Mark Yannone - Arizona, District 3, 2004 Congressional Candidate, independent - click to return to home page
Issues - Crime
Alcatraz Island - now part of the National Park System

"Obviously crime pays or there'd be no crime."

G. Gordon Liddy
The Republican and Democratic response to skyrocketing crime levels in this country has been to build more prisons, hire more police officers, wage "war" on drugs, and spend billions in tax dollars doing it. According to the latest crime statistics, their efforts have been completely unsuccessful. To stem the tide of crime in America requires a multi-faceted approach.

1. Victims of crime must be compensated. Compensation should not be made by our government, but by the criminals who commit the crimes. Full restitution to the victims would add to the "punishment" of the criminal.

2. Set realistic terms for convicted felons. Fifteen years should mean fifteen years. At the present time, the average violent offender serves less than 1/3 of the sentence imposed.

3. Legalize drugs. Determine where they can be sold, by whom, and to whom. This eliminates the gangland drug-dealing and drive-by shootings, reduces the cost (thereby reducing thefts to pay for drugs), and lessens the opportunity for children to purchase drugs. more

4. Remove the restrictions on personal protection and encourage gun ownership by law-abiding citizens. more

5. Improve education, employment, and opportunity. End welfare and other social welfare programs. Discourage the victim mentality, and encourage every effort to earn an honest living. more

We were unable to obtain the official Republican Party position on crime. However, a review of the budget under President Bush provides an overview of their goals--more drug enforcement, more agency invasion of personal privacy, and, of course, more funding.

The current position of the Democratic Party regarding crime is one of additional funding, additional police, and stronger "hate crime" legislation. They boast that initiatives put into place during President Clinton's regime put an additional 85,000 police officers on the streets. The cost to the public? A mere $9 billion! That's $105,882.35 per officer! And the Democrats are still aiming for the additional 15,000 officers to reach their 100,000 total. In addition, their stance on placing higher penalties on "hate crimes" violates a main premise of the US Constitution--all men are created equal. Does an additional penalty for committing a "hate crime" act as any more of a deterrent than current laws prohibiting acts of violence?
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