One of These Things Is Not Like the Other
- Programs for the elderly are being slashed in Maine.
- Government jobs are being eliminated in New Jersey.
- Prison construction has been put off in Virginia.
- Some schools in California will end their music programs.
I bulleted the first four sentences of a New York Times article by Jennifer Steinhauer, “As the Economy Falters, So Do State Budgets,” because one of the lines jumped out at me as substantially different than the others. [Perhaps one of our Republican brethren in the criminal law blogosphere might cheer number 2, government jobs being eliminated. I’d preemptively answer that numbers one and four are merely subsets of number two – and until we know which jobs are eliminated, we should wait to cheer.]
So, of course, I’m talking about number three: prison reconstruction has been halted. Unfortunately, while the article goes on to talk about Virginia’s budget crisis, it doesn’t tell us any more about the ‘prison crisis’ the state is facing. Fair guess though that prisons are ridiculously expensive to build, and the Old Dominion has run out of cash.
I’m sure we liberal Times readers are supposed to gasp that all four worthy causes mentioned are being hijacked by the sinking economy. Hopefully other readers will have the same reaction I did.
I’ve argued repeatedly that those who want to evangelize against the War on Drugs will find more converts with the economic argument than any other. When people realize the cost to their own wallets this ‘War’ is costing them personally, that’s when we can look for some real change.
Lastly, I never thought I’d be a fan of any ‘Starve the Beast’ philosophy. It’s always struck me as too cynical for its own good – never mind doing away with a bunch of programs I support. You know, helping the elderly and teaching music in public schools. But maybe the State legislatures can start taking a hard look at their own Three Strikes laws for drug offenders, and figure out some ways to start saving.
Here’s an easy one: no enhancements for possession. I don’t care how many previous pen trips you have – you are never subject to a higher penalty for drug offenses just because you have previous felony convictions. I’d publish a rough estimate of the savings, but my home calculator only goes up to 10 digits.
See Also
