When I first began to read the op-ed by Charles Koch (Herald, Feb. 1), I thought it might be something from The Onion.
Apparently, Koch is quite serious. This is one of the most outrageously ironic pieces I have ever read. Those “well-intentioned” lawmakers who created “incarceration nation” were instructed by Koch’s American Legislative Exchange Council to form these laws. Starting with the “War on Drugs,” policies were created by ALEC for tougher sentencing legislation, such as the Truth in Sentencing law.
Then there are laws to expand prison labor to serve corporations, such as the Prison Industries Enhancement Certification Program. This law provided the cheapest of labor for the highest corporate profit, while citizens’ taxes provided the privatized prison industry’s profit. Ever more laws enriched corporations and politicians. How stunningly ironic that Koch fails to mention that he and ALEC are responsible for these disastrous policies.
Perhaps we are witnessing the irony of Dr. Frankenstein trying to destroy his monster. Maybe Koch fears that once Americans realize what the Koch brothers and ALEC have done to America, they might find themselves in one of those privatized prison cells where they could contemplate their deceit, lust, greed and arrogance for the remainder of their sorry lives.
Meanwhile on the back of the Section C (Herald, Feb. 1), we read that China has figured out that government intrusion into women’s bodies was a big mistake – oops, more irony. How long do you think it will take the Republicans and ALEC to figure this one out?
Stephanie Johnson
Durango
