Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Moving Prisoners to County Jails
The State of California, in order to relieve the crowding in its prisons, is moving many prisoners from State prisons to the counties and cities for incarceration or probation. Naturally, the officials of the counties and cities are complaining that the State isn't providing money to deal with the extra load of caring for and supervising the convicts.
Really? Why do you suppose the State is unloading its non-violent offenders on the local governments? The State doesn't have the money to enlarge the prisons and staff to care properly for them. If the State had the money, there would be no problem.
This is just another consequence of the foolishness of California voters who, a few decades ago, voted to limit the ability of the State Legislature and the voters in local elections to raise taxes by requiring a 2/3 vote to do so. The voters later modified the rule so that a local tax to support public education could be passed by by a 3/5 vote.
It is another example of Benjamin Disraeli's rule that "a people gets the government it deserves, not the kind it wants."
Regarding the prisoner swap, we're getting what we deserve.
Really? Why do you suppose the State is unloading its non-violent offenders on the local governments? The State doesn't have the money to enlarge the prisons and staff to care properly for them. If the State had the money, there would be no problem.
This is just another consequence of the foolishness of California voters who, a few decades ago, voted to limit the ability of the State Legislature and the voters in local elections to raise taxes by requiring a 2/3 vote to do so. The voters later modified the rule so that a local tax to support public education could be passed by by a 3/5 vote.
It is another example of Benjamin Disraeli's rule that "a people gets the government it deserves, not the kind it wants."
Regarding the prisoner swap, we're getting what we deserve.
Labels: Benjamin Disraeli, Prop. 13, transferring prisoners to counties
