In this time of economic uncertainty and shrinking tax revenues, government agencies are being forced to cut costs right and left. Our prisons are no exception. Our prison population over the past two decades has soared to a record-bursting 2.3 million Americans in prison or jail. (Personally, I blame Hollywood celebutantes Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich for the overcrowding problem.)

Just less than 1% of the US population is currently incarcerated – in part thanks to my neighbor’s 22-year old stoner son Justin, who is serving 3 months for drinking, driving and smelling like urine while trying to order take-out at Highway tollbooth Exit 7A, which he apparently mistook for a Dominos Pizza. I believe the specific charge was “acting like an obnoxious moron in a public place” or something like that.

The USA has more people in prison than any other country in the world – one more achievement about which Americans can proudly shout “We’re Number One.”  The cost to house all these charming folks is staggering. Check out these startling statistics:

Read More…

Life is pretty stressful at times. When I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed, I like to find a comfortable couch, close my eyes and listen to a relaxing sound. And no sounds are more soothing to me than the rhythmic sound of ocean waves crashing into the shore or the gentle gurgling of a babbling brook or the soothing hum of 35,000 rabid South African soccer fanatics at the FIFA World Cup, blowing their lungs out with their plastic 4 dollar and 95 cent vuvuzelas. If you still haven’t heard of a vuvuzela (pronounced “Voo-Voo-ZAY-Lah), it can mean only one thing: You’re an American.

Surely by now you must have seen and heard a vuvuzela. Click here to listen to its soothing sound. Now, wasn’t that relaxing? Now just imagine that soothing humming sound TIMES 35 THOUSAND …. for an hour and a half….. non-stop…. without commercial interruption. Originally used to summon distant African tribal villagers to attend community gatherings, the vuvuzela has become synonymous with the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, with its distinctive nonstop, deafening, monotone buzzing sound. The vuvuzela may come in 275 different colors, but they all come in just one note: B flat.

Read More…