Reader Randolph Addison emails:

I do not have full details, as I only heard the last few seconds of the following on NPR around 8:45 AM:

"...when asked why the European countries have a higher unemployment rate than America, at roughly 5 percent, he responded, 'Well, we don't have as many people in jail, do we?'"

Well, actually, that probably is one factor, but it's certainly disingenuous to imply that it's the only one...

I take it 'he' is some European official and the rest of the story will become available during the day. I just found it interesting that they ignore their bloated welfare state with such an idiotic comment.

Yes. Well, of course, if they were to blame their welfare state, or their job-market rigidity, they might be compelled to do something about it. Much easier to look down their noses at America, and celebrate how much more "humane" they are.

Unfortunately, I get the impression that this is a growing tack even over here. (I would suspect, in fact, that the European "he" got it from talking to our own chattering classes.)

The claim is that we have put away so many folks that it is affecting several things:

1. Electoral politics. All those felons lose their voting rights in perpetuity (never mind the idea of petitioning to regain them, an option in most states). Those folks are generally minorities, i.e., characterizable as Democratic voters.

2. A source of cheap labor. This goes to the prison-labor business (which actually IS a growing biz, iirc).

3. A means of deflating our unemployment figures. That last one has been bandied about by some Left Democrats and even more Indymedia/Left activist types, who were decrying the 90s Boom.

I guess that, since our own chattering natterers are going on about this, I can hardly blame a European from picking up on it.

Actually, being a full-time criminal requires being a "self-starter" and a certain entrepenural spirit. Why bother when the public dole pays better and offers less risk? So it's no wonder that Europe has a lower population of criminals.

Actually, our leadership in the "locking them up" competition is due primarily to the War on (Some) Drugs.