. So, is his plan to try and get to a point where marijuana is completely legal for everyone? All of the arguments he was making for pro marijuana arguments were towards the criminal charges and prison time and not about the medical use and overall harmlessness to humanity. Marijuana without the criminal stigma is just another plant that is smoked just like the tobacco pant. The second question that I was going to ask him was related to The rehabilitation program that Mr. Jackson first described. The way I understood this and imaged it in my head was that people would get charges for minor offenses and put capacitated for an amount of time could go into this program and undergo a trade school program for a year and have a living area while it happens, and then after the year is over they are given $5,000 and a job where they can continue to live and prosper. This is a great idea to have and in a perfect world sure that would be a great way to deal with troubled people, but don’t forget these troubled people aren’t stupid. They figure out that if they get caught with a little bit of weed they will be able to go through this program to where they will learn how to do a job they enjoy doing and get paid to do it while they have a place to sleep provided for with food and everything they need. They will be very likely to take advantage of that very quickly and then it’s just another way to give people who are living in poverty a way to live off of the government. I think that Mr. Jackson has some good ideas with what he is doing and that he might have a chance at being a good politician, but what I noticed was that a couple times when he was talking he would say something was completely one way or the other, and then go on and sound like he was contradicting himself when it was not all one way or the other. I could have heard and interpreted wrong, but even then people who have a career in the media need to be aware of what they are saying all the time even when they are just starting out, because maybe someday his words there taken out of context contradicting himself could be seen nationally and cause him a lot of votes because they don’t want to vote for someone that they cannot trust. I think that from all of the experience that Mr. Jackson has gotten throughout his career makes him a good Governor for those who are concerned with the criminal justice side of politics. I like his beliefs when he says that he is interested with changing the laws. He is still serving the people just not like as he said “In a enforcing capacity”. I think that he definitely has the front page name already and won’t have any problems being remembered. I honestly wish that we would have been able to sit there and listen to them talk until we had all of the questions answered because I really enjoyed listening to them talk. Wings456
I think listening to them was super beneficial for what you said. Listening to professionals talk. It was clear that this man know what he was talking about, and he knew how to get the attention of everyone. Especially, when he got the whole classroom involved by asking them why they wanted to be a cop. Kash didn't say this, but Jason clearly said that they supported the decriminalizing part of cannabis plant, but they both didn't support people smoking it. I also agree with what you said about people abusing the rehabilitation program. I also feel that people will try and abuse anything they can, and if they are getting a trade job out of it, why shouldn't they? I think he would make a good governor too! ^~^Itis456
For class today, we did something different. By this, I don’t mean we had a presenter speaking to us about their past experience, or a person advertising for a local event. We had a gubernatorial candidate! A person who wants to run the head of state. A want to be governor! He definitely seemed qualified to take that position from not only by what he said, but how he said it! I feel like anyone can memorize and repeat what people want to hear. As long as they are appealing to the majority, they will say what they want. I also feel like that is what is mainly going on with the presidency. A lot of false promises and hopes, when they really have their own spin on issues. Anyway, I feel the passion coming out of his “speech.” Although, I would say it is more of a plea for help. Simply, because he needs our, and anyone else’s, signature to just get on the ballot. He needs local help, so he can branch off and get other help from all over the state. He needs other people to hear why he should be in that position. I think if more people did hear his philosophies on issues concerning Illinois, they would vote for him without second thought. It’s just, right now, getting his name on the ballot is number one priority. Plus, a lot more people will notice him. Again, he needs to attract the majority group. Which is why he is really focused on marijuana, and made that point number one. I’m no expert, but I know the majority of this state likes the idea of legal cannabis. Which is why Illinois allows the use of medical cannabis. But! I agree with everything he said about decriminalizing marijuana. He is so right, but it’s hard for the United States to admit their own faults. Especially, when it comes to the drug war. Ignoring that, I don’t know who I liked more! Kash Jackson, the gubernatorial, or Jason Spyres. Jason was brought along, it seems like, to help Kash’s campaign. Mostly to tell about his background on marijuana, and how it affected his life. I honestly didn't know about the “undeemable for rehabilitation.” I knew about it being a thing for violent offenders, but never thought about it through a weed dealer perspective. That person selling weed is not harming anyone or killing anything. Besides, maybe, the ozone. For them to be treated like such, and it causing them to not be able to be remissoned into society properly. There’s an issue. Jason explained that to us in great detail use his life as an example. Jason really believes in what Kash is saying he will do, and hopefully gets changed. He had no problem saying things like how they are as well. I felt at times Jason would steal the show from Kash, but that’s a good thing to notice I think. He basically is thanking him a lot for helping him out so much, and seeing to people that have similar issues like his. Kash is a liberal, who believes no one should be in jail if they didn’t hurt anyone. Like drug USERS, who just need some help off the junk. He served in the military for 22 years, I think. He believes that change comes from legislature. Which is obviously true. So, instead of enforcing “makeshift” laws, he decided to try and changes those laws. Classic story in my eyes. Then questions rolled around. Only three people were asked questions I think. First one had to do with… what else? School shootings! He went on a huge rant about how getting rid of guns wouldn’t help with the fact that 300 million guns are still out on the streets, and guns are being 3D printed like no other. He then described the kids home life, and how fatherly figures and even motherly figures taken out of these homes, cause nothing but problems later down the road. THE WRITING WAS TOO LONG. IT IS CONTINUED IN THE NEXT COMMENT! ^~^ Itis456
The second question, I’m not going to lie, I can’t remember what was asked. I do remember it was answered… and then some. The guy had a lot to say about everything. Our job was to skunk him with questions, but he skunked all of us in one breath. Yet it all pertained to the justice system. The last question, was about the remission of criminals from jail, or even prison. To make a long answer short. He basically said, he would be offering trade schooling for everyone, which was a 12 month course I think. Afterwards they would have a job to leave jail with, and hopefully some extra money, which would be given to the offender. Which they would use the trade job to get that money back. They would use this money to get a home and be able to afford bills for a time being. I’m pretty sure there was a lot more to it, but I couldn’t remember every little detail from the little time we had. Either way, the guy knows what is up! I think he would make an excellent governor, which is why I signed that sheet. I think he definitely deserves a shot on the ballot. At the very least! ^~^Itis456
The presenter we had for our class was very good because both these guys had different experiences with the law. For Kash he what normally half the people turn and yes, he may broke the law but he did like he murder someone. When you someone who get busted and sent to prison at age and then you got sit and think about what you did. My question for him was if when he was in there did he never have any plan when you get chance get out. My because I have friends and family who in prison and has no plan and just live life and most them try do the right thing and end up going back what they know. It’s sad we need try help those people who need help with basic because they don't know how to spell at all. You can't just put them down like they nobody just because they made mistake, however some will prove you wrong and try do better for yourself. For MR. Jackson its hard trying to run for government because you never know who to trust these days. HE seems like he ant help people and make different in people life's and I know some say that just feel he really means that. When you want to be cop some may I know it’s just marijuana it’s not hurt people. You are going come cross you have do the right thing and arrest someone who may be try help his or her family. That all they know when you in the spotty you try help them out or you have taken them to jail or prison. At same time put this in mind you take them away from their family, I know the feeling when a love one takes a father away from his family and my dad went to prison when I was young. I not say just because you don't have father around you show help because you will need a father around you help you. When you try to run for government you have to like the politics because those its kind like criminal justice you want help however you will have those people who will not like your rules at all. There are certain people who in prison and jail for crime they did not do and how would want help them? Because I know they have program called innocent project help them I don’t like when people put in place for something they did do. -Panthers456
