adult mistakes carry far greater consequences than a spanking, which is why I believe spanking to be a good disciplinary tool, when implemented properly. Adults are fired from jobs, divorced, thrown in prison, seriously beaten, stabbed, shot, and killed, when they lack self control and respect for others.
Disagree. A child's mistakes can have just as great consequences, such as leading to the loss of their own life and that of others. Spanking is not the way to teach children in such situations, any more than hitting an adult as a way of training is acceptable. Educating a child should always be the first step. For defiance, then there are similar punishments as those acceptable for adults, which can be doing chores, taking money/items or grounding.
Physical violence against children is usually a lazy, easy response. Studies show the long term consequences are adults that are more likely to fall back on domestic violence as an automatic response.