Your tax dollars at work

[Martrae]

N.Y. Audit: Sex Offenders Getting Viagra
May 22, 10:36 PM (ET)
By MICHAEL VIRTANEN

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Scores of convicted rapists and other high-risk sex offenders in New York have been getting Viagra paid by Medicaid for the last five years, the state's comptroller said Sunday.

Audits by Comptroller Alan Hevesi's office showed that between January 2000 and March 2005, 198 sex offenders in New York received Medicaid-reimbursed Viagra after their convictions. Those included crimes against children as young as 2 years old, he said.

Hevesi asked Michael Leavitt, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in a letter Sunday to "take immediate action to ensure that sex offenders do not receive erectile dysfunction medication paid for by taxpayers."

A call to Leavitt's office was not immediately returned Sunday.

According to Hevesi, the problem is an unintended consequence of a 1998 directive from federal officials telling states that Medicaid prescription programs must include Viagra. His office discovered that the state was helping sex offenders pay for Viagra by checking Medicaid pharmacy expenditures against the state's sex offender registry.

New York's two senators said Sunday the problem should be corrected.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a statement that it was "deeply disturbing and runs contrary to the purpose of Medicaid, which is to provide health care coverage for uninsured, low-income individuals." Clinton, a Democrat, urged Leavitt to look into the matter, and said she would explore legislative options.

New York's other senator, Democrat Chuck Schumer, said at a press conference in New York City that he hoped the issue could be resolved without a bill, but he's prepared to offer one if needed.

"While I believe that HHS did not do this intentionally, when the government pays for Viagra for sex offenders, it could well hurt many innocent people," he said.

New York auditors are reviewing whether other prescription drugs for sexual dysfunction are being reimbursed by Medicaid for convicted sex offenders, Hevesi spokesman David Neustadt said.

While the auditors didn't review the situation on Viagra reimbursement by Medicaid in other states, he said they have no indication that the policies are different elsewhere.

[Diekan]

Execute sex offenders.... problem solved.

That's the problem with this country. We "there there" criminals, pay them to get heart transplants, pay for them to have cable TV, pay for their gyms... hell we're even paying for college degrees for some of them. While I will agree that some crimes are committed out of desperation, most are not.

When are we going to actually start PUNISHING criminals instead of pampering them?

I'm sick of the "well what if an innocent person get convicted?" Bullshit... with the technology of forensic science today - that's not as much of an issue anymore. Yeah, I am sure it will still happen occassionaly, but that's the price we have to be willing to pay.

Sex offenders shouldn't even be alive - let alone getting free Viagra.

Imagine what our country would be like if we really cracked down on crime. I mean like putting your stupid ass in prison for 5 years for your first DUI... I'd bet you money the rates of DUI's would plummet within six months. And, if you killed someone while DUI - you get to die by lethal injection...

In fact I think we should pay-per-view our executions. Hell, that'd be better than porn. Watching some low life piece of shit getting put to death...

Yes, I'm a sick fuck. I think killing criminals should be our past time, better than baseball. I don't think we kill enough of them to be honest. We should anually gas all of our prisons... kill every single one of them.

God I love the death penalty.

[Yamori]

Why is the government buying ANYONE viagra?

[Yamori]

but that's the price we have to be willing to pay.

I bet you wouldn't be thinking that if you, your spouse, or your children were the ones about to be murdered by the government for doing nothing wrong.

Killing just ONE innocent person is NOT a price we should be willing to pay. Period.

[Diekan]

Oh yes it is - it's MUCH more effective than what you liberals want to do. Giving them a big hug, a lollipop and sending them back out onto the streets (with the promise to never never do it again) doesn't work. Killing them does.

I've always said the liberal is a criminals best friend.

[Narrock]

Oh yes it is - it's MUCH more effective than what you liberals want to do. Giving them a big hug, a lollipop and sending them back out onto the streets (with the promise to never never do it again) doesn't work. Killing them does.

I've always said the liberal is a criminals best friend.

!

Hi Diekan! I like this post of yours

[brinstar]

Why is the government buying ANYONE viagra?

[mofish]

Ah yes. The Death Penalty solves our problems. Look at all those countries in Europe with no death penalty. They all have high crime rates. Dont they?

[Lyion]

The death penalty has been proven not to be a deterrent.