I agree with what was spoken about today. I find it crazy how Jason was 19 and was sentenced so long for a non violent crime, just for selling weed they gave him 15 years. They gave him all that time when other states allow people to smoke freely and they won't go to jail while others are in jail for the same offenses. I think the fact that Kash took Jason under his wing was amazing. There plenty of people with the same record as Jason and they believe they won't amount to anything because of there background so they settle for less. So the simple fact Jason goes around and can speak from his own personally experience can open other people eyes if they are in the same position. Kash brought up a good point when he said you will have an internal conflict when you are up against a person who have weed and now your arresting them for a non violent crime and now that your arresting them you could be messing up a family while doing so. He also mentioned about how officers have discretion they follow and sometime you can give people passes but sometime you may encounter a situation where you can not do discretion and you have to arrest someone. While you arrest that person 9 times out of 10 it is a man you are interfering with his kids if he have any and now his girlfriend if he have one that is one of the reasons many people grow up with no dads. Kash also mentioned how he feel instead of just locking someone up when they are caught with drugs he will try to help them mentally because most of the time people who do drugs are going through some type of mental illness of some sort and they take the drugs to feel better. Kash says arresting those people and putting them in jail are not helping those people it will just make it worse and his plans is to help people and restore them back to their old selfs instead of throwing them in a cell and not helping the underlying problem. Jason also mentioned how now they labeled cannabis as a class x felony. That is beyond crazy, a class x felony is typically for violent offenders and they got people who sell weed under the same category as rapist and murders. That is why now a days people get so much Time when they get caught with weed because they made it a class x felony and class x felony’s hold many years behind that. If you get caught with weed you should not be labeled as a class x felony because it is a harmless offense you are not harming anybody so you should not be labeled with those violent offenders when you are not violent at all you are just trying to make money for yourself or your family. I like how logic Kash is when it come to topics that he will like to change he will like to change things in the criminal justice system to help people in the long run instead of just throwing them in jail. I love how Kash mentions if we want to get rid of guns it is deeper than just knocking on doors and telling everyone to hand over there guns. Kash mentions how it would be way harder to just get rid of all the guns because now of days people have 3d printers which can people can just get these guns printed right in front of there faces. Kash mentioned is self that he thinks about long term things when he comes across a problem he don't think short term at all. I believe when they enacted the war on drugs many men were taking away from there family lives now there is single moms raising babies on their own and they are living off government assistance. So when those men are in jail and they get released that makes the mom or girlfriend be in a sticky situation they would have to pick between the government help or love and affection from their boyfriend or their child father because If the mom want the dad of her kids to live with her she would have to throw away the government assistance because he won't be able to live with her. -jolly ranchers
I agree that hearing the story Jason had for us about his life, and the sentence that he received for selling over 11 pounds of weed, was very important to hear. It is important for a couple reasons for people who are looking for a career in criminal justice. Hearing about things that have really happened out there involving police is always important. It is a way to learn about real life situations and see a side of policing that criminal justice can’t cover. Also it is a good way to see that someday as an officer you are going to have to make some tough decisions sometimes where you take a good kid and put them away for 15 years. Those are going to be decisions you have to live with, and like it was said those people are going to remember who you are and could possible hold a grudge. Wings456
I really thought that the visitation from Kash Jackson and Jason Spyres was an interesting and useful experience. Before they even came into the class, the Professor told us all to write down two criminal justice related questions that we would want to ask Kash Jackson. Thinking intently and for about five minutes, I finally came up with two questions that I thought were quite controversial in the criminal justice community and even just the community in whole. My first question was going to be about the Heroin/Opioid crisis in the world and in America, and what actions he would plan on taking to address the issue in Illinois. My second question that I was going to ask him was should recreational marijuana be legalized in Illinois and why he thought it should be. Feeling confident in both of my questions, I decided to go with them and that was about the time that both Kash Jackson and Jason Spyres entered the room. Right off the bat, Jason Spyres was giving his back story about how he was only nineteen years old when he got convicted with possession with intent to sell and how he was going to have to serve thirty years in prison, even though he was nonviolent and had no gun. He only served fifteen years but he still had a criminal conviction put on his record and therefore it was difficult for him to start anew when he got released. Basically, Jason Spyres already answered my second question because he went on to say that Kash Jackson would work to try to end the such convictions of victim-less crimes if he was the Governor. Kash Jackson was then talking about how victimless crimes should not be as harsh as they are because he was talking about how people's lives are being destroyed whenever they are put in prison and then when they get out it is not much better. I thought that Kash Jackson's message was great and I liked how he is an independent party because any more it seems as if the Republicans and Democrats are only worried about fighting against each other rather than getting things done in the country. One thing that was a little disappointing was that Kash Jackson kept going off the topic of criminal justice and there was even a point where Professor had to tell him to not get off topic. He also talked for long periods of time and was not giving the students a chance to ask questions. For example, only two questions were asked out of the class because Kash Jackson kept on talking. That was not very surprising though because politicians are known for running their mouths quite often. In Conclusion, I thought that it was a unique experience for the class, but if it were to be done over, I would have liked Kash Jackson to give the class more of a chance to ask criminal justice related topics. -MickSwagger456
It is sad to see not just at a state level but at the national level to now that politics is all about winning now and not what is in the best interest of us the American people. The United States of America is ran by a two party duopoly with the Democrats and Republicans and that isn't helping anyone in the long run if anything it is hurting us because technically the government is supposed to working for us not us working for the government. I do agree one hundred percent that non violent crimes shouldn't be as harsh as many other crimes like Murder or Rape. These non violent or victim less crimes shouldn't be labeled as heinous crimes these are the people we need to invest in so they can better themselves and help contribute to society and the world. The longer we wait the harder and harder it will become to start this process. NDIrish456.
This class period with having Mr. Kash Jackson and Jason Spyres was amazing. Just to start with I hope we have many more opportunists like this one to be able to talk to someone who is running for such a big office position like governor and actually here how he wants to change things for the better and the impact he will have on us and our jobs we which to pursue. Listening to Mr. Jackson and Mr. Spyres was quite fascinating and was really enjoyable. My two questions I planned on asking which I did not get a chance to ask were how would he combat the National Heroin/Opioid outbreak and my second question was how does he view the drug laws in this state and what would he like to change to possibly end the drug war at a state level. The questions Mr. Jackson did have time to answer were some very good questions and one that really was a great and amazing answer that I believe in one hundred percent was about his rehabilitation ideas for our inmates in prison. I personally have been thinking of some rehab options that may work to fix our broken system and my idea was very similar if not the same compared to his. I loved his idea of making a trade school for these inmates to attend and pick to go for anything of their choosing. This point alone I think would boost our rehab numbers astronomically for a couple of reasons. One big reason is these people actually have a choice now in their life and they get to choose on what they want to do. Schooling isn't much fun when your going for something you don't enjoy and work is the same way. The other big reason is that they have people that care about them and want to help them. As a society we need to invest in our inmates that we have in jails and prisons for nothing really. With these people having some sort of a positive support system will help these people strive for achievement. The other big points I really liked about Mr. Jackson's idea was the five thousand dollars as an incentive at the end and then the possible removal of that conviction if the program is completed. Hearing Mr. Jackson talk about this it really benefits us as taxpayers because it seems that it won't cost us anymore money than it is now. He plans on using the money that is already being spent in our jails and prisons and he is using that number for his budget which is a giant plus to all of us. Then the possible removal of the conviction would be a giant step toward reformation. These people are being labeled felons and can't get a job because they were caught for a non violent drug crime. Really! As a nation we are supposed to help our citizens succeed not ruin lives and make them struggle and in turn hurt society. One thing I think I personally would add to Mr. Jackson's plan is after the completion of the trade school there be a period in which the offender can't offend again and if they don't then the removal of the conviction can take place. I say this needs to be added because our recidivism rate not just as a state but as a country is well over seventy percent we really don't know how well this will actually work. If just after the completion of the program they get that conviction removed they can re-offend and end up right back in jail or prison with no repercussions. I would add a three year period where the offender can not re-offend and then after that period if all is good then the conviction can be removed. The reason for the three year period is because most offenders re-offend within three years. During this three year period the offender would have to have some sort of contact with a counselor or some one similar to that nature to ensure they are not doing illegal activities and this can be as simple as a phone call so many times a month and maybe a in person visit every three to six months. NDIrish456.
