California Corrections Budget

In other news, I woke up to NPR the other day and a discussion of how the California state budget is getting slashed everywhere, with the notable exception of corrections. That's the cute euphemism for "dealing with crime".

Wanna save some money? Slash it, too. But, how, Sidra, you wail, how! Without putting Evil Pedophile Rapists™ on the streets!?

Simple:

1. Legalize marijuana. Instead of throwing money at stopping an industry, shift to making money off of it. What lessons have we failed to learn from Prohibition? Tax the booze, baby, and tax the weed while you're at it.
2. Get rid of that whole '3 strikes' thing. Y'know, that law that throws you in jail if you get busted for, say, smoking pot a little too often? Or stealing videotapes?

And what we save from the corrections can go straight where it belongs: the schools.

Looks like a win-win to me.