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    lewis55number2Andy Cush
    3/30/16 6:22pm

    There is no better response to this horribleness than to repost this: http://nymag.com/daily/intellig…

    It says it all.

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      duckinthefaceat250knotslewis55number2
      3/30/16 6:31pm

      But trickle down economics works! It’s just that all the times it’s failed, it wasn’t implemented the right way.

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      Thewalkingdudelewis55number2
      3/30/16 6:40pm

      There is not a single Republican that wouldn’t enact these policies on a national scale and yet they wonder how their primaries got overtaken by a cheap con-man.

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    Cherith CutestoryAndy Cush
    3/30/16 6:32pm

    While I know Louisiana wasn't swimming in cash before this is primarily at the feet of Jindal. It’s amazing the damage one man can do.

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      ABD2021Cherith Cutestory
      3/30/16 7:46pm

      One man didn't do this. It takes a legislature to ruin a state - or something like that.

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      Hello_Madam_PresidentCherith Cutestory
      3/30/16 8:05pm

      We weren’t swimming in cash, but Louisiana is rich with natural resources and big money industry. It was almost immune to the Great Recession. Jindal sold off many of our assets (rather than growing them and our infrastructure so we could make money off of them) and had us operating at a devastating loss BEFORE the price of gas tanked and all the oil companies started laying off.

      Eta: what Jindal did to us is....almost unbelievable.

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    tito_swinefluAndy Cush
    3/30/16 6:24pm

    If the judges in this state weren’t so fucking corrupt, there would be an obvious way to deal with this: If you can’t be given a public defender, you go free. Simple.

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      Biff Meatytito_swineflu
      3/30/16 6:37pm

      Most localities have solved this with an even simpler approach: simply kill people on the scene so no court process is needed.

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      ARP2tito_swineflu
      3/30/16 6:47pm

      As much as I don’t like it, setting a few accused murders free would probably cause LA to find the money for public defenders, especially with the GOPs obsession with law and order.

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    Ed SpockAndy Cush
    3/30/16 6:26pm

    Too bad for them they don’t live in Michigan.

    “Governor” Rick Snyder (a man with a 9 figure net worth) just authorized nearly $500,000 of state tax payer money for himself to help with personal legal fees he’s facing due to possible criminal action with the Flint water saga.

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      Never_NudeEd Spock
      3/30/16 7:05pm

      I’m getting a lot of use out of this link today. http://shipabagofdicks.com/collections/al…

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      PoodletimeNever_Nude
      3/30/16 8:11pm

      Visited this site; it’s gold!

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    SyscrushAndy Cush
    3/30/16 7:46pm

    IMO the solution is simple - public prosecutors and public defenders should be drawn from the same pool, and share the same budget. When a case comes up requiring prosecution, you’re on offense. When someone needs a court-appointed lawyer, you’re on defense.

    What is implicitly denied in the current scheme is the reality that the state has the same interest in a vigorous defense of its citizens that it has in effective prosecution.

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      Cherith CutestorySyscrush
      3/30/16 8:16pm

      While your last point is absolutely brilliant, I think in practice they’d be a ton of conflict of interest issues popping up. But I’m willing to work out the kinks there.

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      SyscrushCherith Cutestory
      3/31/16 12:53pm

      Lawyers doing civil suits our contact law will represent a plaintiff one time, and a defendant the next, and it works just fine.

      Sharing duties like this would give the state’s lawyers something to be evaluated on other than conviction rate, and would more properly value the work done by public defenders.

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    GenevieveAndy Cush
    3/30/16 6:47pm

    If you can’t afford a lawyer, one will be appointed to you.
    You have the right to a fair & speedy trial.
    So neither of these things are happening. How is this legal?

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      NathanDeGraafGenevieve
      3/30/16 6:57pm

      Exactly.

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      RealAmurricanGenevieve
      3/30/16 7:38pm

      Where are you reading that? I stopped after the militia part...

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    Negasonic Oldage WarheadAndy Cush
    3/30/16 7:52pm

    This is Bruce Rauner’s vision for Illinois. At the end of April, Chicago State University will close, and probably never reopen. By Midsummer, Eastern Illinois University will also close. Many, many social service agencies will close their doors by the end of summer. Chicago Public Schools will fail.

    This is all part of the GOP’s vision for a state near you.

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      LovecrimesNegasonic Oldage Warhead
      3/30/16 8:08pm

      Spot on. Rauner is implementing the same GOP playbook as Kansas and Louisiana to horrific effect, and he’s just getting started.

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      Negasonic Oldage WarheadLovecrimes
      3/30/16 8:10pm

      Except he’s doing the damage in much shorter order. He’s only been in office for about 14 months.

      You know, some people just want to watch the world burn. Some of those people are lunatics who dress like clowns. Some of them are GOP governors. (the only real difference here is the clown makeup).

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    GoOnWithoutMeAndy Cush
    3/31/16 6:54am

    Is there anything like Doctors Without Borders, legal version? Could there be?

    Jindal did amazing things! Not good, but amazing.

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      erelongdonedodoesdidGoOnWithoutMe
      3/31/16 9:29am

      Doctors Without Borders do actually provide salaries and stipends tho. Turns out when you need people with highly specialized technical skills, they’re expensive even if they are volunteering. Someone should probably explain the concept of supply and demand to the GOP. They won't listen, but it's nice to try.

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      bcallawayGoOnWithoutMe
      3/31/16 3:43pm

      There are lots of legal aid outfits, but none with the resources to take over the state’s job of providing indigent counsel

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    DolemiteAndy Cush
    3/31/16 10:20am

    Funny, this scenario if playing out across the country. Inept leadership by GOP governors and legislatures is wrecking states and harming citizens. Instances like refusing to expand Medicaid, or cutting taxes for the rich, resulting in massive layoffs of teachers, crumbling infrastructure, etc. GW Bush did this back while in office, sending the US into wars costing trillions of dollars, then followed up with a massive tax cut, and followed that with a crashed economy, plummeting federal tax revenue. When is the country going to realize these GOP nitwits have no clue what they are doing, and their “trickle-down, job creator” nonsense is wrecking the entire country.

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      Crown_JewAndy Cush
      3/30/16 6:34pm

      Among the things a functioning democracy requires is competent representation for people who can't afford to pay. This is really sad.

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