The visitation from Kash Jackson and Jason Spyres was interesting. It was amazing knowing someone who is going to run for such big position in the state and hearing some of the things he wants to change. Right from the start, Jason Spyres was giving his life history about how he was only nineteen years old when he got convicted of possession with intent to sell and end up serving fifteen years. They gave him all that time for a non-violent crime. I like how Kash Jackson is giving someone an opportunity to help him out in his campaign for the gubernatorial position. Hearing Kash Jackson background that he serve in the military for twenty years as a mechanic mostly in a submarine, while he was there, he learned about the pros and cons of the government. I like that while he was serving in the military, he was also a reserved sheriff. While he was explaining things in class, I am not into political such of stuff, and I do not like his insight about not seeing the police officer position as a career because of the statutory law that they and we must follow. Those laws are rules that bind all people living in a community. Laws protect our general safety, and ensure our rights as citizens against abuses by other people, by organizations, and by the government itself. We have laws to help provide for our general safety. These laws exist at the local, state and national levels, and he sees those laws as against the people because it does not compare to the constitution. On the other hand, I like how he sees and wants to change the victimless crime as a not a crime for as long as no one got hurt or so. The punishment should not be harsh because it can destroy people’s lives. About heinous crime he was talking about, there are good and bad about it, and I am in no position to judge a person of why they did it. He sees the heinous crime that is committed, can affect lives because people did not see that they can join back to the community. Another thing I like is legalizing marijuana to lower recidivism rate, and I believe it’s a good idea for the whole state and people, which in some cities, being caught with some ounces can be punished of paying the penalty than being sent to jail. What I really like about the whole point of his talking is his plan for rehabilitation, he plans to create a twelve months program for those who have the opportunity to improve their skills and to learn so once they are out of the system, they have something that will help them to get a job and move on with their life. Also, the plan for using the half of the funding to use it on the program and the other half is to make sure once they are out they have the money to pay for the rents till they settle. Being someone who wants to be a governor, yes there are many things he wants to change not just for the criminal justice system, so I was a little disappointed because we only had him for about an hour. He was seeing more women who are getting high paying jobs than men and becoming the breadwinner of the family and hope to continue and be supported more. The only most disappointing thing is the only around three students got to ask the question, because he kind of goes out the topic when he answers one, but in all, it was a unique experience for the whole class an opportunity to meet someone like them. -Chopper456
Listening to Kash Jackson and Jason Spyres talk in class the other day was amazing. We all got to get kind of like a one on one with them and not a lot of people get to do that. I did really like the experience, but my main concern with it was that it was not open to more questions. I believe only two questions got to be asked by our students, but I wished there were more, so us as individuals could get a better idea of what he wants to do once he became Governor. One of my questions for Mr. Jackson was, why did he decide to run for Governor? I am just curious on why he decided to run. From what it sounded like in his speech, he plans on legalizing marijuana. He did not talk about as much Criminal Justice as I would have liked because there are different aspects of it. Our professor had to tell him to get back to the Criminal Justice aspects of it. I cannot remember who said it, but I truly liked how they want to change the prison systems and the way they spend the money. The idea of letting them pick an area of study they would love to enjoy doing and let them train from twelve months. Once one of them said that it made me think of how the recidivisms rates alone would decrease just on that program and once the inmate started working the prison would hold their paychecks and when they get out they will have five thousand dollars to put down on a house, months and months’ worth of rent, get a car, etc., which will also help bring the recidivisms rates down tremendously. Us as a society need to invest more into helping our prisoner, yes I know some of them did something bad, but it still does not give us the right to dehumanize them. I would have never guessed that Jason did almost fifteen years for cannabis, he as a person just shows you that not everyone is prison is a murder or a sex offender, there are innocent people in there just had a rough life and had to do what was needed to provide for their families or to fit in with everyone else and got caught. Jason’s story really opened my eyes and I hope it did for others because his is a story you want to hear for people who get out of prison. I have a strong belief that is Kash Jackson would to get on the ballot for Governor, he would have a shot at winning because he has potential to do great things. I am glad that Kash hired on Jason to work with him because it shows you that you can change your life around after being in prison; you do not have to keep reoffending and going back to the way life was before going into prison. I do not think he intended to use our class period to try and gain “followers.” They have now changed cannabis into a class x felony, but it should not be labeled because 9.9 out of 10 times people high in weed do not do crazy things, so it being labeled the same as murder and child molesters is a beyond crazy thing to do. I would love to hear about what more he would like to do because I believe he is a good fit for Governor. You could tell he is a talker and a people person because I could sit and listen to him talk all day.
While listening to Kash there was a lot of thing that stood out to me and a lot of things that made a lot more sense. Hearing things come from a cop or doctor is way different than hearing something from a politician. It has a different outlook and perspective on it. It was very interesting to learn that one can spend more time in prison for selling pot than anyone. A less heinous crime serves more time than a high heinous crime. My question is why? One should not be labeled a criminal for selling pot or expermineting it. That one charge could ruin a person’s life for good. No job which lead to no money, no food, no place to go. My question to Kash is how do we stop this?. I agree that many laws are unconstitutional. Like Kash said “the greatest threat to our freedom and liberty is right at home in our backyards, not overseas.” That is very true. The constitution should be more analyzed than just overlooked. How can one have the freedom of life, liberty, and freedom if when they commit a less heinous crime they land in jail and there life as they know it is now in ruins? Nothing is ever as it seems. Kash said he wants to change the way people who don’t do harm to others can get help instead of prison time. If he is elected I HOPE he sees that threw. One would think that someone would offer to help non-violent people and even violent people earn the proper education. This could higher one's knowledge on what they do and decrease the crimes they do. More damage is created when he or she does not receive help. What I don’t understand is how is Illinois broke or in debt yet, they spend over thousands of dollars housing inmates over petty crimes instead of just helping them. The money they spend on that could go to actually- helping homeless people, saint jude, opening more clinics, shelters, school, and etc. My question is what will kKash do to change this? Kash said that the money used to house them he would use to create a safe haven for them. To rehabilitate them, help change their life instead of destroying it, deeming them a criminal or threat to society when they actually not. Anothing thing that helps is work release programs. It helps teach he or she many things. For example it teaches them responsibility. It teaches that others are counting on them. If they miss work they lose their job ad that means no money. It teaches them what the real world is like and that's a good thing. I believe that what Kash os trying to do is a good thing, Not only would it save a lot of money, but it would put less people in jail, more people at the work place. Less people in and on the streets and more people at home with his or her family. (Equality 456)
Having a potential candidate for for the spot of being the Governor of Illinois was a really cool experience that I will be able to look back on and remember. After listening to Mr. Jackson speak about what he wants to see changed and be done in the state of Illinois, it's clear that what makes up his priority and main focus is legalizing recreational marijuana and getting the people who are serving time in prison for weed out of jail. He also seemed to be looking at minimizing prison population in the state of Illinois, not only with those who are serving time due to marijuana crimes, but any person in a prison that is serving a sentence for a non-violent offense. What I found interesting for his idea of prison reform and not only lower the population, but to make sure that the population stays low in the future. His twelve month program seems to be something that he and his staff have put a fair amount of time into. I was not expecting Mr. Jackson to have that detailed of a blueprint for something like that yet. The twelve month program would require the prisoner to be a non-violent offender to be considered. The program would introduce offenders in prison to a trade that interests them and get them certified which will have them ready to be employed when they are released from prison. The money that it costs to incarcerate each inmate would be used to put the offender through the program, as well as use some of it as a reward and an incentive to finish the program, which would also give them a bit of a safety blanket for when they are reintroduced to the outside world again. I like the ideas in which he has for the prison system and the non-violent offenders. Unfortunately I think many people in the state will not want to give his ideas a chance. I think there are a large amount of people that can get behind his idea of decriminalizing marijuana as well as legalizing it recreationally. Something else that really stuck out to me was how are he was that often times for many people who go in and out of jail, it is a result of a cycle due to the structure of our society and government. When an offender is released from prison they are in no way rehabilitated and in a better position after doing their time to now start contributing to society. They're thrown out into the streets to find a job that is now more difficult to get as they are now a felon. No job means that this offender will likely fall back into his or her old habits and find other ways to survive and make a living for themselves. Which will result in this person just going back into prison and the cycle is never ending until something is done at a larger level in the states or federally. I hope that Mr. Jackson can receive enough votes to run for Governor this year for Illinois to give him more exposure for some of the ideas he has.
