Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 1, 1994 TAG: 9402010253
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RICHARD E. MARTIN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It's refreshing to know there's at least one politician who understands the primary duty of government and recognizes the attack on the institutions that are the backbone of our nation. I just hope Republicans and Democrats will soon realize that violent crimes and criminals can and must be stopped. As usual, the American people are ahead of the politicians and will vote their disapproval if a resolute anti-crime program doesn't take place in the near future.
We all know that the reasons for violence in America are complex and the problem cannot be solved overnight. But the American people want the program to start. And they want meaningless, defensive political rhetoric about how much each congressman, legislator and the president has done to cease. We all know they've done very little.
We need to target the 7 percent of criminals who are committing 80 percent of the crimes. Why can't the criminal-justice system be forced to single out career criminals for longer sentences without parole? What's wrong with three-strikes-and-you're-out laws? Such laws would require life sentences with no parole for three-time violent felons. This should apply to teen-agers as well as adults. What's wrong with mandatory sentences without parole?
We should make prison life hard. All prisoners should work just like the rest of us. We're taxed to pay for their incarceration, and their labor could produce revenue to offset the costs of prisons. This would also be a deterrent to crime, since hardened criminals obviously don't like honest work.
Probation and parole should be the exception, not the rule. We simply cannot continue to release dangerous criminals to resume their uncivilized activities at the expense of our citizens.
Closed military bases should be used to house prisoners. These bases can be staffed by retired military people.
We need more police on the streets, and Americans are willing to pay for them. The ratio of crimes for every police officer has increased significantly over the past 25 years. This trend has to be reversed.
Politicians must stop equating a tough approach with racism. They must recognize that blacks and Hispanics suffer the most from violent crimes and they want tougher laws and more police protection.
There are those who believe the answer is more social programs, even though violent crimes have been increasing while we've accelerated spending for social programs. How can any social program be effective without public order? How can children study with violence surrounding them? How can people work with the ever-present threat of being assaulted by the criminal culture? How can anyone justify violence except for self-defense?
Some people feel gun control is the answer. We might do some good with gun registration that makes it more difficult for convicted felons and the mentally disturbed to obtain weapons. However, I feel that the criminal element will always be able to secure guns. We must never disarm law-abiding citizens by abandoning the Second Amendment.
Wake up, America, and force elected officials to wipe this blight from our nation. People are dying. If these deaths were being caused by a foreign force, we'd not hesitate to declare war. Can we do less than to declare war on violent criminals? This fight to restore public order must be led by those under assault - our families, schools, churches and neighborhoods. Let's make America a safe place to work, study and play.
Richard E. Martin of Roanoke is retired senior vice president and controller of Dominion Bankshares.
by CNB