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Frank Germann      Response 3

Question 3: Given Minnesota's climbing prison population, the public pressure to reduce taxes and an apparent stalemate in the war on drugs, how would you, as governor, balance the cost of criminal justice with the need to ensure the safety of Minnesotans?

The answer to this is obvious.  Quit making people into
outlaws just because they've made some poor 
personal choices.  I, myself, do not approve of drugs, 
prostitution, pornography, and gambling, however, 
being a libertarian, I am also ideologically opposed to 
imposing my views on others.  Government should not 
be dictating what amounts to moral choice.

I have eight children.  I don't want them exposed to 
criminal violence or drugs at school or anywhere.  I 
fear for their safety and I want to preserve their 
innocence.  I sincerely hope that they never use any 
drugs, and I hope that  they are never the victims of 
mindless aggression.  Nevertheless, I think it is a bad 
idea to try to impose my personal feelings about the 
various vices on others.  For one thing, it won't work.

Quite to the contrary, the very fact that there are 
forbidden fruits may actually increase their 
attractiveness.  It is, after all, widely acknowledged that 
despite the incredible amount of money spent on the 
drug war, drugs are still widely available.  The net effect 
of the war on drugs is practically zero as far as 
consumption is concerned.  Despite massive drug busts 
and confiscations measuring in the tons, the price of 
drugs continues to go down.  Will politicians ever 
recognize a failed program?  They can't keep drugs out 
of maximum security prisons.  How do they ever expect 
to keep them out of the country?

The United States has a higher prison population per
 capita than any other major country.  People are 
being put in prison not because of crimes against 
humanity, but violations of a behavior code imposed 
on them by people who think they can nullify other 
peoples personal choices.

Every year the penalties get more severe than the year before 
but to no effect, except our prisons are getting crowded.  
Since liberal judges won't stand for crowded prisons, and since 
mandatory minimum sentencing removes flexibility from sentencing 
of drug offenders, the only solution is to let violent criminals 
go free to wreck havoc on our innocent citizens.

I call for the complete and immediate legalization of all 
presently illegal drugs.  This should be followed by the 
immediate release of all prisoners who are guilty of crimes in 
which there is no victim.  This will immediately free up prison 
space for criminals that do have victims, murderers, rapists, 
and thieves of all sorts.  This will have the effect of making 
our streets much safer.

Prohibition didn't work for alcohol.  It will never work for 
drugs.  Prohibition only increases the cost and riskiness of 
drug use.  When drugs were first made illegal in 1913, people 
thought that the litany of evils associated with drug use would 
end.  Surprise, people that are addicted to drugs are highly 
motivated.  Drug use didn't disappear when drugs were made 
illegal.  The users weren't helped by this prohibition, nor 
were their long suffering families.  Instead, the problem was 
compounded by introducing a new group of victims, the victims 
of the addict crime wave.