Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Another idol has displaced me; and if it can cheer and comfort you in time to come, as I would have tried to do, I have no just cause to grieve. "They are Man’s," said the Spirit, looking down upon them. But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! Charles Dickens. "Are there no prisons?" But it condemns the violence of looking away, ignoring the evils foisted on people who cannot afford to survive in society, and the political structure that keeps mortifying poverty in place. They were a boy and girl. 19. people who are unable to pay parking tickets and fines for low-level offenses are jailed, inmates earn $0.36 an hour working for private industry, the poorest in our state pay 16.8 percent of their income, Our education system is chronically underfunded, one of the highest student-teacher ratios, funneled out of public schools and into charter schools, the third-highest homeless population in the country, Black people are being priced out of the city, a level of income inequality rivaling San Francisco, New Progressive Revenues Could Begin to Right Historic Wrongs, The Governor’s Budget Takes First Steps Towards an Equitable Recovery – Now Let’s Go Further, 603 Stewart St., Suite 715 | Seattle, WA 98101. It was meant to be a form of “preventive punishment” so difficult that that nobody exposed to it would ever risk reoffending. First Collector : At this festive time of year, Mr. Scrooge, it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute. Who is the spirit quoting? And therefore," he continued, leaping from his stool, and giving Bob such a dig in the waistcoat that he staggered back into the Tank again: "and therefore I am about to raise your salary!". It was as full and as long as this seven Christmas eves ago and you have labored on it since. [Stave 3: 108-109] We need to address the racial wealth gap to build a resilient economy that works for all, We will need bolder stimulative investments, using additional progressive revenue sources to meet the moment. "Both very busy, sir..." "Those who are badly off must go there." It was a Turkey! The bell struck twelve. Mockingly, the ghost quotes Scrooge's earlier retort, "Are there no prisons? Every two weeks, we send out a newsletter full of goodies and updates on what we are doing and the latest policy news affecting Washington State. Malthus argued that ruinous poverty and starvation were necessary ills, as society could not possibly provide for everyone and death would remove the undesirables from the population. âAre there no prisons?â asked Scrooge. Bob held his withered little hand in his, as if he loved the child, and wished to keep him by his side, and dreaded that he might be taken from him. In the fevered haunting of the second night, Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present visit the holiday celebration of Bob Cratchit, with its tiny pudding to serve a family of seven. He sat very close to his father’s side upon his little stool. We have a tax system in Washington reliant on property and sales taxes, which affect the poor more than the rich. Scrooge, like many wealthy people of the era, thought that poor people should be sent to the workhouses and prisons, without really understanding what that means. They often ‘came down’ handsomely, and Scrooge never did. âAnd the Union workhouses?â demanded Pelosi. What then? Are there no workhouses?â âAre there no prisons?â asks Ebenezer Scrooge, played by Mariel Price, as the Charity Collectors, played by Evan Kraft, Sevryn Rust and ⦠Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing. Scrooge (1951) - Yarn is the best way to find video clips by quote. 01:01:51 l am in the presence of the Spirit of Christmas yet to come. “Forgive me if I am not justified in what I ask,” said Scrooge, looking intently at the Spirit’s robe, “but I see something strange, and not belonging to yourself, protruding from your skirts. ", "You are fettered," said Scrooge, trembling. “God bless us every one!” said Tiny Tim, the last of all. “Oh, Man! "I am in the presence of the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come?" Still,â returned the gentleman, âI wish I could say they were not.â (from âA Health Care Billâ, 2009) Scrooge remains wealthy in the end, and the ideal Christmas is a celebration filled with excesses of food, drink and gifts. This page was last edited on 10 January 2021, at 18:57. 01:01:56 And you are going to ⦠Easily move forward or backward to get to the perfect spot. âAre there no prisons?â asked Pelosi. Those who are badly off should go there, and if they'd rather die they'd better do it and decrease the surplus population. "Are there no prisons?" "Have they no refuge or resource?" Two hundred years ago, the United States banned debtors’ prisons, but they still exist today. Required fields are marked *. Scrooge-"Are there no prisons?" âAre they still in operation?â âThey are. Your email address will not be published. a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! "Spirit!" âAre there no workhouses?â The bell struck twelve. [Present closes his robe to conceal the children] Stave 4: The Last of the Spirits âPlenty of prisons,â said the gentleman, laying down the pen again. State and local courts raise money by charging fees to people convicted of crimes. “Look here.”. We know this because of the quote âI canât Ebenezer Scrooge (in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol") is credited with this gem. That’s why, of all the Christmas spirits, the Ghost of Christmas Present has the most disdain for Scrooge, mockingly spitting his words back at him. he cried, tight clutching at its robe, "hear me! Find the exact moment in a TV show, movie, or music video you want to share. “Are there no prisons?” said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”. I do not wish to see them. In prison, people often have to pay for their own incarceration, a debt that follows them when they are freed. Interpretations of “A Christmas Carol” have often tried to turn it into an assault on the wealthy, critiquing capitalism’s effect on society.