Doug, thanks for praising my "war on crime" piece. I know you got it,
but the way you praise my item might give someone the impression that
my think-piece was totally serious. A lot of it is a big joke, even
though some of it is very serious. If I could write well, I'd see
in the league with Swift's modest proposal.
Though prison-construction does
create jobs (all else constant), I don't believe the rosy scenario.
That's because California likely will be unable to afford the effects
of "three strikes and you're out." It's true that capital expenditures
of this sort don't show up in the California budget deficit, but
the state has to worry about its bond rating. Other types of
spending can be cut, but they've already been cut to the bone.
It's hard to imagine that cutting other programs could go
forever. Even if they were cut, that hurts the availability of
jobs.
in pen-l solidarity,
Jim Devine BITNET: jndf@lmuacad INTERNET: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Econ. Dept., Loyola Marymount Univ., Los Angeles, CA 90045-2699 USA
310/338-2948 (off); 310/202-6546 (hm); FAX: 310/338-1950
