BUDGET WOES COULD WAFT AWAY

I have a quick, if controversial, fix for the state's funding problems:

Immediately legalize marijuana; release 50 percent of those in jail --
reducing the need for more bed space and more prison building; lay off 90
percent of the staff related to that 50 percent and reassign the remainder
to hard-core offenders; reduce the local police presence correspondingly;
relieve the courts and shrink the size of the district attorney's offices
as appropriate; and divert savings to schools.

I bet if we did that, we wouldn't have to raise our taxes or raid
"rainy-day" funds.

JOHN LEGRY

Southeast Portland