Tough on Crime

We all know people that never seem to learn the lessons not only from their own mistakes but others peoples mistakes either. 


It is quite clear that Steven Harper is one of those individuals that can not learn from statistics, documented facts, others peoples and countries experiences and failures or even just good old common sense. 


Mr. Harper is getting flack from the poster child of failed crime legislation, Texas a state that has gone about as far out on "tough on crime as humanly possible", having one out of twenty of it’s citizens behind bars, on parol, or probation, it still has the death penalty and they use it liberaly. In spit of this failed draconian states past crime legislation the state has had double the crime rate of other states for three decades. 


This policy has cost Texas so much money they finally have had to face the fact that this so called tough on crime just does not work and accomplished quite the opposite of making Texans safe and literally bankrupted Texas's economy. 


Since changing to a new direction with drug crimes channelling money from incarceration and mandatory sentencing to treatment, harm reduction and probation Texas has seen a double-digit decline in both prison incarceration rates and most importantly the crime rate, at one-tenth the cost. 


Unfortunately our Mr. Harper is guided more by ideology and keeping his ReligiCon base happy than any old dry facts, statistics, or others countries mistakes and experiences, so he will probably do as he always does, whatever he wants with his Conservative majority, common sense be dammed.


Wayne Clark