As a young child, I remember the cold winter day when my mother told me that her brother and my uncle had been murdered. He was stabbed to death in a parking lot during the commission of a robbery. I still don't think our family has ever recovered. My cousins lost their father, my grandparents and mom, their only son and brother. So, I have always been interested in criminal justice issues to some degree. You always think there is some general sense among government officials of wanting to protect the citizenry, that the kind civil servants are working day and night to protect the innocent. I think this is probably more the stuff of comic books and civics books than reality. (Too bad there is no Super Man or Spider Man to come in and save the soon-to-be victim just seconds before an attack?)
Today, the California State Senate voted to begin releasing thousands of felons, as a cost-cutting approach for the budget. Of course, the early release is coined in bureaucratic jargon, about releasing non-violent offenders, reducing "light" felonies to misdemeanors, etc., but still the legislature will flood the streets with thousands of convicted criminals and our crime rate will jump again. I have no doubt that someone will be murdered because of this act, not to mention the overall impact on local communities because of the crime.
Really, I can't think of a more solid example of why we need to fundamentally change state government. That the legislature is even contemplating the early release of these criminals shows that it has failed to even carry out its most basic responsibility, the protection and safety of innocent citizens. If the Assembly votes for this, I pray that the people you know are somehow protected. Me? I'll chose to do my best to advocate for a part-time legislature, as I consider these Democrats (and the governor) a threat to public safety. I can only think of one single word to describe our legislature. . . pathetic.