Actually, in most states the Death Penalty is the ticket to a better life for an inmate. They usually wont get executed and they live isolated from the rest of the scum.

Our entire legal system needs to be overhauled, and heavy jailtime needs to be reserved for violent crimnals and sex offenders, not druggies or what collar criminals.

The Viagra issue is just something that slipped under the cracks.

[vonkaar]

Yes, I'm a sick fuck. I think killing criminals should be our past time, better than baseball. I don't think we kill enough of them to be honest. We should anually gas all of our prisons... kill every single one of them.

God I love the death penalty.

amazing

until you suddenly get pulled over on what you *thought* was a routine speeding stop, get thrown to the ground and arrested on a triple-homicide.

oops, convicted... sucks that our judicial system is so flawed, but... dem's de breaks.

here comes the gas chamber! wheeeeeeeeee!

Also, let's MURDER people serving time in jail for UNPAID AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE! WHEEEEEEE!

[vonkaar]

The death penalty has been proven not to be a deterrent.

Actually, in most states the Death Penalty is the ticket to a better life for an inmate. They usually wont get executed and they live isolated from the rest of the scum.

Our entire legal system needs to be overhauled, and heavy jailtime needs to be reserved for violent crimnals and sex offenders, not druggies or what collar criminals.

The Viagra issue is just something that slipped under the cracks.

omg, I love NT's administrators

much

[labbats]

The problem is that the checks and balances system invented by the founding fathers isn't reaching all levels of government.

[xaoshaen]

The death penalty has been proven not to be a deterrent.

This isn't actually true. The way we administer the death penalty may well negate some or most of its deterrent value, but properly used, the death penalty can be a very effective means of lowering crime rates.

[xaoshaen]

but that's the price we have to be willing to pay.

I bet you wouldn't be thinking that if you, your spouse, or your children were the ones about to be murdered by the government for doing nothing wrong.

Killing just ONE innocent person is NOT a price we should be willing to pay. Period.

The problem with this stance, is that it doesn't consider both sides of the issue. Every time we release a potentially capital criminal back into society and they take someone's life, the government has effectively murdered someone for doing nothing wrong.

If the death penalty is utilized in a consistent, timely, and above all, widespread manner, it is absolutely capable of saving more innocent lives than it claims.

[Lyion]

The death penalty has been proven not to be a deterrent.

This isn't actually true. The way we administer the death penalty may well negate some or most of its deterrent value, but properly used, the death penalty can be a very effective means of lowering crime rates.

Properly using the death penalty to me is akin to properly euthanizing people. Wrong is wrong.

Given the huge flaws in our judicial system and the fact so many on death row were convicted on circumstantial evidence, doesn't that want you to err on the side of patience versus accelerating the killing?

I'm sure if we implemented Sharia Law and a 6 week work up to beheadings it would vastly deter crime, but do we honestly want to live in a society like that?

[Gidan]

Yeah that’s what we want to do, let just kill everyone convicted of a crime. Sucks that our legal system is so bad that we convict people wrongly on a regular basis.

Remember, people on juries are people. In general, they do not want to see someone killed. If they knew the sentence was going to be death for a conviction, many guilty people are going to go free because the jury refused to put them to death.

The death penalty does not deter people from committing crimes. People are still going to commit them because as shocking as this is. They don’t plan on getting caught.

[Yamori]

Oh yes it is - it's MUCH more effective than what you liberals want to do. Giving them a big hug, a lollipop and sending them back out onto the streets (with the promise to never never do it again) doesn't work. Killing them does.

I've always said the liberal is a criminals best friend.

You're much more of a liberal than I am, Diekan.

So let me see if I get this straight, because I don't think it's proper for an innocent person to be murdered by the very system that is there to protect him, I'm a bleeding heart and I think criminals shouldn't truly be dealt with? Wow.

Prison doesn't exist to sate peoples' petty and animalistic desire for bloodlust. Especially not at the cost (financially and in innocent lives).

Prison exists to seperate criminals from society. Thats all. I agree that we let violent criminals out far too early, we should keep them longer.

[Gidan]

One thing I never understood about the death penalty.

To punish somone for killing somone, what do we do? We kill them. We do exactly what they did, but somehow us doing it is right and them doing it is wrong.

I dont know about the rest of you, but the logic just doesn't work for me there.

[kaharthemad]

lets just ship all our criminals off to France? Problem solved.

As for child molesters and rapists...casturation seems a viable option.

