A BETTER ALTERNATIVE

An open letter to the people of Yankton County, one of the few
counties in this state designated by our federal government as a High
Intensity Drug Trafficking Area: The U.S. has been losing a
devastating war on drugs, and now our local politicians and
administrators are making silly arguments about how good such a
misguided bill like HB1147 would be for our youth.

These politicians are trying to change the definition of a key word
here, but don't be fooled when they talk about children making
"mistakes." A crime by any other name is still a crime.

Kids need second chances, but what sort of a chance are we giving
them by slapping their wrists and tossing them right back into the
environment that caused them to make these "mistakes" in the first
place? These legislators and administrators have no clue what's
really happening on the ground -- kids who get into trouble are seen
as heroes by their peers.

It's cool and exciting to get busted ... and wink, wink .. no real
consequences will come their way. Maybe if we remove the temptation
by going after the scum that traffics drugs in this town, we could
keep our children from committing these "mistakes" in the first
place. Unfortunately, history proves this community has no stomach for that.

But there is another approach.

Let's truly show children some compassion by showing them the error
of their ways. Hospitals and prisons are full of destroyed bodies and
minds... because nobody cared, nobody intervened. If the hours from
4-8 p.m. are dangerous for troubled children, let's give them
something productive to do. If a child gets busted on a drug offense
and they want to get back into extracurricular activities, let them
earn it -- not just through wishy-washy at-risk programs, but with
solid community service lasting at least one year. If our boosters,
our administrators and our legislators don't see the value in that,
let us consider their true motives.

Marc Merrill, Yankton