Kash Jackson's speech appealed very strongly to me, I must be frank. Politically, I would classify myself as a libertarian, with a small "L". The Libertarian Party has made frequent mistakes in politics, but Kash Jackson is not one of them. I wholeheartedly believe in the "no victim, no crime" principle. Policing marijuana is a waste of time, and frankly, most other drugs are as well. Call me cynical, but the drug war has resulted in a lot of time wasted by police officers, and even more wasted money. Prohibition didn't work in the 1920's, and it sure as shooting isn't working now. In fact, there are some studies coming out of Colorado that show that experimentation with marijuana decreases once it is legalized, since the cultural taboo associated with the illegality of marijuana is lessened. I have no interest in enforcing what people can and cannot consume in their own bodies when they are the only ones who will have to pay that price.
This is not to say that there might not be extra legal charges tacked onto driving while high or other actions that create externalities in the public. When I assert that marijuana should be legal, it is on the same grounds that alcohol is currently legal-that we have the right to make our own mistakes. But rights ALWAYS come with corresponding responsibilities. When we drink responsibly, we are obligated not to drive and harm other people. These same responsibilities apply to other intoxicants besides alcohol, because of how similarly they function in the way that they impair a person. Legalizing cannabis has so far been an exercise in Jeffersonian democracy, with states effectively overruling the Federal government's rulings on the topic. Honestly, I think we could do with a lot more of that style of governance. A more local government is a more responsive government, and as much as I despise Chicago and Springfield, I have infinitely more in common with them as fellow Illinoisans than I do with the Federal cronies in Washington, D.C. who decided that cannabis was too dangerous for me to even be exposed to.
This principle carries into all areas of governance. The states are more local than the Federals, and the county is more local than the state, and the city is more local than the county. Each step is more familiar than the last, and each responds more to the individual than the last. It is the United States of America, after all, shouldn't the states that constituted the Union wield greater power in their own borders than the limited government that they empowered to deal with outside nations?
It was never dreamed of in the wildest imaginings of the Federalists that the Federal government would intrude so much into our lives. They thought it laughable that a government could grow so large and desire so much power over individuals, but the imagination of the human heart is evil from its inception. The republic was constituted to combat that evil, but even so, it has swollen wildly out of its original duties and protections, like the grasping tentacles of a kraken, and it has crushed innumerable people in its mad rush towards an attempted reform of the human heart. It is time we sit no more idly by and say "No" to an all devouring, all crushing government. No more waste, no more fraud, no more lives ruined.
Hearing Cash Jackson and Jason Spyres give their view and opinions on the Criminal Justice system was extremely inspiring to me. They’re 100% correct when they say that the Criminal Justice system has a lot of bumps they need to work on. It’s so sad to think that someone who has so much potential to succeed in life had to spend 15 years of his life in prison for selling weed. It was a lot of weed being sold, which is why he got so much time, but I think a couple years AT THE MOST would of sufficed. It’s not okay that we put people who sell weed and people who murder other people in the same category. When you get told every single day for your 15 years that you can’t be helped, you won’t go anywhere in life, no one is going to care about your story when you get out, etc., it could get discouraging, but Jason didn’t let that stop him. From Cash’s point of view, he didn’t have to take Jason under his wing. He could have looked at him like every other civilian and just turned his head because keep in mind he was considered “non rehabilitatable.” Cash did something a lot of politicians wouldn’t do and took a leap of faith and trusted that there was more to Jason than a criminal. Selling weed is a crime, but that doesn’t make you a threat to society. Why do we have people locked behind bars who aren’t out killing or hurting anyone? It was also very eye opening hearing Cash talk about how much money taxpayers spend on incarceration and the positive things we could do with all that money instead of locking people up. Many people commit crimes because they don’t have a solid foundation at home to grow off of. I can assure you if my parents didn’t give a crap about me or about what I do, I wouldn’t be the same person I am today. They encouraged me to get involved, they forced me to get up and go to school on days I just want to sleep in, they encourage me to grow as a person, they reassure me that I can do anything I set my mind to, and that’s the kind of reassurance people like Jason don’t get. He said that his first drug deal he ever made was with his mother. That is so sad. To think that a mother would encourage something like that is crazy to me because I’ve never been around people like that. If you put 5,000 people all together in one place who have committed crimes such as; murder, rape, and drug-dealing they are going to all get the same mentality and that’s not what we want. Why would we put drug-dealing and rape in the same category? Those two things are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum and should be treated as such. Cash reminded me a lot of how my brother is which made me a lot more drawn to him. He’s not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, but most importantly he’s not afraid to stand up for what’s RIGHT. That’s important in a leader and that’s what we all need to look for in our Governor. If we all took a stand for these types of things we could change the world. It only takes a couple of leaders to stand up for what they believe in to make a stance. Cash Jackson, in my opinion, is someone we could count on. I loved hearing his story about the time he heard Christmas music so he followed it and ended up on top of a hill looking down on 200 people in Santa costumes smoking weed. That’s what everyone who is anti legalizing marijuana needs to see. People who smoke weed are not violent and do not need to be put behind bars. These people are “normal” citizens who do the same things we do, go to work, have kids, have families, but just like to smoke some weed to release whatever type of negative emotions they feel throughout the day. For some people it’s a stress reliever, for some it’s how they sleep at night, and for other it’s a way to release pain they may be having in some body parts. Everyone has their reason and none of them are going out and committing serious crimes while being under the influence of marijuana. Cheer456
Listening to Cash Jackson today was really a nice experience overall. Being able to get a look and what its like in the real world, and listen to how professionals talk. The questions that I would have asked Mr. Jackson came from what he said when telling us about his priorities. The first one that I wanted to ask him was related to marijuana and what his thoughts were on the further legalizing of it. I assumed that his position was to make it legal everywhere if it were his choice. The main point I wanted to address is, let’s say that marijuana is made recreationally legal and medically legal like it is the states that already have it like California. In California you have to be 18 years old the get your medical marijuana user card, and to get a recreational user card you have to be 21 years old. Under these laws there are still people who can be caught with weed and be charged with a crime. So, is his plan to try and get to a point where marijuana is completely legal for everyone? All of the arguments he was making for pro marijuana arguments were towards the criminal charges and prison time and not about the medical use and overall harmlessness to humanity. Marijuana without the criminal stigma is just another plant that is smoked just like the tobacco pant. The second question that I was going to ask him was related to The rehabilitation program that Mr. Jackson first described. The way I understood this and imaged it in my head was that people would get charges for minor offenses and put capacitated for an amount of time could go into this program and undergo a trade school program for a year and have a living area while it happens, and then after the year is over they are given $5,000 and a job where they can continue to live and prosper. This is a great idea to have and in a perfect world sure that would be a great way to deal with troubled people, but don’t forget these troubled people aren’t stupid. They figure out that if they get caught with a little bit of weed they will be able to go through this program to where they will learn how to do a job they enjoy doing and get paid to do it while they have a place to sleep provided for with food and everything