[Ganzo]

The death penalty has been proven not to be a deterrent.

This isn't actually true. The way we administer the death penalty may well negate some or most of its deterrent value, but properly used, the death penalty can be a very effective means of lowering crime rates.

Properly using the death penalty to me is akin to properly euthanizing people. Wrong is wrong.

Given the huge flaws in our judicial system and the fact so many on death row were convicted on circumstantial evidence, doesn't that want you to err on the side of patience versus accelerating the killing?

I'm sure if we implemented Sharia Law and a 6 week work up to beheadings it would vastly deter crime, but do we honestly want to live in a society like that?

Do you belive that our option of locking them up with other criminals and few years later releasing back in society that does not want them so they give up on ever finding job and commit more crimes is beter option?

For example Israel does not have Death Penalty. My wife had to operate on wounded arab suicide bomber, after he detonated himself in middle of street and killed bunch of people, so that he could heal and spend rest of his life in jail on tax money of Israel citizens(at least in theory, in fact they get released every time they sign new cease fire treaty). While she operated on him, there were people dying in other OR's from bomb he detonated. I do not think thats the law system we should be heading for.

[Lyion]

Do you belive that our option of locking them up with other criminals and few years later releasing back in society that does not want them so they give up on ever finding job and commit more crimes is beter option?

For example Israel does not have Death Penalty. My wife had to operate on wounded arab suicide bomber, after he detonated himself in middle of street and killed bunch of people, so that he could heal and spend rest of his life in jail on tax money of Israel citizens(at least in theory, in fact they get released every time they sign new cease fire treaty). While she operated on him, there were people dying in other OR's from bomb he detonated. I do not think thats the law system we should be heading for.

We are not in hostile territory, and fortunately there are no suicide bombers here, but your point is valid. Should we be more aggressive in punishment and how harsh it should be?

I don't think so.

if Israel can survive without a death penalty, given the nature of the crimes over there, why should we have one? The problem is our crime and punishment system is too self contained and spartan. Many desire it to be even MORE spartan.

I would go the other way. I think we need to be smarter about who is a real criminal threat, and who is a project for rehabilitation, or even merely someone who just needs a non judicial kick in the ass.

We have a one size fits all 'fuck you for life' mentality about criminals and it's as wrong as execution. What we need is a completely new mousetrap that works, versus our current system which is ass.

[Ganzo]

I would go the other way. I think we need to be smarter about who is a real criminal threat, and who is a project for rehabilitation, or even merely someone who just needs a non judicial kick in the ass.

We have a one size fits all 'fuck you for life' mentality about criminals and it's as wrong as execution. What we need is a completely new mousetrap that works, versus our current system which is ass.

How would you judge who is a threat and who isn't.

How do you rehabilitate someone like this: http://www.namelesstavern.org/phpBB2/vi ... php?t=8446

[Lyion]

Again nonviolent criminals and violent ones are a different breed.

Violent criminals should be locked up and put away in hard labor camps as an example.

However, those who are nonviolent and not a threat to society should not be given 25 years to life. That's ludicrous.

We need a tiered justice system, and not just one that lumps a 19 year old selling a dime bag of pot with a mass murderer into the same 'felon' title with long prison sentences. One obviously is a threat to society, the other is not.

[Tuggan]

rehab would be quite easy on minor drug offenders, or petty theft. shit like that. the small offenses where people are serving far too much time behind bars.

cases like rape, violent assault, murder/attempted murder, severe child abuse, etc... if youre found guilty of such crimes without a doubt... life in prison. no good behavior shit gets you incentives, no parole.

im not really for the death penalty, i dont like the idea of the gov having the power to kill its own people. certainly i think there are cases where we shouldnt even waste the time and money keeping certain people locked up for life, but to me that is a worse punishment over death.

[xaoshaen]

One thing I never understood about the death penalty.

To punish somone for killing somone, what do we do? We kill them. We do exactly what they did, but somehow us doing it is right and them doing it is wrong.

I dont know about the rest of you, but the logic just doesn't work for me there.

So I take it you were against our involvement in World War 2? The Germans invaded neighboring countries and killed a bunch of people. We turn around, kill a bunch of Germans and invade their homeland. We do exactly what they did, but somehow us doing it was right and them doing it was wrong.

Once someone violates the social contract, they lose the rights and protections it grants.