In 2008 the Obama Administration made the decision to use taxpayer money to bail out banks which they considered “too big to fail.” At the same time Iceland allowed their largest banks too fail, and have prosecuted and convicted nearly 30 banking executives who conspired to increase profits at the expense of Icelandic home owners and the working class. No banking executives in the United States have ever been prosecuted.

In America the ultra rich are very seldom prosecuted; they are ‘too rich to go to prison.’ We read about it every day. The ability to hire the best lawyers, and promises to pay retribution for crimes of any severity eliminate any incarceration for the offenders.

The great recession of 2008 was caused by greedy capitalists. Millions of Americans lost life savings, homes, and were reduced to a standard of life the wealthy could never comprehend. Only the working class paid for these criminal actions.

Republicans do not believe that a complete overhaul of our justice system is needed; why is this a fact? The answer is simple; the one-percent owns the GOP. The truth is that for far too many Americans, especially blacks and impoverished citizens, there are two Americas; the wealthy, and everyone else.

Recently we had the story of the spoiled brat from Texas who killed four innocent people while driving under the influence. He was given probation and no jail time. The families of those he killed will suffer for the rest of their lives, but he was given his freedom with a sentence of probation. Even after films were shown to the court of parole violations, he escaped justice. His failed mother took him to Mexico. Today they are both back on American soil but don’t expect Ethan Couch or his mother to receive just punishment. His defense was “affluenza,” a condition resulting from having too much money at his disposal and ineffectual child rearing by his parents.

Is this what America has become? Is it now divided into two societies, the rich and the rest of us? Yes, is the only answer.

If you are a low-income or poor black person and are convicted of anything from drug possession to a simple robbery, you are guaranteed to spend time in a state prison. If you are a white child of wealth, you will never experience a single minute of incarceration.

Many Americans speak of the truth regarding ‘two Americas.’ It is an undeniable fact. The millionaires and billionaires who control Congress will never pay for their egregious crimes.

The example of Iceland is another reason why America is no longer a great nation.

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

Source

Photo Courtesy of Brent 2.0

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