Issue Position: Safety and Correctional Reform

Issue Position

One of the greatest responsibilities of an elected representative is to ensure the safety of its citizens. Fool-hardy and mindless release of state prisoners into the general populace is akin to using a meat axe to trim "government waste". Rather than balance the budget by across the board percentage reductions of services, a reckoning of why government exists, needs to be done. One of Governments main purposes is to ensure the peace and safety of its citizens, not to provide "womb to tomb" social benefits. Reductions in state services required by decreased revenues requires an analysis of functionality and purpose of governments existence, Rather than applying a politically correct across the board "percentage reduction game" of all services, we need to look at reducing or eliminating social programs that are not fiscally sustainable. The challenge in addressing tough fiscal challenges lies in the current mind set of elected officials that revolves around the belief that government is the solution to all problems. We can change this by electing individuals who do not believe that increasing taxes on individuals and families is always the answer.

The proposals emerging from the Legislature are not working because they are not willing to make the tough decisions required of "real leaders" and "real representatives" of the people.

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