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Page A 4
December 20. 2006
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
O pinion
★
support
Facing a Failed Policy
from this election, but twoessential things
stand out: Every vote counts; and do not
start unnecessary wars.
Among the 30 House seats gained by
by U.S. R ih . W ii . i . iam L acy C lay
the Democrats, Republicans lost
Last month'selection wasa stun
22 of those races by less than
ning rejection of President George
two percentage points. And, of
W. Bush's Administration by both
those, 18 were won by fewer
Democrats and the vast majority of
than 5,(MX) votes. So, if you ever
Independents.
wonder why we fight so hard to
Most Americans finally came to
defend your voting rights, the
the conclusion that things had
election results prove how jus, a
gone terribly off course in Wash
handful of voters can make a
ington and they voted for the new Demo- huge difference.
The war in Iraq is a
trag ed y that should
have never happened.
In 2003, I opposed the
Forced Authorization
Resolution because I
didn't believe the non
sense about weapons of
mass destruction and
the spin about Saddam's
alleg ed links to Al
Queda.
And, now, after al
most four bloody years,
and over 22,000 Ameri
cratic majority to get things back on track. can casualties, we're still waiting for the
O f course, the President is still the Presi President to face the reality of his failed
dent, and we'd like to find some common policy and finally adopt a new direction in
ground with him in order to advance the Iraq. A direction that will let the Iraqi people
Congressional Black Caucus' key priori decide their own future and get our troops
ties. Issues like disparities in healthcare, out of harms way.
home ownership, academic achievement,
The Congressional Black Caucus will
household incomes and inequities in the demand that the President learn that the
justice system.
lives of our brave sons and daughters
Thankfully, the unprecedented number should never be put at risk in a war that we
of black committee and subcommittee chair never had to fight.
man will put CBC members in a historic-
Congressman William Lacy Clay, D-
position to advance our positive agenda. Mo.. is a member o f Congressional Black
There are many lessons to be learned Caucus.
A war that we
never had to fight
fiMSTÀTE
_ THE
draft
Most Americans
finally came to the
conclusion that things
had gone terribly off'
course in Washington.
A4ÎMORVTIES
/iN p -T H Ê YezoK
RAMGÉÇ
l l l l l III*
Invest in Education, not Incarceration
Misguided priorities
making matters worse
by J udge
G reg M athis
WE ARE E THE E CLASS OF 2020
Last year, more than 7 million American people -
that's about one in every 32 adults - were behind bars
or on probation or parole.
The U. S. has. foryears, imprisoned more people than
any other country in the world. Yet, we don't have the
highest literacy rate. And our economy continues to
take a hit as jobs are outsourced to foreign countries
with a cheaper and better educated workforce.
Inner-city schools fail half of their students and
jobs are removed from communities, replaced with
guns and drugs, resulting in incarceration, if you're
lucky, death if you're not.
Nonetheless, many U.S. states have cut their edu
cation budgets to compensate for rapid growth in
prison populations and prison construction. The
misguided priorities that inform such decisions have
only served to further marginalize already oppressed
populations. It’s time that this country shifts its focus
away from i mprisonment and commits its resources to
education and empowerment.
In the past 20 years, more than a thousand new
prisons and jails have been built in the U.S. Yet, our
prisons are more overcrowded now than ever. Ac
cording to the Justice Department, the total number
of inmates increased 35-percent from 1995 to 2005.
The nation’s ‘war on drugs' and the stiff sentencing
laws that grew out of that war are largely to blame.
The numbers of individuals sentenced for drug
erimes increased nearly 65-percent between 1996 and
2003, accounting for the largest increase in inmates in
the federal system.
If federal and local governments were to adequately
fund the nation's public schools, ensuring all stu
dents had access to high-quality teachers, tutoring
and after-school programs, we could stem the growth
of the nation's prison population. With support,
many could be steered away from drugs and the street
life and pushed towards college or vocational school.
Instead, the country has poured its money into a
criminal injustice system that, instead of creating
special programs designed to rehabilitate the low-
level offender, corals these lost souls into the nation’s
prisons. Upon release, having no education and no
skills, many return to the lifestyles that landed them
in prison. It’s a dangerous cycle and only prison
architects and big business benefit.
In 1977,1 was incarcerated for 7 months. I was told
that itcosttaxpayers$30,000to incarcerate me. Ayear
later, I enrolled al Eastern Michigan University under
an affirmative action program. Because I was poor, I
had to use loans and taxpayer supported government
grants to pay for my education. The cost of my four
year education was $24,000, less than the cost of my
short jail sentence.
No longer a burden to taxpayers, I am a significant
taxpayer, helping, through my tax contributions, to
pave the way for others who’ve yet to get an oppor
tunity to make a way for themselves. The tax dollars
used to support my education were a worthy invest
ment, one that benefits all of society. America should
take note and act accordingly
Judge Greg Matliis is national vice president o f
Rainbow PUSH and a national board member o f the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
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