Public expenditure, incarceration, drugs and other difficult things
(short text series)
Things that seem to me (about some, I’m sure because of research) could make life cheaper, taxes better and public service much better:
1. Alternative sentences not involving incarceration. Incarceration is extremely expensive and has no return to society, whereas many of the alternative sentences devised by the scholars in this field could, first, cost much less; two, provide some financial compensation to society; third, avoid providing criminal graduate school to harmless offenders;
2. Completely stop the war on drugs. That is the one thing that economists were able to provide solid evidence in favor of. It is not only completely ineffective, expensive, but uses law enforcement manpower that could be much better used in serious matters;
3. Marriage made into a private affair with no government interference. Common property would be contract based, stay home spouses would also have a contract calculating the value of their work and it would be none of anyone’s business, no family court (except when there are children involved), no alimony, no divorce, no marriage at the courthouse — a private affair celebrated between private individuals. Imagine the number of employees that wouldn’t have to be paid
4. A full examination and elimination of all regulatory items that do not pose a threat to society
5. Serious revision of benefits with full accountability of beneficiaries. Food stamps: giant database refusing all health harmful items — no need for public servants. Diagnosis that grant anyone disabled benefits should be double checked for accuracy.
6. Immigration: full, federal integrated database with absolutely all documentation relative to everyone. I’m going to an interview (after approval!) in a month and I will take printed copies of things that were submitted a year ago. And my fingerprint will be collected (again). Immigration is a serious matter. Everything about us should be authenticated and digitalized. Paper is easy to fake and takes employees to examine. It should be thorough, efficient and digitalized.
More money and manpower would be available for public education, public safety and public health.
Some cool links:
Handbook of basic principles and promising practices on Alternatives to Imprisonment