PENALTIES HARSHER FOR POOR PEOPLE

Barbara Hill's grandson was caught smoking marijuana in the parking lot of
her Oakland public housing complex. Barbara Bush's granddaughter, Noelle,
was arrested a few blocks from the Florida governor's mansion occupied by
her father, Jeb. Posing as a doctor, Noelle had called in a phony
prescription for the narcotic Xanax. The Supreme Court just ruled it's
legal for Barbara Hill to be evicted from her home of 30 years because of
her teen-age grandson's first-time offense. Hill and three other elderly
public housing residents had challenged the federal "one strike and you're
out" policy.

There is no law saying politicians' families should be evicted from public
executive housing if their family members or guests are arrested. About 14
million Americans have used illegal drugs in the past month, mostly
marijuana, according to government data. Imagine if everyone they lived
with or visited could be thrown out of their homes - or lose their mortgage
interest deduction, which is the government's biggest housing subsidy.

What if the Bush family lived in low-income public housing instead of the
White House and governor's mansion? The president's daughters, Barbara and
Jenna, were arrested for underage drinking. Jenna has two strikes.

While candidate Al Gore acknowledged smoking marijuana in college,
candidate George W. Bush deflected questions about cocaine and other drug
use with his famous line, "When I was young and irresponsible, I was young
and irresponsible."

George Bush was a 30-year-old adult when he was arrested for drunken
driving. Barbara Hill's grandson is young and the government holds her
responsible.

While considering the one-strike policy, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsburg asked if there were any time or place limits in enforcing it.
Assistant Solicitor General Jim Feldman responded, "Place is not relevant.
A drug crime can occur 3,000 miles away and still be related. And there's
no time limitation either."

Barbara Bush's granddaughter is a repeat offender who has endangered
herself and others. According to Florida motor vehicle records reported in
the press, Noelle Bush has been in three car accidents, received seven
speeding tickets and been cited for five other traffic violations since
1995. She faced up to five years in prison for her felony arrest for Xanax.
Instead, charges will be dismissed if she completes a drug treatment program.

In the war on drugs that Noelle's father and uncle shape, prevention is
shortchanged, nonviolent drug offenders can get longer sentences than
murderers, and waiting lists for subsidized drug treatment are hopelessly long.

Unfortunately, lawmakers don't do unto others what they would have others
do to them.

Double standards mean that the majority of drug users are white, but the
majority of drug possession offenders in prison are black and Latino.

The list of one strike, you're out drug rules for low-income people is
growing. One strike, you're out of public housing. One strike, goodbye to
federal college financial aid. One strike, a life sentence of ineligibility
for welfare.

Lawmakers should pass policies that make sense and laws that fit the crime,
whether they are committed by members of their family or another.

Contact Sklar, co-author of "Raise the Floor: Wages and Policies That Work
for All of Us," at hsklar@aol.com.