Michael Vick makes 12 cents an hour in prison. How do you feel about that?

[Liberal_in_LA]

Poll question: Michael Vick makes 12 cents an hour in prison. How do you feel about that?

Vick wants to play, but what team would risk it?
By TIM DAHLBERG, AP Sports Columnist

Michael Vick lives in a prison in Kansas, making 12 cents an hour while plotting his return to the NFL. His houses and farms will soon be gone, the two yachts are history, and he’s down to his last couple of Range Rovers.

A race horse he bought for $60,000 died of colic, the Atlanta Falcons are still trying to hit him up for millions they paid him, and the IRS and the state of Georgia want nearly $1 million in back taxes.

In 2006 he made nearly $15 million. Recently he reported total income of $12.89 for an entire month.

That’s $12.89 as in 12 dollars and 89 cents. This from someone who, before things went terribly bad, categorized a $1,000 check to his mother as “chump change.”

The numbers are cold, but they have to warm the heart of any animal lover sickened by what once went on at Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels. To many, seeing Vick stripped of the material things he and his fellow millionaire athletes like to enjoy is almost as good as watching him go to prison in the first place.

Best of all, the dogs who survived the terror of Vick’s dogfighting ring are having the last laugh.

They’re the stars of a recent National Geographic Channel television special. They live in comfort in a Utah ranch, thanks to $928,000 Vick agreed to contribute to finance their care.

And now they have their own wine.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-timdahlberg-111508&prov=ap&type=lgns

[mondo joe]

1. I guess I don't expect people in prison to earn money.

I'd be more inclined to feel badly for people who weren't wealthy to begin with in prison, who when they get out have to start from scratch.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

2. I'd be perfectly happy if Vick and all other animal abusers never saw freedom again

I say, let out non-violent drug offenders and crack down on animal abuse, rape and murder. Keep the sociopaths locked up for good. People who hurt animals are likely to move on to hurting people.

[Muttocracy]

3. how much does it cost to keep him in prison? He's not paying rent and food there. nt

[superduperfarleft]

4. I feel sorry for the dogs....

And I feel sorry for Vick for being a victim of the prison system for doing the exact same thing that slaughterhouses do every single day to less-cute animals.

[emilyg]

5. Oh please

One goes to food supply - the other was plain mean and sick. He certainly did not need the money.

[superduperfarleft]

6. The animals that suffer don't care why you're brutalizing them.

They don't care if the fact that you're brutalizing them is for a "worthy" cause.

Sorry, I find the hypocrisy of animal-eaters towards Vick pretty rich, and I find much of it to be more because you've got a scary black man on trial.

[emilyg]

7. I don't eat meat.

We had WHITE men in Ga. jailed for same reason.

[superduperfarleft]

8. Okay, so you're consistent.

I definitely congratulate you for that.

But the people who do...

And I still saw a lot of the coverage (even from the PETA crowd, big surprise there) as being very racially-charged. The Michael Vick case bugged the shit out of me not only for what he did but from the coverage that he got.

[uppityperson]

13. I eat meat and am fine with him being in prison.

I grow my own meat, butcher it and eat it.

[MN Farmer]

15. Same Here

[WillieW]

65. I don't eat animal flesh either - Juck

[mondo joe]

23. I eat animals, and I oppose animal torture.

Most commercial meat business is abominable. I support that which is more humane.

And I do think an animal destined for the table can be kept humanely. Dogs destined for the ring never are.

[Arkana]

45. OK, so we're not allowed to think Vick is scum if we enjoy a good steak

or a cheeseburger?

Sorry, but you don't get to tell me what I should think.

[superduperfarleft]

63. Do you think slaughterhouse workers are scum?

Vick tortures animals for profit = scum

Slaughterhouse workers torture animals for profit = not scum

Yeah, makes sense to me. :eyes:

And for the record, I don't think slaughterhouse workers are scum, but all the calls here for Vick to have his genitals chewed off by a pack of dogs seems to only be because he tortured cute animals instead of delicious animals. (never mind the Big Scary Black Man thing)

[123infinity]

60. The prison system didn't accuse, try or convict him.

He's way overpaid in any case.

