Political Quotes

“in today's edition of the New York Times, columnist A.M. Rosenthal argues persuasively for more police and prisons as the most effective ways to fight violent crime. As Mr. Rosenthal explains, ``A criminal on the loose costs society twice as much as a criminal in jail--in stolen goods, smashed property, and of course the medical care for the victims * * *. Yes, a lot of Americans are in jail. A lot more should be. If your house is burbled, there is a 1 in 80 chance the criminal will serve time.'' Attorney General Reno and other liberals in the Clinton administration may say that more prison space can be made available simply by imposing alternative sanctions on first-time, nonviolent offenders. This proposal sounds good, but as Mr. Rosenthal correctly points out, ``All those crowded jails are not filled with pot smolders caught by cops on patrol:'' 93 percent of the prisoners in State prisons are either repeat offenders or offenders convicted of a violent crime. Congress must not delay in enacting the Republican regional-prison initiative.”