they need. They will be very likely to take advantage of that very quickly and then it’s just another way to give people who are living in poverty a way to live off of the government. I think that Mr. Jackson has some good ideas with what he is doing and that he might have a chance at being a good politician, but what I noticed was that a couple times when he was talking he would say something was completely one way or the other, and then go on and sound like he was contradicting himself when it was not all one way or the other. I could have heard and interpreted wrong, but even then people who have a career in the media need to be aware of what they are saying all the time even when they are just starting out, because maybe someday his words there taken out of context contradicting himself could be seen nationally and cause him a lot of votes because they don’t want to vote for someone that they cannot trust. I think that from all of the experience that Mr. Jackson has gotten throughout his career makes him a good Governor for those who are concerned with the criminal justice side of politics. I like his beliefs when he says that he is interested with changing the laws. He is still serving the people just not like as he said “In a enforcing capacity”. I think that he definitely has the front page name already and won’t have any problems being remembered. I honestly wish that we would have been able to sit there and listen to them talk until we had all of the questions answered because I really enjoyed listening to them talk. Wings456
ReplyDeleteI think listening to them was super beneficial for what you said. Listening to professionals talk. It was clear that this man know what he was talking about, and he knew how to get the attention of everyone. Especially, when he got the whole classroom involved by asking them why they wanted to be a cop. Kash didn't say this, but Jason clearly said that they supported the decriminalizing part of cannabis plant, but they both didn't support people smoking it. I also agree with what you said about people abusing the rehabilitation program. I also feel that people will try and abuse anything they can, and if they are getting a trade job out of it, why shouldn't they? I think he would make a good governor too!
Delete^~^Itis456
Well reasoned. Groovy.....
DeleteFor class today, we did something different. By this, I don’t mean we had a presenter speaking to us about their past experience, or a person advertising for a local event. We had a gubernatorial candidate! A person who wants to run the head of state. A want to be governor! He definitely seemed qualified to take that position from not only by what he said, but how he said it! I feel like anyone can memorize and repeat what people want to hear. As long as they are appealing to the majority, they will say what they want. I also feel like that is what is mainly going on with the presidency. A lot of false promises and hopes, when they really have their own spin on issues. Anyway, I feel the passion coming out of his “speech.” Although, I would say it is more of a plea for help. Simply, because he needs our, and anyone else’s, signature to just get on the ballot. He needs local help, so he can branch off and get other help from all over the state. He needs other people to hear why he should be in that position. I think if more people did hear his philosophies on issues concerning Illinois, they would vote for him without second thought. It’s just, right now, getting his name on the ballot is number one priority. Plus, a lot more people will notice him. Again, he needs to attract the majority group. Which is why he is really focused on marijuana, and made that point number one. I’m no expert, but I know the majority of this state likes the idea of legal cannabis. Which is why Illinois allows the use of medical cannabis. But! I agree with everything he said about decriminalizing marijuana. He is so right, but it’s hard for the United States to admit their own faults. Especially, when it comes to the drug war. Ignoring that, I don’t know who I liked more! Kash Jackson, the gubernatorial, or Jason Spyres. Jason was brought along, it seems like, to help Kash’s campaign. Mostly to tell about his background on marijuana, and how it affected his life. I honestly didn't know about the “undeemable for rehabilitation.” I knew about it being a thing for violent offenders, but never thought about it through a weed dealer perspective. That person selling weed is not harming anyone or killing anything. Besides, maybe, the ozone. For them to be treated like such, and it causing them to not be able to be remissoned into society properly. There’s an issue. Jason explained that to us in great detail use his life as an example. Jason really believes in what Kash is saying he will do, and hopefully gets changed. He had no problem saying things like how they are as well. I felt at times Jason would steal the show from Kash, but that’s a good thing to notice I think. He basically is thanking him a lot for helping him out so much, and seeing to people that have similar issues like his. Kash is a liberal, who believes no one should be in jail if they didn’t hurt anyone. Like drug USERS, who just need some help off the junk. He served in the military for 22 years, I think. He believes that change comes from legislature. Which is obviously true. So, instead of enforcing “makeshift” laws, he decided to try and changes those laws. Classic story in my eyes. Then questions rolled around. Only three people were asked questions I think. First one had to do with… what else? School shootings! He went on a huge rant about how getting rid of guns wouldn’t help with the fact that 300 million guns are still out on the streets, and guns are being 3D printed like no other. He then described the kids home life, and how fatherly figures and even motherly figures taken out of these homes, cause nothing but problems later down the road.
ReplyDeleteTHE WRITING WAS TOO LONG. IT IS CONTINUED IN THE NEXT COMMENT!
^~^ Itis456
The second question, I’m not going to lie, I can’t remember what was asked. I do remember it was answered… and then some. The guy had a lot to say about everything. Our job was to skunk him with questions, but he skunked all of us in one breath. Yet it all pertained to the justice system. The last question, was about the remission of criminals from jail, or even prison. To make a long answer short. He basically said, he would be offering trade schooling for everyone, which was a 12 month course I think. Afterwards they would have a job to leave jail with, and hopefully some extra money, which would be given to the offender. Which they would use the trade job to get that money back. They would use this money to get a home and be able to afford bills for a time being. I’m pretty sure there was a lot more to it, but I couldn’t remember every little detail from the little time we had. Either way, the guy knows what is up! I think he would make an excellent governor, which is why I signed that sheet. I think he definitely deserves a shot on the ballot. At the very least!
ReplyDelete^~^Itis456
I thought that he would be a good governor too. But during the presentation, I would have liked to see more questions being answered.
Delete-MickSwagger456
The presenter we had for our class was very good because both these guys had different experiences with the law. For Kash he what normally half the people turn and yes, he may broke the law but he did like he murder someone. When you someone who get busted and sent to prison at age and then you got sit and think about what you did. My question for him was if when he was in there did he never have any plan when you get chance get out. My because I have friends and family who in prison and has no plan and just live life and most them try do the right thing and end up going back what they know. It’s sad we need try help those people who need help with basic because they don't know how to spell at all. You can't just put them down like they nobody just because they made mistake, however some will prove you wrong and try do better for yourself. For MR. Jackson its hard trying to run for government because you never know who to trust these days. HE seems like he ant help people and make different in people life's and I know some say that just feel he really means that. When you want to be cop some may I know it’s just marijuana it’s not hurt people. You are going come cross you have do the right thing and arrest someone who may be try help his or her family. That all they know when you in the spotty you try help them out or you have taken them to jail or prison. At same time put this in mind you take them away from their family, I know the feeling when a love one takes a father away from his family and my dad went to prison when I was young. I not say just because you don't have father around you show help because you will need a father around you help you. When you try to run for government you have to like the politics because those its kind like criminal justice you want help however you will have those people who will not like your rules at all. There are certain people who in prison and jail for crime they did not do and how would want help them? Because I know they have program called innocent project help them I don’t like when people put in place for something they did do.
