December 30, 2006Comment on Saturday's editorialsSmart on crime beats tough on crime Virginia lawmakers are gearing up for more 'tough-on-crime' bills, while better approaches languish. It's almost time for lawmakers to return to Richmond, and they have already begun posturing for the title of "toughest on crime." It's a shame directing resources to programs that actually reduce crime and deal with its aftermath doesn't play as well with voters. A new Day, or not? One thing is clear about the latest problem to beset the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority: It must finish the job it started in renewing the 400 block of Day Avenue. Somehow. |
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December 30, 2006
Comment on Saturday's editorials
Smart on crime beats tough on crime
Virginia lawmakers are gearing up for more 'tough-on-crime' bills, while better approaches languish.
It's almost time for lawmakers to return to Richmond, and they have already begun posturing for the title of "toughest on crime." It's a shame directing resources to programs that actually reduce crime and deal with its aftermath doesn't play as well with voters.
A new Day, or not?
One thing is clear about the latest problem to beset the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority: It must finish the job it started in renewing the 400 block of Day Avenue. Somehow.
Comments
[December 30, 2006 1:41 PM]
terryThe current judicial system is in shambles. Not just the penalty phase, but everything leading to that point as well. However, since your editorial is focused on one branch, so will my reply, a lengthy one at that.
It is true that life penalties and death penalties cost me plenty of money. Let’s solve that problem the right way. The movie ‘Thank You for Smoking’ said it best (and sarcastically), “the greatest thing about America is the endless amount of appeals.” That may not be word for word, but close. It has been proven that death penalty recipients cost me more money than life recipients because of all of the appeals. The real cost lies in the appeals, not the housing of prisoners. Divide the number of people on death row who are eventually exonerated by the number of appeals filed by those on death row. The result is an extremely low number. I want to take away all but one appeal (a sufficient number indeed) under the reality that, a) no system is perfect, b) there will always be an exception and c) an innocent person (of that crime) will eventually be executed, in order to relieve the constant strain on our judicial system. If the system wrongly convicts and sentences 1 out of 1,000 to death then that system works. That’s the only positive part of the system and it’s the only thing being appealed at my cost. If we’ve learned anything from Iraq it’s how to execute someone in a timely fashion. This change alone will save more than enough money desired. There are far more guilty people walking the streets than innocent people serving time in prison.
I also agree that getting to criminals before they are criminals via youth programs is a valid endeavor. Legalizing drugs and prostitution would not only save billions of dollars from the ‘wars’ against and housing the prisoners, it would also make billions through taxation (especially through FairTax) that would, by far, outweigh the moral quagmire of some. If even a small percentage of those billions were pumped into youth programs it would reduce the number of drug addicted prostitutes further reducing the blow to moral standards aficionados. This, of course, will never happen.
This country has no place for rapists and molesters. Not in the courts, not in the prisons, not in the rehabilitation cycles…no where. They have violated the most precious of rights and, therefore, their rights should not be respected. I don’t care how they die or where they go, but if they get one penny from me it’s too much. One thing that has never and will never be said is “I used to fondle 10 year-olds, now I’m a pillar of society and the CEO of a major corporation.”
If just those three things were changed every child in America could have their own personal laptop, personal teacher, and personal trainer.
Note: apologies for any grammatical errors…and for the number of words.