Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 9, 1995 TAG: 9501120043
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FRANK PETERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Gov. George Allen has persuaded a number of people that his election is a moral mandate to put into law a number of bad ideas he proposed before elected, and some he's come up with since. In fact, his election may indicate some slight preference for him over even more undesirable candidates who ran against him. But it was not an unqualified endorsement of his ideas. Strident voices of an extraordinarily vocal constituency that are not a majority have added momentum to this juggernaut coming at us.
More prisons mean that more people will be incarcerated. In turn, this means more prison personnel lobbying to keep their jobs, less thinking about how to prevent crime and recidivism, more ``us'' vs. ``them'' thinking that tends to inhibit curatives for society, and more taxes that cannot be scaled back.
Instead of building more prisons, I propose we think of ways to reduce the number we have. How? Since more than one-third of felonious crime is drug related, reduce this type of crime. I suggest a restructuring of penalties. Do not incarcerate those who buy or use drugs. We don't imprison those who smoke or drink to excess, and they're certainly drug users. Counseling and rehabilitation should be available to drug users. As is now the case, drunken drivers would still be incarcerated, as would be any causing direct harm to others.
Confiscate and destroy all illegal drugs. Cash awards could be made to those discovering drug caches. Small-time pushers - we can establish reasonable definitions of these - should be fined and put in rehabilitative programs rather than incarcerated. Drug lords, as now, would receive prison sentences.
Will all this help? It seems likely. It's worth a try along with other reasonable ideas.
Allen's prescription is ultimately one for making everything much worse. If we're serious about creating a sane society, we must make drug use socially unacceptable everywhere, while we foster environments of wholesomeness and righteousness. Penal codes and punishment cannot undo what citizens fail to do in their families and communities.
Another Allen idea in the short-term gain for long-term pain theme is to futz up the state's taxation system for a little tax relief now. On a larger scale, this occurred with the first Reagan administration tax cut, which, more than any other single factor, caused the national debt to triple and our recent economic misery - with more to come down the road.
Certainly, economy in government is desirable and essential. But deficit spending, and the behavior that leads to it, doesn't decrease government's power. Ultimately, that power increases, as government must coerce even more to get money to pay its growing debts. To deny this is Orwellian doublespeak. Further, mindless layoffs of workers from government and industry threaten our economic and political stability along with growing government deficits.
We can build and have the kind of society we want and deserve if we'll be thoughtful and caring, and do not allow misguided politicians and commentators to lead us down meretricious paths.
Frank Peters of Roanoke works in sales.
by CNB