ReplyDelete-Panthers456
I agree with what was spoken about today. I find it crazy how Jason was 19 and was sentenced so long for a non violent crime, just for selling weed they gave him 15 years. They gave him all that time when other states allow people to smoke freely and they won't go to jail while others are in jail for the same offenses. I think the fact that Kash took Jason under his wing was amazing. There plenty of people with the same record as Jason and they believe they won't amount to anything because of there background so they settle for less. So the simple fact Jason goes around and can speak from his own personally experience can open other people eyes if they are in the same position. Kash brought up a good point when he said you will have an internal conflict when you are up against a person who have weed and now your arresting them for a non violent crime and now that your arresting them you could be messing up a family while doing so. He also mentioned about how officers have discretion they follow and sometime you can give people passes but sometime you may encounter a situation where you can not do discretion and you have to arrest someone. While you arrest that person 9 times out of 10 it is a man you are interfering with his kids if he have any and now his girlfriend if he have one that is one of the reasons many people grow up with no dads. Kash also mentioned how he feel instead of just locking someone up when they are caught with drugs he will try to help them mentally because most of the time people who do drugs are going through some type of mental illness of some sort and they take the drugs to feel better. Kash says arresting those people and putting them in jail are not helping those people it will just make it worse and his plans is to help people and restore them back to their old selfs instead of throwing them in a cell and not helping the underlying problem. Jason also mentioned how now they labeled cannabis as a class x felony. That is beyond crazy, a class x felony is typically for violent offenders and they got people who sell weed under the same category as rapist and murders. That is why now a days people get so much Time when they get caught with weed because they made it a class x felony and class x felony’s hold many years behind that. If you get caught with weed you should not be labeled as a class x felony because it is a harmless offense you are not harming anybody so you should not be labeled with those violent offenders when you are not violent at all you are just trying to make money for yourself or your family. I like how logic Kash is when it come to topics that he will like to change he will like to change things in the criminal justice system to help people in the long run instead of just throwing them in jail. I love how Kash mentions if we want to get rid of guns it is deeper than just knocking on doors and telling everyone to hand over there guns. Kash mentions how it would be way harder to just get rid of all the guns because now of days people have 3d printers which can people can just get these guns printed right in front of there faces. Kash mentioned is self that he thinks about long term things when he comes across a problem he don't think short term at all. I believe when they enacted the war on drugs many men were taking away from there family lives now there is single moms raising babies on their own and they are living off government assistance. So when those men are in jail and they get released that makes the mom or girlfriend be in a sticky situation they would have to pick between the government help or love and affection from their boyfriend or their child father because If the mom want the dad of her kids to live with her she would have to throw away the government assistance because he won't be able to live with her.
ReplyDelete-jolly ranchers
I agree that hearing the story Jason had for us about his life, and the sentence that he received for selling over 11 pounds of weed, was very important to hear. It is important for a couple reasons for people who are looking for a career in criminal justice. Hearing about things that have really happened out there involving police is always important. It is a way to learn about real life situations and see a side of policing that criminal justice can’t cover. Also it is a good way to see that someday as an officer you are going to have to make some tough decisions sometimes where you take a good kid and put them away for 15 years. Those are going to be decisions you have to live with, and like it was said those people are going to remember who you are and could possible hold a grudge. Wings456
DeleteI really thought that the visitation from Kash Jackson and Jason Spyres was an interesting and useful experience. Before they even came into the class, the Professor told us all to write down two criminal justice related questions that we would want to ask Kash Jackson. Thinking intently and for about five minutes, I finally came up with two questions that I thought were quite controversial in the criminal justice community and even just the community in whole. My first question was going to be about the Heroin/Opioid crisis in the world and in America, and what actions he would plan on taking to address the issue in Illinois. My second question that I was going to ask him was should recreational marijuana be legalized in Illinois and why he thought it should be. Feeling confident in both of my questions, I decided to go with them and that was about the time that both Kash Jackson and Jason Spyres entered the room. Right off the bat, Jason Spyres was giving his back story about how he was only nineteen years old when he got convicted with possession with intent to sell and how he was going to have to serve thirty years in prison, even though he was nonviolent and had no gun. He only served fifteen years but he still had a criminal conviction put on his record and therefore it was difficult for him to start anew when he got released. Basically, Jason Spyres already answered my second question because he went on to say that Kash Jackson would work to try to end the such convictions of victim-less crimes if he was the Governor. Kash Jackson was then talking about how victimless crimes should not be as harsh as they are because he was talking about how people's lives are being destroyed whenever they are put in prison and then when they get out it is not much better. I thought that Kash Jackson's message was great and I liked how he is an independent party because any more it seems as if the Republicans and Democrats are only worried about fighting against each other rather than getting things done in the country. One thing that was a little disappointing was that Kash Jackson kept going off the topic of criminal justice and there was even a point where Professor had to tell him to not get off topic. He also talked for long periods of time and was not giving the students a chance to ask questions. For example, only two questions were asked out of the class because Kash Jackson kept on talking. That was not very surprising though because politicians are known for running their mouths quite often. In Conclusion, I thought that it was a unique experience for the class, but if it were to be done over, I would have liked Kash Jackson to give the class more of a chance to ask criminal justice related topics.
ReplyDelete-MickSwagger456
Right On!
DeleteIt is sad to see not just at a state level but at the national level to now that politics is all about winning now and not what is in the best interest of us the American people. The United States of America is ran by a two party duopoly with the Democrats and Republicans and that isn't helping anyone in the long run if anything it is hurting us because technically the government is supposed to working for us not us working for the government. I do agree one hundred percent that non violent crimes shouldn't be as harsh as many other crimes like Murder or Rape. These non violent or victim less crimes shouldn't be labeled as heinous crimes these are the people we need to invest in so they can better themselves and help contribute to society and the world. The longer we wait the harder and harder it will become to start this process. NDIrish456.
DeleteThis class period with having Mr. Kash Jackson and Jason Spyres was amazing. Just to start with I hope we have many more opportunists like this one to be able to talk to someone who is running for such a big office position like governor and actually here how he wants to change things for the better and the impact he will have on us and our jobs we which to pursue. Listening to Mr. Jackson and Mr. Spyres was quite fascinating and was really enjoyable. My two questions I planned on asking which I did not get a chance to ask were how would he combat the National Heroin/Opioid outbreak and my second question was how does he view the drug laws in this state and what would he like to change to possibly end the drug war at a state level. The questions Mr. Jackson did have time to answer were some very good questions and one that really was a great and amazing answer that I believe in one hundred percent was about his rehabilitation ideas for our inmates in prison. I personally have been thinking of some rehab options that may work to fix our broken system and my idea was very similar if not the same compared to his. I loved his idea of making a trade school for these inmates to attend and pick to go for anything of their choosing. This point alone I think would boost our rehab numbers astronomically for a couple of reasons. One big reason is these people actually have a choice now in their life and they get to choose on what they want to do. Schooling isn't much fun when your going for something you don't enjoy and work is the same way. The other big reason is that they have people that care about them and want to help them. As a society we need to invest in our inmates that we have in jails and prisons for nothing really. With these people having some sort of a positive support system will help these people strive for achievement. The other big points I really liked about Mr. Jackson's idea was the five thousand dollars as an incentive at the end and then the possible removal of that conviction if the program is completed. Hearing Mr. Jackson talk about this it really benefits us as taxpayers because it seems that it won't cost us anymore money than it is now. He plans on using the money that is already being spent in our jails and prisons and he is using that number for his budget which is a giant plus to all of us. Then the possible removal of the conviction would be a giant step toward reformation. These people are being labeled felons and can't get a job because they were caught for a non violent drug crime. Really! As a nation we are supposed to help our citizens succeed not ruin lives and make them struggle and in turn hurt society. One thing I think I personally would add to Mr. Jackson's plan is after the completion of the trade school there be a period in which the offender can't offend again and if they don't then the removal of the conviction can take place. I say this needs to be added because our recidivism rate not just as a state but as a country is well over seventy percent we really don't know how well this will actually work. If just after the completion of the program they get that conviction removed they can re-offend and end up right back in jail or prison with no repercussions. I would add a three year period where the offender can not re-offend and then after that period if all is good then the conviction can be removed. The reason for the three year period is because most offenders re-offend within three years. During this three year period the offender would have to have some sort of contact with a counselor or some one similar to that nature to ensure they are not doing illegal activities and this can be as simple as a phone call so many times a month and maybe a in person visit every three to six months. NDIrish456.
