For all intent and purposes this election has become a forum on Barack Obama and John McCain. We have discussed their qualifications ad nauseam, and now it is time to make the choice… But there is more at stake than who wins the Presidency.Considering that all politics are local, there are many local government and state propositions that could drive future congressional and judicial agendas. With that being said, also consider the Supreme Court that Bush will leave behind to oversee many of these issues. It is very important that voters have just as much knowledge about these local issues as they have on their choice between Obama and McCain.
Another consideration in voting for or against the local-state propositions is who does or does not supports them, and why they give or withold their support? Many of these propositions, like Propositions 5, the Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act (or NORA), in California are funded by groups who benefit financially or politically from their passing or defeat without regard for the public good.
California’s prisons are overcrowded with a mixture of high and low security prisoners. Most of these inmates deserve their sentences, but thousands are incarcerated for minor drug violations or for drug usage that require treatment more than long prison sentences. The cost to California tax payers to run an overcrowded prison system is over $10 billion a year; about 10% of the State budget. This price tag is about the same as what the State of California spends on higher education.
Think about it… California spends just as much to keep people in jail as they do to graduate students from college!
It is clear that the nation’s criminal justice system needs a revamping because our prisons nationwide are overcrowded. But one group who lobbies against Proposition 5, and supports the prison status-quo is the powerful California Correctional Peace Officer’s Association, who directly benefits from all of the overtime needed to guard all of these inmates. They have contributed $1.8 million to defeat Proposition 5.
There are many other local issues that need local scrutiny. More ballot issue research might be required to get a better understanding of the local issues, but as the saying goes:
“An ounce of knowledge is easily outweighed by a ton of ignorance.”
It is clear that the nation’s criminal justice system needs a revamping because our prisons nationwide are overcrowded. But one group who lobbies against Proposition 5, and supports the prison status-quo is the powerful California Correctional Peace Officer’s Association, who directly benefits from all of the overtime needed to guard all of these inmates. They have contributed $1.8 million to defeat Proposition 5.
There are many other local issues that need local scrutiny. More ballot issue research might be required to get a better understanding of the local issues, but as the saying goes:
“An ounce of knowledge is easily outweighed by a ton of ignorance.”
G.L.M.
