There are two major problems facing our world today. These two problems are social security and the death penalty. People are very concerned about what to do in the future of social security. Should the death penalty be legal?
The death penalty is a controversial topic in the United States today and has been for a number of years. The death penalty is currently legal in 38 states. States like New Jersey and Connecticut have yet to carry out executions since reinstating the death penalty, although Connecticut is suspended to carry out its first execution. Texas is at the opposite end of the spectrum, having executed more then 300 people since 1982. The death penalty laws were overturned and then reinstated in the United States during the 1970's due to questions concerning its fairness. The death penalty began to be restored slowly, but the rate of executions has increased during the 1990's (www.amnesty.org).
English: Scanned image of author's US Social Secur...
Social Security Poster: old man
English: In the United States, Social Security ben...There are a number of arguments in favor of the death penalty. Many death penalty proponents feel that the death penalty reduces crime because it deters people from committing murder if they know that they will receive the death penalty if they are caught. On the other hand many death penalty opponents feel the death penalty is a waste of money. David Kaczynski said that at least $175 million had been spent in New York State on the death penalty litigation since 1995, money he said could have been better spent on victims' families or on crime prevention programs (New York Times, November 18, 2004). Also death penalty opponents will say the death penalty failed to secure due process because of the demonstrated risk of executing an innocent person (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org). Judge Jed S. Rakoff said, "I continue to think that the process is deeply flawed. It posits...