Crime Does Pay

I wished I had remembered to save a copy of my letter to my "rep", but I didn't. So I can only offer the gist of what I wrote.

This bill HR1704 basically allocates big money for prisoners to be "re-instituted" into society.

My suggestion was that I didn't feel it was appropriate to spend more on criminals than we do on law abiding citizens, who is this particular year are having almost every program funded by the Federal Government cut significantly. Here in PA we currently spend around $33,000 a year on each inmate while the maximum yearly Social Security payment is around $21,000 per year.

I also suggested that offenders should receive stiffer penalities that would actually have to be served as a deterent for crime. While those who don't abide by the law get food, clothing and shelter all on the backs of US taxpayers, those that receive government assistance are losing their homes to exhorbitant property taxes and choosing between eating, heat and medical care.

So suffice it to say - "status quo" is the name of the game in Washington, DC. Our educators would also have us believe that it is the lack of funding in the education system that causes people to become felons. I would offer that felons are just people that choose criminal activity because it pays better.