There IS a such thing as an ex-felon, and there is a reason it is a seperate statistic. First offenders in many states qualify to have adjudication withheld, and later can get a record sealed/expunged. Either of those two things would make you an ex felon. The adjudication withheld is offered by the state for first offenders usually to keep the courts moving smoothly, ie to get you to take the deal.

Theft still accounts for quite the minority of people behind bars. Generally you might get probation once for grand theft, after that its the slammer.

The financing of campaigns is quite controversial, are you suggesting our legal graft set up is the best way to go?

Why is this necessarily so? In many cases, e get the politicians who's team has the most money.

And yet raising the taxes on them specifically would also be regressive in the sense that the cost of goods would likely go up. I think that is more certain than say, the effects of raising the minimum wage on the price of goods.

Which is why California has the largest economy of any state?

He uses a tired old republican trope. You'd swear every time they upped the minimum wage the price of goods would go up! Except they don't. The price of goods creep up based on so many factors as he stated. Raw materials, transport, insurance, natural disasters, machinery, etc.

You do realize that since the crash more and more profits have been going to the shareholders and not the employees right? You do realize that the little guy hasn't been getting a bigger and bigger chunk but the opposite right? You do realize that letting wealthy people hoard more money harms the economy much more than giving the poorest more which they will immediately spend, correct?

What did they make up?

Perhaps in California it's unusual. In Florida there are plenty of IT jobs right at that range. I'm sorry talking about how the average person is getting poorer doesn't do anything for you, but it does for me. This will probably be the most highly commented on article of the day.

If you audit do you not have to go back and it take the class over again for credit?

When cheap gin first arrived in Europe there was a lot of social decay. When Native Americans first got access to alcohol, lots of problems. In fact these problems seem to persist for generations, but eventually the population in general does not have a problem with the new hard stuff, whatever it may be. I don't advocate abuse of opiates, but the biggest problem these people have is the obscene cost to get their fix. It's not the most dangerous drug out there. It makes people act weird, and that makes us uncomfortable. Because it's not booze, or something.

Yeah! I don't use interstates either! Why should I have to pay a cent!? /s

They were banned a decade ago. That's part of how they were able to do the study. It's in the summary. Have your phone on you?

Yeah, no one cares they have an endowment. Did you read the summary? The issue is of disclosure.