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What would be wrong with 2 appeals or 5 years, whichever comes 1st?

Sometimes, there are more than two issues in a trial to appeal. If those issues aren't cleared up in 5 years, you're saying we should execute them anyway? Besides, even with this rule you are proposing, I still doubt that it would be cheaper to execute someone than to house them for their lives. Just a few years of lawyer costs (hell just one year with enough lawyers and judges) would far offset the costs of housing someone for life. Don't get me wrong - there are arguments for and against capital punishment that are valid, but I don't think the cost issue is one of them. If the government is going to execute people, it is imperative that they get it right and that will necessitate a lot of review and a lot of expensive work-hours for a lot of people - there's no way to do it on the cheap. We the people have decided that the cost is worth it, so we do it, but I don't think that anyone considering the cost issue alone would conclude that it's cheaper to execute someone.

you're right. gubmint only adds to anything's cost.(fuel,housing,etc)
privatize prisons and kill 2 turds with one stone. (so to speak)
of course the left would oppose that ,too.