[superduperfarleft]

62. Good to know you support slave labor. n/t

[123infinity]

66. Just a guess here...you skipped school the year they taught school...?

:eyes:

[Mike Daniels]

70. Vick had a choice....the dogs didn't

Fuck Vick and anyone who has sympathy for him.

[geomon666]

9. I feel just fine with his current situation. n/t

[McCamy Taylor]

10. He was prosecuted in federal court because he is Black.

Same as Wesley Snipes, Barry Bonds and just about every elected Black Democratic politician in the United States that the FBI could set up in a sting---funny that they do not try to entrap White Republicans.

Vick is hardly the only man in the country engaged in the sport of dog fighting. The Republicans and KKK types who do it all over the south are not being rounded up. Selective prosecution is criminal.

[MadHound]

16. He was prosecuted in court because he was running an interstate gambling operation

Not because he is black. And having worked rescue for these pit bulls, I can tell you that race didn't matter, blacks and whites were both investigated, arrested, prosecuted, and put in jail, sometimes federal time if they had been crossing state lines.

Wesley Snipes evaded taxes, by offering up what was essentially a fifteen million dollar bribe, he will most likely avoid jail time, he's already avoided prosecution on the most severe charges. Sounds like rich man's justice to me.

Barry Bonds, let's not even go there. He did, after all, lie his ass off on national TV, in front of Congress.

Is there racism in the US justice system, certainly, without a doubt. But to ascribe racism to the outcome of every prosecution of an African American is just as bad as any other broad brush assumption directed at blacks.

[Pavulon]

25. He is black? Really, he just looks like an asshole to me.

fuck him, hope he slips in the shower and breaks his hip.

And bonds is a cheating pos, everyone who cheated should be stripped of their records. No different than these guys (who weren't black)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_figures_that_have_been_banned_for_life

[4ward thinking]

37. Black had nothing to do with it, Oil Executives (propably repugs) busted in Largest dogfight ring

http:​/​/​www.​ kvue.​ com/​news/​top/​stori​es/​11140​8kvue​_​dogfi​ghtin​g_​raid-​cb.​ 1b0f3​f3a2.​ html



Houst​on raid follo​ws large​st under​cover​ dogfi​ghtin​g sting​ in U.S. histo​ry


HOUST​ON TX -- A non-​descr​ipt wareh​ouse on the east side of Houst​on has been the scene​ of bruta​l and blood​y dogfi​ghts every​ week for the past eight​ month​s.​


“A dog show,​ a dog fight​ or whate​ver you want to call it, is the Satur​day night​ poker​ game for hard core crimi​nals,​” said Sgt. Manni​ng,​ of the DPS Crimi​nal Intel​ligen​ce Servi​ce.​

Sgt. Manni​ng asked​ us not to use his first​ name becau​se of under​cover​ natur​e of his job. He and anoth​er DPS inves​tigat​or have spent​ the last 15 month​s infil​trati​ng the seedy​ world​ of dogfi​ghtin​g in Houst​on.​

“It’s​ the large​st under​cover​ dogfi​ghtin​g opera​tion in the count​ry,​” said Assis​tant Harri​s Co. D.A. Belin​da Smith​.​ “And nothi​ng like this has ever been done in Houst​on,​ or in Texas​.​”

After​ gaini​ng the trust​ of some key “dog men, “ as they refer​ to thems​elves​,​ Manni​ng and his partn​er set up shop in an east Houst​on wareh​ouse where​ they stage​d “dog shows​” virtu​ally every​ weeke​nd.​

“We’r​e talki​ng big money​.​ Sever​al thous​and dolla​rs per fight​,​” said Manni​ng.​ “We’v​e heard​ stori​es of dog fight​s from hundr​eds of thous​ands into the milli​ons of dolla​rs.​”

Also surpr​ising​:​ the broad​ spect​rum of the peopl​e who showe​d up.

