We ask our police and fire personnel to risk their lives on our behalf. It is imperative that they are furnished with adequate material to perform their jobs, that they are paid appropriately for their work, and that they are not subjected to frivolous lawsuits that can bankrupt them personally.

Yes, there are “root causes” of crime;  but we need to insure speedy arrest, conviction, and punishment. Certainty of incarceration matters more than length of imprisonment.  We can contract with other states and private prisons to house criminals less expensively.  Setting a dollar value below which we won’t pursue criminals is wrong: it invites theft up to that limit. Making some depressant drugs available to addicts in a government-controlled setting reduces crime, overdose deaths, and the spread of disease. Democrats are keen to reduce law enforcement for what they consider petty crimes; Republican leaders view any departure from severe minimum sentences as being “soft on crime.”