USA: World's most repressive country?

Q: Which repressive country puts the most people in jail for violating government laws? 

A. Iran

B. Saudi Arabia

C. Libya

D. Egypt

E. United States of America

It's not even close..............

The Economist magazine (the world's leading news magazine) had a recent cover story about American 'justice' saying:  "Never in the civilized world have so many been locked up for so little".  Well the US takes the prize in the uncivilized world too.  Move over Joe Stalin and Maozedong:  you've met your match in chock full of goodness America.

And incarceration is only the tip of the iceberg.  Fully 1 in 5 (47 million) adult Americans has some sort of criminal record.  Almost all of these people are men.  And that is probably the most important reason that college enrollments are currently 57% to 43% female:  huge proportions of the male population have been kneecapped by our legal system.

Of course you could argue that American society is uniquely violent (vile?) and therefore has always needed to punish and control huge numbers of its citizens.  And you would be wrong.  The rise of our unprecendented and frankly uncivilized modern legal system arrived with the triumph of the modern liberal state and its decision to declare 'war' on drugs.

Imagine for a moment what would have happened to a young Barack Obama or George W. Bush had they grown up under today's criminal justice system.  Do you think that they could have stayed out of legal jeopardy much less had clean enough records to become President?

Yet virtually no one in a position of influence or power in our country makes a peep.  Truly a tragedy......and a travesty.  

Liberal republic?  Not in my book. 

Thanks to Professor Mark Perry of the University of Michigan for assembling the data.