Questions Senator's facts about budget cuts

Sen. McClintock is not pleased with how the governor is proposing to balance the budget. The governor wants a 10 percent reduction in spending across the board from all state government entities. Given his years of state service, Sen. McClintock has a right to question the policies that will affect his constituents.

However, in his "Guest Opinion" article printed Feb. 1, he spends his entire time focusing on only one governmental agency, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and how they would meet the proposal to reduce spending. As one of his constituents I am saddened that Sen. McClintock resorted to a common practice among politicians, and that is to prey on the public fears about criminals and crime.

The senator goes so far as to actually make statements that are inaccurate when he says "and yet we're expected to believe that a preposterous threat to release thousands of dangerous felons is the only solution to the state's runaway spending."

The proposal by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is to release "nonviolent offenders" who have served the majority of their time and who do not pose a threat to society. Our criminal justice system is one of the governmental agencies that uses up a large disproportionate share of the state's budget, in large part because of our "tough on crime" stance that fails to address the real issues behind a lot of crime: addiction, poverty, unemployment, etc. We keep thousands and thousands of people locked up for years and years whose "felonies" involved minor offenses.

Having spent most of my professional career working with the incarcerated, both as an educator and as a chaplain, I have seen people change their lives for the better and prepare themselves to be productive citizens only to be weighed down by the oppressive long terms they are given to serve. I met the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, James Tilton, and he is just as concerned about public safety as Sen. McClintock, and he would not allow "dangerous felons" out of prison to meet the requirements of the budget proposal. Those that would be released would have to meet certain requirements that are sent forth by the parole board. The prison would not just open their doors and say, "Goodbye, and stay out of trouble."

I would ask Sen. McClintock to find other examples of how the governor's proposal would affect his constituents as well as the rest of the populace, rather than making accusations that are just meant to scare people into believing his argument. C. Salazar Camarillo