Quote:
Originally Posted by taustin
Also note that most Californians have no problem at all with locking someone away forever when they have a history of multiple felonies, at least two of which are violent by definition, when they commit a third.
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Draconian punishments are indeed popular with the California electorate.
I wonder what sort of punishment the average Californian would suggest for the third offense of illegally downloading a bestseller. Not life, but I'll bet a lot of Californians would see illegally downloading a book as a more serious matter than illegally downloading a song*, and would be OK with prison. Suggesting that the judgment of the general public justifies policy is a slippery slope when you don't want draconian punishment.
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* How's that? Mostly I am thinking that if no one you know does it, it sounds bad right that. And most people don't know a book pirate. A lesser factor might be that it sounds worse to rip off an author than a celebrity.