“We’v​e got every​thing​ from a schoo​l teach​er with no crimi​nal histo​ry whats​oever​,​ to sever​al indiv​idual​s in the oil indus​try,​” said Manni​ng.​ "We have indiv​idual​s who’v​e been arres​ted for capit​al murde​r,​ narco​tics deale​rs and bank robbe​rs.​ It truly​ reach​es acros​s all bound​aries​.​”

After​ all is said and done,​ autho​ritie​s expec​t to arres​t 85 peopl​e in multi​ple count​ies on over 155 felon​y charg​es.​ The arres​ts have alrea​dy begun​.​

The inves​tigat​ion,​ calle​d Opera​tion Dead Game,​ was a joint​ effor​t betwe​en DPS, the USDA and the Harri​s Count​y Distr​ict Attor​ney’s​ offic​e.​

KHOU-​TV went along​ with law offic​ers for the busts​ Frida​y morni​ng and was there​ when a DPS SWAT team swarm​ed a north​east Harri​s Count​y prope​rty and arres​ted Donal​d Wayne​ Woods​ on felon​y dogfi​ghtin​g charg​es.​ It was the first​ of many raids​ to take place​.​..

[pitohui]

53. we'll see if these people get the same sentences vicks got

i am highly skeptical that much will come of it, frankly

time will tell the tale, and these arrests JUST occurred, so there hasn't even been any convictions

i think they will be able to make it go away

too often you hear of big arrests and then time goes by and you realize that you've never heard anything more -- the loud cause celebre has been quietly dropped -- thanks to pay offs

[McCamy Taylor]

69. Harris Co. is one of few Dem strongholds in Texas. And WTF? Gov't sanctioned dogfight?????

This is even worse than the post office producing child pornography (the PO is the largest producer of child porn in the country).

How dare anyone in the government stage dog fights for 8 months in order to entrap people. I hope that PETA and the SPCA are picketing the MoFs at this very moment! This is an outrage!

[DS1]

46. Ted Stevens - Original Thug

[Deja Q]

52. Shhh. Just wait until they bring out the scoop on Obama and Larry Craig must be a closet black dem.

:eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes:


Forgive me my skepticism.

[123infinity]

61. Bullshit.

:puke:

[Winnipegosis]

11. Al Davis

would probably sign this guy, after all, the Raiders absolutely suck.

[Yukari Yakumo]

12. Other -- 12 cents an hour?

Why are they paying him so much?

[Political Heretic]

14. Is he getting 12 cents an hour butchering dogs for meat? Cause that would be irony

and potentially a delicacy in some corners of the world.

[RadiationTherapy]

17. That "12 cents an hour" is a major reason the war on some drugs continues.

I understand the irony and all, but it creates a market incentive to get people into jail.

[uncle ray]

36. criminals housing criminals.

it's too bad the OP used a misleading headline in their post to make their point. regardless of what a person is imprisoned for, 12 cents an hour is slavery. prison labor pay should be in line with wages outside prison. i am fine with making a prisoner pay for room and board if they participate in a work program. whatever they earn beyond that they can put away as savings for when they get out, or god forbid, actually continue to support their family while in prison.

[salguine]

18. How do I feel about it? I feel sorry that

he wasn't stripped naked, had his genitals dunked in gravy, and locked in a small room with a couple of his dogs.

[Bravo Zulu]

19. vick is lucky he's not in Louisiana,

they only pay two cents an hour for hard labor!

[slackmaster]

20. Same way I do about people like Duke Cunningham or a fallen Wall Street executive

Making that amount doing menial work.

[Zodiak]

21. How do I feel about it

I feel that if some private entity is taking a profit off of his labors, then it is slavery.

[ogneopasno]

22. Other: Prisoners who get paid are an excellent resource for "insourcing" jobs. I hate it.

[Shardik]

24. I once took my daughter to see Vick play.

The man was one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. I was a fan. I can still see him escaping from impossible situations in the backfield like no other QB I've ever seen. And then the dog fighting came up.

He's gotten what he deserves. I do hope that after he has paid the price for his actions that he will be allowed to go on with his life just as anyone who has broken the law should be able to do once the debt is paid.

I doubt that he will ever be what he was. There was a fire there that I'll bet is quenched.

[Joe Fields]

26. It's non union. What do you expect?

[Amerigo Vespucci]

27. I feel sorry for Whoopi Goldberg and Jaime Foxx...

...both of them attempted to defend Vick, saying that he was a victim of "learned behavior" from the hood.

Vick grew up in Newport News, VA. Newport News, VA is not the hood.

