Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind

If America is truly Number One [positive connotation implied], as so many citizens are fond of saying and displaying on their t-shirts, why do we (as a percent of our total population) throw more of our citizens in jail than any other country in the world?

I mean, if we're all so great just because of our American-ism, why are we throwing so many of our gifted and naturally-better-simply-by-being-born-in-the-U.S. citizens into prison?

We imprison more of our own citizens than Rwanda, Cuba or Russia, to name just a few. You know, those bad and backwards countries we hear talk radio gas-bags and chest-thumping politicians belittling every time a camera or microphone is put in front of their face.

That Moral Authority the U.S. uses to march around the globe, it's left the building.

[source]

For Further Reading:

11 Facts About American Prison Population

Ending The Drug Wars