At their next meeting, Asheville City Council members will likely approve, by way of their consent agenda, a ban the box proposal. So much can be said about this. One thing is it presumes to eliminate prejudice by assuming everybody is prejudiced. Then, on top of prejudice against ex-cons, the advocates I’ve heard have all added an element of presuming to fight racism by assuming everybody correlates dark skin with incarceration. On the bright side, the city is experiencing massive turnover, at least in high-profile departments. Banning the box might increase the number of people willing to apply for the hot department seats. Also, the next time I’m asked if I want to voluntarily commit or go to jail, if there’s no cost in stigma, I’ll take the free paddy wagon over the $400 ambulance and apply for a city job when I’m sprung. Lastly, why ask standard questions on job applications at all, when dumb excuses are as easy to find as those listed above?