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In reply to the discussion: Van Jones on Democratic Partys Future: The Clinton Days Are Over You Cant Run and Hide [View all]paleotn
(17,911 posts)..Yes, early 90's crime was high. I lived it. I was in my mid 30's at the time. And yes, a lot of Dems voted for the '94 crime bill, but so what? That's a silly argument from authority. Many did not. Turns out its provisions were a knee jerk, overreaction to a populace and pandering pols not interested in sensible reforms, but knee jerk overreactions. Crime is down over the last 20+ year, sure, but at what cost? It would have also gone down if life in prison and summary execution were handed out to every first offender. Mandatory mins and 3 strike laws are abhorrent. They tie judge's hands, not allowing them to do their damn jobs....taking all aspects of a situation into account when passing sentence or instructing a jury. And thus we have the decimation of a generation of black males by the judicial system. And guess what....drugs are still a major problem because, as many of us believed then, we're still NOT addressing the underlying issues. Treat it like every other advanced western democracy...ie. a public health issue, NOT just a criminal one.
On Gramm-Leach-Bliely, yes a number of Dems voted for it, but a number voted against. Again, an argument from authority. My opinion then is the same as now. What exactly has changed from 1933 that makes Glass-Steagall obsolete? My answer then was...nothing... and I stand by it. The underlying reasoning for Glass-Steagall is as relevant today as in the '30's. The basics of the global financial system hasn't changed all that much in nearly 90 years, it's just become far larger, more interconnected and vastly more complex, thus Glass-Steagall is of even greater importance. That whole argument reminds me of another 90's bout of stupidity...the dot.com morons who thought actual profits, ROI, etc. didn't matter anymore and fundamentals guys like me were antiquated. Easy for them to say while they were living off venture capital, but it didn't end well.
Now, I'm not a Clinton basher. I voted for Bill twice and Hillary once and would do it again in hindsight. However, Bill had a very bad habit of taking very bad advice...Rubin and company for instance.