SCHIZOID OR STUPID?

By Bob Walsh

The formerly great state of California has a long history of direct democracy via the referendum and initiative process. They have given us what is now a 700-plus page constitution. There were 17 such items on the ballot yesterday.

California voters approved Proposition 57 by a very wide margin indeed, 65-35. It allows for sentence reductions and early parole of many "non-violent" offenders. In reality many of these offenders are vicious violent dangerous psychopaths but are considered to be non-violent by their most recent conviction.

For instance a guy could have served time for manslaughter (bargained down from murder) and Lewd & Lascivious (bargained down from child rape) and have been most recently sentenced for resisting arrest with violence resulting in injury to the officer (which is NOT considered a violent offense) and be considered for early release as a non-violent offender.

I honestly think at times that the average California voter is stupid and takes these initiatives at face value without actually reading them.

Then we go to the death penalty. There are enough people on Death Row in California to populate a decent size town, approximately 800 of them. We haven't actually croaked one in something like 15 years. The fact that we HAVE a death penalty but never actually USE it does not seem to bother most people, but they seem to want to still HAVE it.

Proposition 62 would have ashcanned the death penalty. It failed by roughly 55-45. Proposition 66 would speed-up and streamline the execution process. It passed approximately 52-48.

Go figure.