Society, which prefers compounding problems to solving them, constructs more prisons to warehouse enemies it creates. It can't afford dollar costs or social costs but society cares nothing about costs. It cares about punishment and pretends to care about deterrence. If we just continue locking people in cages as long as we can, everything will be OK. Then they shake in fear of monsters they create and release upon their selves.

State governments are just beginning to figure out that caging non violent criminals is counter productive and costs more than government can afford. They are looking at imposing fines on anti social behaviors as an alternative to caging. Fines improve treasury and allow offenders to remain or become productive and otherwise contributing to society, actually paying a debt to society instead of enlarging it. It has only taken three hundred years for social leadership to discover this truth. Imagine how progressive we will be in just another hundred years. Those who believe caging is a mild punishment ought to live in them for a few years as public service in lieu of government employment, or as a requirement for government employment.

When society takes on responsibility for any life under lock and key, it takes on responsibility to maintain that life in healthful, transforming circumstances. But this is exactly where budgeting kicks in. We will maintain life at absolute minimums to save costs; a diet that maintains life but not health. Medical care is substandard and withheld, interrupted or discontinued by administrative policy. If a healthy body makes for a healthy mind, there is no reason for a prisoner to enjoy either. Let us release them with diseased bodies and minds and keep a close eye on them. Let's compare health statistics of our caged beasts with that of society at large. I'm sure statistics will tell a story.

We belong to a cruel and dispassionate society, sadly lacking in wisdom and imagination. We need a criminal rights movement such as we had for civil rights and we need it yesterday. Like Civil Rights movement, leadership will not come from official social leadership, but from passionate and compassionate individuals who are not looking for anyone's vote. Sometimes and far too often, there are no votes in simply doing right thing. No reward. No activity.

Saddam released his prisoners, who now prey on Americans and Iraqis alike. America has over two million caged beasts and de socialized monsters. More than half of them will be released. Would this help explain why armed citizens have no intention of giving up their guns? Criminals and victims are growing disproportionately to population.

The city that houses our national government is murder capitol of this nation. Is it a coincidence, symbolic of criminal government or a predictor of what is to come? Are wisest of us impotent and beyond solving problems? Looks like it to me.

New world corporations are beginning to organize their labor force into self help groups but I see voluntary partnerships as far more productive and flexible. Economic partnerships can pay partners far better wages or dividends than heavily regulated and policy oriented corporations. Management and supervisory costs are minimized.

This is Information Age. The U.S. manufacturing base is moving to where labor is cheaper, regulation looser and taxes lower. There will be far less corporate employment and far more self employment. Individuals will have difficulty raising capital for start- up enterprises or expansion of small, successful enterprises.

Partnerships will improve ability to raise capital and it is also likely that credit unions will be aggressively seeking small businesses in need of capital. As information grows in volume, organizing it is wave of future. Much of work can be done at home, which is another rapidly growing trend among corporate drop outs. Reading and computer skills will remain in high demand; imagination and problem solving, likewise.

Instead of waiting for corporate jobs to become available, Americans should be creating their own jobs. We have been so dependent on others to do this for us; it seems like a very difficult task. It is not. Look first to your own personal interests. Choose any one or two about which you could be passionate. Ask yourself if when you have learned to do a thing for yourself, as with a hobby; who might pay you to do same for them? When you have answered that question, let your potential customers know your services are available. If you are struggling to find time to develop a small business, look for alternatives in lifestyle that reduce costs, time requirements and yields higher income for a given investment of your time. Ask universe how to achieve what you want on a regular basis and answer(s) will appear.

What partnership offers first and foremost is moral support and reinforcement. Find someone who shares your passion for an idea and discuss it with them. Don't worry that they will steal it and leave you in cold. Anything you can think of can be improved and a potential partner may force you to do just that. Being first is good. Being best can be much more profitable. Partnerships can be re negotiated or dissolved any time they become unbalanced in their benefits. Beware of legal contracts that make it expensive for any party to dissolve a partnership that isn't working well. Agree to simple, basic buy and sell out options that allow a reasonable recovery of invested capital - time or money. There is no need to create personal enemies from failed partnerships. Every failure is a life lesson and determination will bring you expandable partnerships that work for all members.

Even solitary individuals can benefit immensely from limited partnerships where creator maintains full control of business operations, if s/he is willing to fairly and promptly compensate partners. Conscientious labor can be far more valuable than cost of its employment, with skillful and imaginative management. This lesson has been lost on corporate world, which sees labor only as a cost to cut.

Much of American workforce is looking for just two things. Satisfaction with work they do and fair compensation for it. Provide those two things and fringe benefits for all will appear as if by magic.