CitizenSugar -- Breaking News, Together.

Justice Served? Homeless Arsonist Ordered to Pay $101 Million

LibertySugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:01:00 -0800

Steven Emory Butcher sleeps in a tent, but the law seems to think he's a millionaire. After setting fires in 2002 and 2006 that destroyed 160,000 acres of national forest, the homeless man was sentenced to four years in prison and $101 million in fines. While in prison, the arsonist will have to pay $100 each year toward his fine. Once he's out, he must contribute $50 a month for the rest of his life. Right now Steven lives on government disability insurance, but if he gets a job, his payments will be adjusted accordingly. Since the law requires anyone who has damaged property repay the cost of the lost property to the victim, the judge ignored how much Steven could afford. While it's crucial to send a message to arsonists that such destructive and dangerous activity will be punished, do you think the punishment fit the crime in this case?Source

Justice Served? Homeless Arsonist Ordered to Pay $101 Million

Yes. He did the crime, now he's gotta do the time, and pay the fine.

No. Making this man pay for the rest of his life is cruel and unusual punishment.

Maybe. The victim is not an individual, so they should consider the convict's income.

Other. I'll tell you in the comments.

Front Page: US Invests $250 Billion in Banks, Wildfires Rip Through Southern CA, McCain's Economic Proposal

CitizenSugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:59:16 -0700

$250 Billion Bank Investment:
President Bush announced this morning that the government plans to invest $250 billion into banks, a move that he says is essential to stabilize the financial system. In exchange for the money the government will get an equity stake in the banks. It's the plan promoted by economists in the excellent This American Life episode explaining the crisis. Henry Paulson also delivered remarks on the plan today.

Wildfires Rip Through Southern CA:
Over 1,000 firefighters are battling blazes near Los Angeles. The fires have claimed two lives and thousands more have been evacuated. With flames fanned by the Santa Ana winds, Gov. Schwarzenegger says, "Winds are causing fire conditions to change by the hour, which is why it is so important that residents in the areas surrounding these wildfires heed warnings from public safety officials to evacuate."
McCain to Announce Economic Proposal:
John McCain will be revealing $52.5 billion in new economic proposals today, specifically aimed at helping seniors, workers, and the unemployed — those the campaign has said have been hurt worst by the crisis. In addition to the plan, three new tax measures, including a 50 percent reduction on the capital gains tax on stock profits will be announced. McCain's plan comes a day after Obama announced his own.

Source

California Wildfire Threatens Homes, Forces Evacuations

CitizenSugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:10:21 -0700

California Wildfire Threatens Homes, Forces Evacuations A wind-whipped wildfire burning out of control in central California mountains destroyed buildings and threatened several rural homes Thursday morning, closing schools and prompting some evacuations. The blaze in the Santa Cruz Mountains, first reported around 5:30 a.m., had grown to more than 1,700 acres by midmorning and was completely uncontained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

China to Rebuild Devastated City Somewhere Else

LibertySugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:15:00 -0700

Following the recent earthquake, China plans to rebuild one of its worst-hit cities, Beichuan, in a completely different location. Of the city's 161,000 residents, at least 7,227 died in the quake. The region's Communist Party Chief said:

Safety is the top priority in selecting a new location and reconstruction. We plan to build a monument and a memorial to commemorate the quake victims on the previous location.

The questions of when and where to rebuild devastated areas often comes up after a natural disaster. Following the wildfires in Southern California last Fall, actress Jamie Lee Curtis summed up one line of thought:

We live in a drought, we build houses too close, and then we're shocked when this happens? This is not an act of God. This is an act of man.

After Hurricane Katrina hit low-lying New Orleans, some critics spoke out against the idea of rebuilding the city, which could eventually be hit by a similar hurricane. They argued that New Orleans, built like a bowl and located bellow sea level, is geographically susceptible to similar flooding in the future.

Are humans foolish to build cities in places that are prone to natural disasters? Would China's plan to choose a new location work for a place like New Orleans? How should we mitigate risks of destruction and death, when every place is susceptible to some form of random devastation? How risky is too risky?

Source