Yes, the minimum and advisory standards for criminal behavior should be reviewed. It was intended to equalize the punishment for various offenses in order to create more justice, but it has served as a barrier to the true administration of justice and placed exorbitant power in the hands of the prosecuting attorneys who are in control of plea bargaining.
Will we have a good, bad or ugly budget?: Terry Madonna and Michael L. Young
HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS OP-ED: … 1) The “Good” – Under this scenario, probably the least likely, Wolf and Republican leaders actually agree on a budget in late June or early July. If this happens both sides are going to make major concessions on hot button issues, such as pensions, new taxes and liquor privatization. Wolf might […]
NY Medical Marijuana Program Brings in $3 Million from Application Process
By Dave Borden DRUG WAR CHRONICLE: Today (June 11) state officials in New York will close the application process to open a dispensary. According to numbers from the New York Post, the state has already brought in $3 million from the selection process by charging 300 perspective dispensary owners $10,000 a pop to file their […]
CRIZ: View Guidelines below to confirm this huge tax payer rip off
In short, CRIZ steals from future generations to enrich special interests today. What was Lancaster State Senator Lloyd Smucker thinking about when he introduced this program?
Five takeaways from Clinton’s relaunch rally
POLITICO: …1. The Democratic Party is moving left fast, and she knows she needs to move with it. Clinton’s spiel was slight on specifics (she’ll unveil a series of new economic initiatives in a series of speeches from July to August), but her economic-inequality rhetoric could have been comfortably uttered by the likes of Elizabeth […]
In White House’s Iraq debate, military brass pushed for doing less
WASHINGTON POST: Top military officials, who have typically argued for more combat power to overcome battlefield setbacks over the past decade, emerged in recent White House debates as consistent voices of caution in Iraq. Their shift reflects the paucity of good options and a reluctance to suffer more combat deaths in a war in which […]
U.S. Is Poised to Put Heavy Weaponry in Eastern Europe
NEW YORK TIMES: In a significant move to deter possible Russian aggression in Europe, the Pentagon is poised to store battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other heavy weapons for as many as 5,000 American troops in several Baltic and Eastern European countries, American and allied officials say. The proposal, if approved, would represent the […]
A double Drug War tragedy
NEWSLANC EDITOR: Not only a tragedy for the mother, but think of the guilt trip the below will have on the son for the rest of his life. DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE: 30 years. That’s how long Shona Banda could spend in prison for her use of medical marijuana. She’s about to turn herself in to […]
How theme parks like Disney World left the middle class behind
Disney has raised the gate price for the Magic Kingdom 41 times since, nearly doubling it over the past decade. This year, a ticket inside the “most magical place on Earth” rocketed past $100 for the first time in history…
Ex-Bush Sr. Defense Official: Iraq Was a Mistake, GOP Must Take Blame
NEWSMAX: … [Former deputy undersecretary of defense Jed] Babbin, … said there was no way the United States could “meld Iraq together” as one nation. “You’ve got three separate groups there, they’re not really a nation, they’re not going to be a nation,” he told Steve Malzberg. “And at this point I really regret shedding […]
Prosecutor in Anthony Graves case disbarred
HOUSTON CHRONICLE: The former district attorney who successfully prosecuted Anthony Graves for capital murder, sending Graves to prison for 18 years for a crime he did not commit, has been disbarred, according to state bar officials. Former Burleson County District Attorney Charles Sebesta Jr. lost his law license after an administrative hearing into Graves’ case… […]
KEISLING: Dueling tax proposals of Gov. Wolf and Republicans ignore obvious questions of homeowners
Unfortunately, both Gov. Wolf’s and the Republicans’ plans are long on complicated tax language and arcane formulas that only a wonk could love, and short on answers to everyday questions homeowners and taxpayers are sure to ask.
Not a good week for Gov. Tom Wolf
On Thursday, the administration backtracked from a letter the Department of Labor and Industry sent to about two dozen state-funded agencies that help disabled individuals. The letter, which the administration called an unauthorized “mistake” and Rep. Mauree Gingrich, R-Lebanon, called “fear-mongering,” warned the agencies they would lose money if a budget is not approved by July 1, according to Capitolwire, an online news service.
Obama’s hesitancy on Iraq
WASHINGTON POST COLUMN: …Critics of Obama’s policies propose relatively modest steps that sound reasonable: Speed up the training. Intensify the bombing, using American spotters. Provide more arms. Let U.S. advisers stand shoulder to shoulder with Iraqi officers on the front lines. But none of this deals with the central problem, which is that too many […]