tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post110812073013764454..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Gov. Perry: "Better ways" than more prisonsGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-1108219689707639442005-02-12T08:48:00.000-06:002005-02-12T08:48:00.000-06:00My friend, that phrase has already been used many ...My friend, that phrase has already been used many times, and I fear I've even been guilty of it myself. I agree that budget constraints are the reason, but they're a valid reason. A budget is a moral document, a friend reminded me recently. Society must make choices based on its values using the available scarce resurces. Do you want to fund more schools, healthcare for uninsured kids, better roads, or more prisons? It's basically as simple as that. <br /><br />That's why I don't attribute any nefarious motive to the decision to de-prioritize incarcerating low-level drug offenders. I'm happy for it. To me, it's one of the only good and certainly the best outcome of the recent ascension of tax-cut-and-spend, big-government conservatism that's currently in vogue here and in Washington -- it's brought these big-picture value decisions into sharp relief, demanding a bottom line answer. <br /><br />BTW, the San Antonio Express News <A HREF="http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA020905.prisons.online.91079124.html" REL="nofollow">had the full Perry quote</A> on probation: <br /><br /> "The knee-jerk reaction -- 'Let's go build more prisons' -- I don't think is the appropriate response. It's the last response," he said. "There are better, more efficient ways to deal with the prison population than to build more prisons."<br /><br />"Knee jerk." Cool.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.com