DO MANDATORY SENTENCES WORK?

Response to Clatsop County D.A. Josh Marquis' Op-Ed, OREGONIAN, May 30, 2008, titled:  DEBUNKING MYTHS ABOUT MEASURE 11  

Marquis' spin on M-11 deserves some common sense questions drawn from Oregon's Public Safety statistics.  First, how is it we now have 17 prisons when we had 12 in 1995 when M-11 was voted in, IF Measure 11 was successful? 

Secondly, Just 9 cents of every tax dollar goes to Corrections?  To be fair, Public Safety which includes all Law Enforcement, is more nearly 11 cents of every tax dollar.  In 1995 we spent $1.7 billion.  Today we spend nearly three times that much. 

Third, Instead of 60% of prisoners are incarcerated for violent crimes, I ask, if as reported in the Introduction to the State Budget several years ago, that 80% of convictions were related to drug/alcohol addiction, this doesn't seem a logical conclusion from what we know about how crazy people become on drugs and alcohol?   

I'd add that it was good of Mr Marquis to alert us to what kind of an Attorney General we'd be electing if we vote for Mr Kroger.  Do we really want more of our young people locked up in very expensive cages instead of spending that money on treatment and education?                     --Helen Solem, Editor

***

Dr. McIver's Affidavit

Exert:  I am a psychologist who testified in various states as an expert witness in cases of alleged sex abuse.  I said prosecutors, including Lincoln Count's, sometimes took advantage of nations hysteria about the subject to prosecute bogus charges.

                     ***

             Our Ballot Measure man, Bill Sizemore,tells us he has 5 Measures prepared for the November Ballot.  Two have been accepted.  One is to prohibit State and Local governments to charge for improvements under $35,000.      The second on would prohibit dues colleced from public employees be used for political purposes.         Bill also tells us he won his Appeal against the Teachers Union that  their $4 mil. judgment against him was denied. See Attorney Greg Burns letter on the OREGON TAXPAYERS UNITED web site.  www.Oregon Taxpayers United.     But the Union continues to use their members' fund to continue their punitive claim.  For Public  School teachers to use their money in this way raises the question about what kind of teachers would try to deny their employers, the taxpayers, the right to vote?      Also, this same arbitrary, authoritative Teachers Union in Washington State refused $13.2 mil. to enhance Science and Math studies. The reason:  the Union has the only say in what teachers would be paid.  The offer was to reward teachers whose students performed well on AP exams.   Perhaps the Gates Foundation and Associates will consider looking into how the Teachers Unions have gained this stranglehold and help to devise on how to get rid of it.

                        ***