ReplyDeleteThe visitation from Kash Jackson and Jason Spyres was interesting. It was amazing knowing someone who is going to run for such big position in the state and hearing some of the things he wants to change. Right from the start, Jason Spyres was giving his life history about how he was only nineteen years old when he got convicted of possession with intent to sell and end up serving fifteen years. They gave him all that time for a non-violent crime. I like how Kash Jackson is giving someone an opportunity to help him out in his campaign for the gubernatorial position. Hearing Kash Jackson background that he serve in the military for twenty years as a mechanic mostly in a submarine, while he was there, he learned about the pros and cons of the government. I like that while he was serving in the military, he was also a reserved sheriff. While he was explaining things in class, I am not into political such of stuff, and I do not like his insight about not seeing the police officer position as a career because of the statutory law that they and we must follow. Those laws are rules that bind all people living in a community. Laws protect our general safety, and ensure our rights as citizens against abuses by other people, by organizations, and by the government itself. We have laws to help provide for our general safety. These laws exist at the local, state and national levels, and he sees those laws as against the people because it does not compare to the constitution. On the other hand, I like how he sees and wants to change the victimless crime as a not a crime for as long as no one got hurt or so. The punishment should not be harsh because it can destroy people’s lives. About heinous crime he was talking about, there are good and bad about it, and I am in no position to judge a person of why they did it. He sees the heinous crime that is committed, can affect lives because people did not see that they can join back to the community. Another thing I like is legalizing marijuana to lower recidivism rate, and I believe it’s a good idea for the whole state and people, which in some cities, being caught with some ounces can be punished of paying the penalty than being sent to jail. What I really like about the whole point of his talking is his plan for rehabilitation, he plans to create a twelve months program for those who have the opportunity to improve their skills and to learn so once they are out of the system, they have something that will help them to get a job and move on with their life. Also, the plan for using the half of the funding to use it on the program and the other half is to make sure once they are out they have the money to pay for the rents till they settle. Being someone who wants to be a governor, yes there are many things he wants to change not just for the criminal justice system, so I was a little disappointed because we only had him for about an hour. He was seeing more women who are getting high paying jobs than men and becoming the breadwinner of the family and hope to continue and be supported more. The only most disappointing thing is the only around three students got to ask the question, because he kind of goes out the topic when he answers one, but in all, it was a unique experience for the whole class an opportunity to meet someone like them. -Chopper456
ReplyDeleteListening to Kash Jackson and Jason Spyres talk in class the other day was amazing. We all got to get kind of like a one on one with them and not a lot of people get to do that. I did really like the experience, but my main concern with it was that it was not open to more questions. I believe only two questions got to be asked by our students, but I wished there were more, so us as individuals could get a better idea of what he wants to do once he became Governor. One of my questions for Mr. Jackson was, why did he decide to run for Governor? I am just curious on why he decided to run. From what it sounded like in his speech, he plans on legalizing marijuana. He did not talk about as much Criminal Justice as I would have liked because there are different aspects of it. Our professor had to tell him to get back to the Criminal Justice aspects of it. I cannot remember who said it, but I truly liked how they want to change the prison systems and the way they spend the money. The idea of letting them pick an area of study they would love to enjoy doing and let them train from twelve months. Once one of them said that it made me think of how the recidivisms rates alone would decrease just on that program and once the inmate started working the prison would hold their paychecks and when they get out they will have five thousand dollars to put down on a house, months and months’ worth of rent, get a car, etc., which will also help bring the recidivisms rates down tremendously. Us as a society need to invest more into helping our prisoner, yes I know some of them did something bad, but it still does not give us the right to dehumanize them. I would have never guessed that Jason did almost fifteen years for cannabis, he as a person just shows you that not everyone is prison is a murder or a sex offender, there are innocent people in there just had a rough life and had to do what was needed to provide for their families or to fit in with everyone else and got caught. Jason’s story really opened my eyes and I hope it did for others because his is a story you want to hear for people who get out of prison. I have a strong belief that is Kash Jackson would to get on the ballot for Governor, he would have a shot at winning because he has potential to do great things. I am glad that Kash hired on Jason to work with him because it shows you that you can change your life around after being in prison; you do not have to keep reoffending and going back to the way life was before going into prison. I do not think he intended to use our class period to try and gain “followers.” They have now changed cannabis into a class x felony, but it should not be labeled because 9.9 out of 10 times people high in weed do not do crazy things, so it being labeled the same as murder and child molesters is a beyond crazy thing to do. I would love to hear about what more he would like to do because I believe he is a good fit for Governor. You could tell he is a talker and a people person because I could sit and listen to him talk all day.
