The Grim Reapers Holiday
As this is an election year and the candidates are all out politicing (this word should be in the dictionary-a verb that means to discuss and argue) about important topics from the war in Iraq to the economy, I want to discuss an issue that is likely be the penultimate topic on Obama and McCain’s agenda, the death penalty.
I think that we should have the death penalty because the goal of arranging ourselves into societies is to keep us safe from external factors such as nature. Since the ultimate goal is to keep individuals safe and there are sure to be conflicting personalities that are brought together when we create societies, there are certain rules that must be followed. One of which is you should not murder your fellow man (man also applies to woman. I don’t want to use a gender neutral term like human because it sounds stupid). When murders occur, the person that committed the crime, if the system works as it should, is segregated from society for a period of time. However, when the murder or murders are horrific, border on sadism or are committed in cold blood a much harsher penalty must be instituted, which is permanent expulsion from earth. The reason why this must occur is not to deter others from committing similar crimes, because as we all know the death penalty does not lower the rate of violent crimes. Additionally the death penalty should not be used to bring vengeance on the criminal, although it may have the effect of giving the victims family closure. The main goal is to give the majority of society the peace of mind of knowing that these violent men are no longer with us, which in turn gives them a sense of safety.
Some critics of this view may say, this viewpoint is wrong morally and that we should just let these criminals stay in jail for the rest of their lives. However, the cost of incarcerating someone for that length of time requires a significant amount of money that could be spent on other more beneficial things, such as inner city schools. Another point that critics will most likely make is that minorities are overrepresented on death row because they do not have the resources to get adequate representation. I would completely agree with them on this point, but I would say, that is a problem with the way the system works as opposed to the actual death penalty itself. Additionally, I would be on the front lines with the critics who argue that inequality exists in the system and I would fight for equal prosecution of all violent criminals, regardless of age, race, and economic class.
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