We Are The Jailingest Country On The Planet

I have a short list called "If I Were King Of The World, I'd. . ." and somewhere near the top is the decriminalization of drugs. I could try to wax poetic about why I feel that way, but David Simon's take is a better listen. He's the creator of one of the best TV shows ever produced - "The Wire" -, a former crime reporter for the Baltimore Sun, and he's the most recent guest of Bill Moyers, and the best interview I've heard there in a while. The poor, the working class, the press, drugs, politics, David Simon's gig is looking straight in the eye all the things most of us would probably rather pretend don't exist, and finding ways to make us get it.

The guy is a bit of a pessimist and a crank, but maybe that's because he's not averting his eyes or deluding himself. Things may or may not be this bad, but it seems that few people have framed the issues in as compelling a manner as David Simon.