Oh, and I feel sorry for the dogs, too, but the ones who survived this motherf**ker's little escapade are being taken care of, and that's a good thing.

As far as Vick is concerned, I hope he's enjoying every minute of his time behind bars. He earned it, all of it, and he's not a damned victim. Sorry Whoopi. Sorry Jaime.

[superduperfarleft]

30. Um, Newport News has some pretty rough neighborhoods.

Their projects are as bad as any city's.

And regarding Whoopi Goldberg and Jaime Fox, there's a difference between "explaining" his motives and "defending" them.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

31. Rough neighborhoods now, or when Vick grew up there?

And I hear what you're saying, but it's a fine line between explanation and defense. I thought they both attempted to defend his character. They're both smart enough to not even attempt to defend his actions. I just refuse to see him as a victim. I think he's an adult who knew exactly what he was doing. But the truth of the matter is that it's just my opinion, which means I know Vick personally as well as the majority of people on DU know him personally (not at all).

:patriot:

[Dappleganger]

48. No, they're not.

Nowhere near as bad as Norfolk, Baltimore, etc. Yes, there are a few rough areas but it's very easy to live in better areas. We lived there for over 8 years--downtown NN when my husband worked at the shipyard, moved around to several other NN places before settling in Wythe (Hampton). Both Vicks have friend/family issues--they never learned how to say 'NO' and stick with it.

[superduperfarleft]

64. And?

The above poster was practically comparing NN to a upper-class gated community, and there are several neighborhoods where it is not.

And to say that dogfighting isn't a very common thing in poorer communities, both black and white, is just asinine. It's not like Vick invented the "sport," he was just made an example of.

[NaturalHigh]

28. I read this story early this morning.

Frankly, I can't work up much sympathy for someone who abuses animals for profit or entertainment. Dogfighting is an atrocity that should have been eliminated centuries ago. It definitely exhibits the worst elements of the human condition.

[alfredo]

29. 12 cents is better than the 11 cents they used to make.

[demokatgurrl]

32. He did a bad thing, but I still feel for him

I somehow don't think he's truly evil, and I think he can redeem himself. I hope he gets the chance. None of us is totally innocent of any wrongdoing in our lives, none of us has been perfect.
And, not to diminish the lives or suffering of the dogs, but he got a tougher sentence than many who wound and maim fellow humans. IMHO, his race and high profile were used against him.

[Liberal_in_LA]

40. I hope they go after animal abusers of all races.

[emilyg]

68. In Georgia they do.

[flvegan]

33. *Points and laughs* That's how I feel about Vick's current finances.

But, I am thankful that if some douchebag was going to get busted for dogfighting at this level, it was a famous douchebag like Vick. It shined a big light on dogfighting, putting it much more so in the public eye. It also set a precedent that dogs seized in a bust like this can be and deserve rehabilitation. It also throws out the bullshit farce (zomg, shared by some here on DU) that pitbulls are dogs that are evil to the core.

I weep for the dogs that suffered and died at Vick's hands and behest. I have no forgiveness for him. I wish him nothing but misery. I hope that if he ever does get back on the football field, that he has the world's biggest bullseye on him. I'd like nothing more than to see some freight train of a lineman give Vick a limp that never goes away.

He never apologized for his cruelty, and I don't think he's sorry for it. Fuck Michael Vick.

[opihimoimoi]

34. When he had big money...did he take care of the People out there?

Did he "Give Back"? Make himself look good?

Most of his wealth went to self gratification...not for charity/etc...

He pays a price for breaking serious Laws....now he eats it...he is so lucky he gets out in July nx year...was me...he stays for 5 more years...

[pitohui]

51. he hired friends, gave away money and cars, gave $300K for his mom to build a church bldg

i don't know the guy, i'm quoting from the article, but from the sound of it -- yeah, he was a stand-up guy who gave away money big time to those he loved

He hired friends, gave away money and cars, and could never say no to his mother, who got $700 for an Easter Egg hunt one year and $317,000 for a new church building the next.

i have to say, the total destruction of the man's career and turning him into a de facto slave, doesn't sit well with me if the article is true

he was forced to give almost $1 million dollars for the care of the dogs, why wasn't that enough of a punishment?

