STATE'S CRIME POLICY COSTING TAXPAYERS

ASHWAUBENON - I agree with the April 4 editorial on uniform sentencing. It
reminded me of a comment from ex-Gov. Tommy Thompson when he was running
for what seemed to be his 10th term saying that we are going to keep
building prisons in Wisconsin until everyone feels safe. He failed to
mention that it would also make taxpayers feel poor.

It does not make sense, as your editorial stated, Wisconsin imprisons
almost three times as many adults per 100,000 residents as Minnesota. Is
our crime rate three times theirs? I understand Wisconsin now spends as
much or more on prisons as it does on education. Is that a good sense of
priorities?

We have to deal with crime. Criminals have to be punished. However, the
attitude of the majority of our legislators - to lock them up and throw
away the key - has gotten out of hand. If the figures in the editorial are
correct, the prison population could grow by 6,000 in the next three years.
At today's cost, that will add over $16 million a year to prison operations
by 2005. That would mean more prisoners and tax dollars sent out of state.
Why, after all the prisons we have built, do other states have room and we
do not?

If your state senator or representative is running for re-election on a
"get tough on crime" policy, ask them how we are going to pay for it.
Better yet, ask them how they plan to fix the mess that policy has gotten
us into. It's time our politicians start asking the questions we have to
ask ourselves about our personal finances - Can we afford it?

Asking that question before acting might help lower taxes and our position
as the third highest-taxed state in the nation.

Roger Lade