Ortiz is just another example of two observations I have:
1. It's astounding the mental gymnastics of the ends justify the means politicians and would-be politicians go through for personal gain and when the details eventually come out, it's always wrapped in someone arguing "but we're doing so much good". You saw this with Nixon, the Clintons and a host of others; and
2. Just how fearful and, I would argue, cruel as a result the American people are that this kind of thing has an audience. It's the whole "tough on crime" mantra that so many view as necessary to seek higher ofice.
This whole "tough on crime" thing was central in passing Clinton's signature 1994 crime bill that destroyed thousands of lives and really ramped up mass incarceration, often for fairly minor possession crimes of substances that are now legal or decriminalized for at least a third of the US population.
Mandatory minimums, three strikes laws, the "are you a felon?" scarlet letter... they all speak to societal cruelty.
A more localized example: attempted reform of New York's "gravity knife" law (which has since happened [1]), twice vetoed by former governor Andrew Cuomo [2]. This was a law used by the NYPD to target minorities in particular, meet arrest quotas (why is that even a thing?) and for those with a record in particular, could result in a felony conviction and perhaps years in jail.
It's a matter of debate of why Cuomo vetoed it but my theory is that Cuomo still believed then he could be president one day and he was courting the "law and order" vote (eg the Manhattan DA and the NYPD police union both opposed reform).
We have prosecutors who often want to be future DAs, US attorneys, judges or politicians who are judged on conviction records, which can lead to juveniles being held for 3 years in an adult prison without a trial, ultimately leading to their own suicide [3]. Why? To extract a guilty plea.
These practices are disgusting and those who engage in such political climbing no matter what misery they cause to others--and I include Ortiz in this camp--are reprehensible.
Because management wants tangible, easily measured activity metrics (and is far less concerned with how well aligned the metrics are with meaningful goals.)
1. It's astounding the mental gymnastics of the ends justify the means politicians and would-be politicians go through for personal gain and when the details eventually come out, it's always wrapped in someone arguing "but we're doing so much good". You saw this with Nixon, the Clintons and a host of others; and
2. Just how fearful and, I would argue, cruel as a result the American people are that this kind of thing has an audience. It's the whole "tough on crime" mantra that so many view as necessary to seek higher ofice.
This whole "tough on crime" thing was central in passing Clinton's signature 1994 crime bill that destroyed thousands of lives and really ramped up mass incarceration, often for fairly minor possession crimes of substances that are now legal or decriminalized for at least a third of the US population.
Mandatory minimums, three strikes laws, the "are you a felon?" scarlet letter... they all speak to societal cruelty.
A more localized example: attempted reform of New York's "gravity knife" law (which has since happened [1]), twice vetoed by former governor Andrew Cuomo [2]. This was a law used by the NYPD to target minorities in particular, meet arrest quotas (why is that even a thing?) and for those with a record in particular, could result in a felony conviction and perhaps years in jail.
It's a matter of debate of why Cuomo vetoed it but my theory is that Cuomo still believed then he could be president one day and he was courting the "law and order" vote (eg the Manhattan DA and the NYPD police union both opposed reform).
We have prosecutors who often want to be future DAs, US attorneys, judges or politicians who are judged on conviction records, which can lead to juveniles being held for 3 years in an adult prison without a trial, ultimately leading to their own suicide [3]. Why? To extract a guilty plea.
These practices are disgusting and those who engage in such political climbing no matter what misery they cause to others--and I include Ortiz in this camp--are reprehensible.
[1]: https://stengellaw.com/gravity-knife-possession-law-change-n...
[2]: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/24/nyregion/gravity-knife-cu...
[3]: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/the-bri...