Death Penalty

Argument #1: The cost Ah, the cost. A simple yet very true argument. I have heard this argument many times and even refuted it a few times. But still. The point stands. "Over the last 32 years its cost California tax payers about 4 billion dollars to have the death penalty, and over that period only 13 executions have been carried out," The thing that bugs me about this quote is that 4 billion dollars are wasted for the purpose of killing criminals and yet they kill only 13 people. Regular people payed for these evil men and women to be put away and where is that money now? Even if California had used that 4 billion dollars on killing more criminals it would still be a waste. that 4 billion could be spent on education, or health care but apparently killing people is much more important then making sure that citizens get healthy or the next generation being taught what will support them in later life. 4 Billion dollars. That is a lot of money. Only 393 people world wide have equal to or more then 4 billion dollars. People often say that killing people is less expensive then keeping them alive. But people estimate that if California's governor were to end the death penalty eight now California would save immediately 170 million and in 20 years California would save 5 billion dollars. More then the current cost of the death penalty. It seems worth it to me. Argument #2: Justice VS. Revenge Definition of Justice "the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause. " Definition of Revenge "to exact punishment or expiation for a wrong on behalf of, especially in a resentful or vindictive spirit: example: He revenged his murdered brother. " From Dictionary. Com The two are not the same. Courts serve us to uphold justice, not to exact revenge. Revenge poisons us human beings. Revenge contaminates the good and the bad and once you are ensnared by this desire you can never let go. "Retribution is just another word for revenge, and the desire for revenge is one of the lowest human emotions " perhaps sometimes understandable, but not really a rational response to a critical situation. To kill the person who has killed someone close to you is simply to continue the cycle of violence which ultimately destroys the avenger as well as the offender. That this execution somehow give 'closure' to a tragedy is a myth. Expressing one"s violence simply reinforces the desire to express it. Just as expressing anger simply makes us more angry. It does not drain away. It contaminates the otherwise good will which any human being needs to progress in love and understanding. " Argument #3: The country Our governments are supposed to maintain security and peace amongst it's population, protecting us ordinary folk should be their top priority, but some governments to just the opposite. Some governments KILL their own citizens. I can just imagine you typing "They kill to protect society! " Well, what if the person is innocent? 144 innocent people were released from death row but what if they were not released? More then 1,00 people in the USA since 1976 have been wrongfully executed! What if that was you? Being killed for something you never did? Or your family? Friends? I am not comfortable with our governments and so-called protectors killing their own citizens especially if there is such a large risk of killing the wrong person. Thank you DDD