Get Tough & Smart - How to Start Winning the War on Drug Addiction

President Obama wrote me a letter today, thanking me for sharing my "thoughtful suggestions" (about putting prisoners to work, prison reform, etc ., as you may read on this weblog).

U.S. Representative Spencer Bachus has forwarded my prison reform suggestions to the House Judiciary Committee, the committee with jurisdiction over federal laws regarding penitentiaries.  He believes this prison reform initiative has value.  In a nutshell, I contend w e can create a million new American jobs by wiping out the enormous restrictions on prison industries and letting prisoners manufacture goods in America that are now made exclusively overseas.   American employers hiring prisoners to work for less than minimum wages can compete with foreign manufacturers, increase child support and restitution payments by prisoners, and reduce correctional expenses and recidivism.   This will inevitably create jobs outside prison due to the multiplier effect of manufacturing plants.   Everyone in America can win.   If you support this reform, please write your Representative in Congress and ask them to support it!  The main idea is summa...