ReplyDelete~Dance456
While listening to Kash there was a lot of thing that stood out to me and a lot of things that made a lot more sense. Hearing things come from a cop or doctor is way different than hearing something from a politician. It has a different outlook and perspective on it. It was very interesting to learn that one can spend more time in prison for selling pot than anyone. A less heinous crime serves more time than a high heinous crime. My question is why? One should not be labeled a criminal for selling pot or expermineting it. That one charge could ruin a person’s life for good. No job which lead to no money, no food, no place to go. My question to Kash is how do we stop this?. I agree that many laws are unconstitutional. Like Kash said “the greatest threat to our freedom and liberty is right at home in our backyards, not overseas.” That is very true. The constitution should be more analyzed than just overlooked. How can one have the freedom of life, liberty, and freedom if when they commit a less heinous crime they land in jail and there life as they know it is now in ruins? Nothing is ever as it seems. Kash said he wants to change the way people who don’t do harm to others can get help instead of prison time. If he is elected I HOPE he sees that threw. One would think that someone would offer to help non-violent people and even violent people earn the proper education. This could higher one's knowledge on what they do and decrease the crimes they do. More damage is created when he or she does not receive help. What I don’t understand is how is Illinois broke or in debt yet, they spend over thousands of dollars housing inmates over petty crimes instead of just helping them. The money they spend on that could go to actually- helping homeless people, saint jude, opening more clinics, shelters, school, and etc. My question is what will kKash do to change this? Kash said that the money used to house them he would use to create a safe haven for them. To rehabilitate them, help change their life instead of destroying it, deeming them a criminal or threat to society when they actually not. Anothing thing that helps is work release programs. It helps teach he or she many things. For example it teaches them responsibility. It teaches that others are counting on them. If they miss work they lose their job ad that means no money. It teaches them what the real world is like and that's a good thing. I believe that what Kash os trying to do is a good thing, Not only would it save a lot of money, but it would put less people in jail, more people at the work place. Less people in and on the streets and more people at home with his or her family. (Equality 456)
ReplyDeleteHaving a potential candidate for for the spot of being the Governor of Illinois was a really cool experience that I will be able to look back on and remember. After listening to Mr. Jackson speak about what he wants to see changed and be done in the state of Illinois, it's clear that what makes up his priority and main focus is legalizing recreational marijuana and getting the people who are serving time in prison for weed out of jail. He also seemed to be looking at minimizing prison population in the state of Illinois, not only with those who are serving time due to marijuana crimes, but any person in a prison that is serving a sentence for a non-violent offense. What I found interesting for his idea of prison reform and not only lower the population, but to make sure that the population stays low in the future. His twelve month program seems to be something that he and his staff have put a fair amount of time into. I was not expecting Mr. Jackson to have that detailed of a blueprint for something like that yet. The twelve month program would require the prisoner to be a non-violent offender to be considered. The program would introduce offenders in prison to a trade that interests them and get them certified which will have them ready to be employed when they are released from prison. The money that it costs to incarcerate each inmate would be used to put the offender through the program, as well as use some of it as a reward and an incentive to finish the program, which would also give them a bit of a safety blanket for when they are reintroduced to the outside world again. I like the ideas in which he has for the prison system and the non-violent offenders. Unfortunately I think many people in the state will not want to give his ideas a chance. I think there are a large amount of people that can get behind his idea of decriminalizing marijuana as well as legalizing it recreationally. Something else that really stuck out to me was how are he was that often times for many people who go in and out of jail, it is a result of a cycle due to the structure of our society and government. When an offender is released from prison they are in no way rehabilitated and in a better position after doing their time to now start contributing to society. They're thrown out into the streets to find a job that is now more difficult to get as they are now a felon. No job means that this offender will likely fall back into his or her old habits and find other ways to survive and make a living for themselves. Which will result in this person just going back into prison and the cycle is never ending until something is done at a larger level in the states or federally. I hope that Mr. Jackson can receive enough votes to run for Governor this year for Illinois to give him more exposure for some of the ideas he has.
ReplyDeleteDaBears456
Kash Jackson's speech appealed very strongly to me, I must be frank. Politically, I would classify myself as a libertarian, with a small "L". The Libertarian Party has made frequent mistakes in politics, but Kash Jackson is not one of them. I wholeheartedly believe in the "no victim, no crime" principle. Policing marijuana is a waste of time, and frankly, most other drugs are as well. Call me cynical, but the drug war has resulted in a lot of time wasted by police officers, and even more wasted money. Prohibition didn't work in the 1920's, and it sure as shooting isn't working now. In fact, there are some studies coming out of Colorado that show that experimentation with marijuana decreases once it is legalized, since the cultural taboo associated with the illegality of marijuana is lessened. I have no interest in enforcing what people can and cannot consume in their own bodies when they are the only ones who will have to pay that price.
ReplyDeleteThis is not to say that there might not be extra legal charges tacked onto driving while high or other actions that create externalities in the public. When I assert that marijuana should be legal, it is on the same grounds that alcohol is currently legal-that we have the right to make our own mistakes. But rights ALWAYS come with corresponding responsibilities. When we drink responsibly, we are obligated not to drive and harm other people. These same responsibilities apply to other intoxicants besides alcohol, because of how similarly they function in the way that they impair a person. Legalizing cannabis has so far been an exercise in Jeffersonian democracy, with states effectively overruling the Federal government's rulings on the topic. Honestly, I think we could do with a lot more of that style of governance. A more local government is a more responsive government, and as much as I despise Chicago and Springfield, I have infinitely more in common with them as fellow Illinoisans than I do with the Federal cronies in Washington, D.C. who decided that cannabis was too dangerous for me to even be exposed to.
This principle carries into all areas of governance. The states are more local than the Federals, and the county is more local than the state, and the city is more local than the county. Each step is more familiar than the last, and each responds more to the individual than the last. It is the United States of America, after all, shouldn't the states that constituted the Union wield greater power in their own borders than the limited government that they empowered to deal with outside nations?
It was never dreamed of in the wildest imaginings of the Federalists that the Federal government would intrude so much into our lives. They thought it laughable that a government could grow so large and desire so much power over individuals, but the imagination of the human heart is evil from its inception. The republic was constituted to combat that evil, but even so, it has swollen wildly out of its original duties and protections, like the grasping tentacles of a kraken, and it has crushed innumerable people in its mad rush towards an attempted reform of the human heart. It is time we sit no more idly by and say "No" to an all devouring, all crushing government. No more waste, no more fraud, no more lives ruined.
Vote Jackson for Governor 2018.
-Arsenal456
DeleteHearing Cash Jackson and Jason Spyres give their view and opinions on the Criminal Justice system was extremely inspiring to me. They’re 100% correct when they say that the Criminal Justice system has a lot of bumps they need to work on. It’s so sad to think that someone who has so much potential to succeed in life had to spend 15 years of his life in prison for selling weed. It was a lot of weed being sold, which is why he got so much time, but I think a couple years AT THE MOST would of sufficed. It’s not okay that we put people who sell weed and people who murder other people in the same category. When you get told every single day for your 15 years that you can’t be helped, you won’t go anywhere in life, no one is going to care about your story when you get out, etc., it could get discouraging, but Jason didn’t let that stop him. From Cash’s point of view, he didn’t have to take Jason under his wing. He could have looked at him like every other civilian and just turned his head because keep in mind he was considered “non rehabilitatable.” Cash did something a lot of politicians wouldn’t do and took a leap of faith and trusted that there was more to Jason than a criminal. Selling weed is a crime, but that doesn’t make you a threat to society. Why do we have people locked behind bars who aren’t out killing or hurting anyone? It was also very eye opening hearing Cash talk about how much money taxpayers spend on incarceration and the positive things we could do with all that money instead of locking people up. Many people commit crimes because they don’t have a solid foundation at home to grow off of. I can assure you if my parents didn’t give a crap about me or about what I do, I wouldn’t be the same person I am today. They encouraged me to get involved, they forced me to get up and go to school on days I just want to sleep in, they encourage me to grow as a person, they reassure me that I can do anything I set my mind to, and that’s the kind of reassurance people like Jason don’t get. He said that his first drug deal he ever made was with his mother. That is so sad. To think that a mother would encourage something like that is crazy to me because I’ve never been around people like that. If you put 5,000 people all together in one place who have committed crimes such as; murder, rape, and drug-dealing they are going to all get the same mentality and that’s not what we want. Why would we put drug-dealing and rape in the same category? Those two things are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum and should be treated as such. Cash reminded me a lot of how my brother is which made me a lot more drawn to him. He’s not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, but most importantly he’s not afraid to stand up for what’s RIGHT. That’s important in a leader and that’s what we all need to look for in our Governor. If we all took a stand for these types of things we could change the world. It only takes a couple of leaders to stand up for what they believe in to make a stance. Cash Jackson, in my opinion, is someone we could count on. I loved hearing his story about the time he heard Christmas music so he followed it and ended up on top of a hill looking down on 200 people in Santa costumes smoking weed. That’s what everyone who is anti legalizing marijuana needs to see. People who smoke weed are not violent and do not need to be put behind bars. These people are “normal” citizens who do the same things we do, go to work, have kids, have families, but just like to smoke some weed to release whatever type of negative emotions they feel throughout the day. For some people it’s a stress reliever, for some it’s how they sleep at night, and for other it’s a way to release pain they may be having in some body parts. Everyone has their reason and none of them are going out and committing serious crimes while being under the influence of marijuana. Cheer456
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