Reply #27: To be honest...

[cyberswede]

I think prison populations are invisible to most people - unless you know someone who is incarcerated or work in the penal system somehow. Unfortunate, but there it is.

I also think the Iowa voters didn't go for Obama due to his race - it was due to his optimistic message and willingness to reach across the aisle. In fact, I rarely heard his race brought up in political discussions (it was occasionally mentioned in relation to electability and whether the US as a whole is ready to elect a black man).

I'm still curious what suggestions you might have for initiatives to address this problem. I know very little about it (obviously).