now, we have a case of another black man who could have been a success, forcibly turned into a slave, and who benefits? other than whoever is really spending the $900K money for caring for the dogs, because we all know that taking care of dogs and having their photo put on a bottle of wine doesn't cost any $900K

someone has profited BIGTIME from taking this man's wealth and destroying not just his career, but also his family, and i'm not comfortable with it

the dog-fighting was wrong, but the punishment was out of line with anything we've seen, when does a white man who fights dogs ever get anything but a small fine or maybe a comment from the local sheriff to cool it for awhile until the heat goes away? and please don't bother to tell me that white men don't gamble on dog fights, i live in louisiana, i damn well know better!

we need to have a law that is the same for all people of all colors and not a law that changes based on whether or not some prosecutor or DA got a kickback or wants publicity

we also need punishments that deter, without destroying someone's chance forever to be a productive member of society

[Greyhound]

35. Did the punishment fit the crime? I think so. Of course, it would be better

if the perpetrators of mass murder such as the parasite class has regularly engaged in for more than a century would get the same treatment.

But this is a start.

[ecstatic]

38. I voted both because of the hypocrisy. Sarah and others

can brag about shooting down moose, wolves, etc... There's horse racing... all sorts of brutal things involving animals.

It's the hypocrisy that bothers me. Where is the outrage regarding hunters and horse racing (and even the farms that create animals just to kill them for food)?

Yeah we can pick and choose which animal is more deserving but it still seems hypocritical.

[Liberal_in_LA]

39. agreed. But here is detail from case so we dont feel too sorry 4 him : Don't read if sensitive

Someone posted on another site...
Animal Planet had an illuminating and gut-wrenching documentary called Animal Witness: The Michael Vick Case. Here are FAQs. One aspect of the MV case that will never leave me was the discussion of removing a female dog's teeth (with no anesthesia) so she couldn't protect herself, then putting her in a "rape" restraint and letting dozens of males loose on her.

[entanglement]

41. I'd be much happier if he was joined by some bankers, hedge fund managers, CEOs, thuggish cops, etc

[Liberal_in_LA]

42. keep dreaming! lol.

[aikoaiko]

43. I don't feel anything about it.

[Hepburn]

44. Fuck that POS dog torturer....

....I had hoped that a few of the pits got to do to him what he did to them. Now THAT would be justice!

[YellowRubberDuckie]

47. MIchael Vick could be burning in hell...

...and I wouldn't blink. Hell is too good for that idiot.
I'm just so glad that that Utah Ranch exists. They take dogs that other shelters would have put down instead of giving them a chance. I watch a lot of the Animal Cops shows, and that is one thing that bothers the hell out of me. They put dogs down for the dumbest reasons. Like food aggression. Hey, Einstein, a dog is going to be protective of his food after being starved on and off for a year. And in Michigan, they automatically kill pit bulls. They don't check to see if they are good dogs. They just kill them indiscriminately. This breaks my heart. There are no bad dogs, only bad owners. If we would put down a few of the assholes who mistreat their kids and their dogs, we just might succeed in stopping people from doing that bullshit.
Duckie

[Jack Rabbit]

49. I can't feel sorry for Michael Vick

I don't know what there is in his background that would provoke this kind of cruelty to animals for a buck.

No one held a gun to Mr. Vick's head and forced to go into the dog fighting business. He had a lot to lose, and lost it he has.

[Deja Q]

50. Well, last I recall what he did is legal in countries whose typical wage IS 12 cents per hour...

Let him move over there and all will be well in the land.

[InvisibleTouch]

54. I feel sorry for the dogs and the horse...

...but Vick is getting (some of) what he deserves.

The dogs who survived are having a happy ending, at least.

[rucky]

55. Why bother paying them at all?

12 cents isn't worth the payroll administation.

[LeftyMom]

56. I think that's more than he's worth.

[booley]

57. I take no pleasure from Vick's troubles

But nor do i really feel sorry for him.

[MrSlayer]

58. I feel that he is overpaid.

Vick is a despicable human being.

[DailyGrind51]

59. Every penny should be donated to the Humane Society!

[MN Farmer]

67. That would just be cruel and unusual punishment

to those who are incarcerated with him.

The money that inmates earn goes to buy things like soap, deoderant, tooth paste and tooth brushes.