To Whom It May Concern:
Recently, I have read columns by Sarah Garrecht and Jon Burstein concerning the death penalty. These viewpoints seem to reflect the idea that the criminals in this country deserve the kindness which you would like bestowed upon them. I am tired of hearing how these people in prison deserve some leniency.
Nobody made these people commit the crimes that they perpetrated against society. The consequences for their behavior was well laid out before they chose to commit their crimes. I do not appreciate that these people, in some cases, brutally murdered other people. They had absolutely no concern for their innocent victims, yet you would plead sympathy for these people.
This reflects a growing trend in this country, to negate responsibility for one's actions. Half of the time, we do not hold people responsible for their behavior which is disrespectful and harmful to others. After a period of time one begins to consider why he or she should follow the rules when the people who break them receive such little punishment. The other mindframe this sets up is "If it does not directly affect me, why should I care?" I am tired of a system that focuses on criminal rights and pays no attention to those 200 million Americans who work hard, behave and help make society a better place.
If the people on Death Row do not like the punishment, they should have thought about that before they committed the crime. By killing/murdering someone, they have accepted the punishment of death. This country needs to focus on more consequential morality which believes less on intent and more on the results of the action. Criminals need to stop whining, prisons need to be less hospitable to criminals, and society needs to teach people to be responsible for their own actions.
Consider this fact, America spends more money to house criminals, than it does to take care of the homeless. The homeless, for the most part, do not produce acts against their fellow citizens, yet we treat the criminals better. I would like to see a system that rewards people for positive contributions to society, instead of coddling these irresponsible, disrespectful members of society. Thus, I would openly propose that while I do not favor the taking of human life, these criminals have proved that they no longer deserve to live.
In your system, I suppose we should have laws and consequences, but only for those who want to abide by them. People know the rules, and if they do not want to play by the established rules, then accept the consequences. Please, stop giving me this line that criminals are the real victims and need my sympathy. That just doesn't work anymore because real victims are getting fed up with that nonsense.
Terence E. Rubey
Sociology Senior