Soros backs weakening [Cal.] three-strikes law

UPI via email, no url | 9/14/4

[NativeNewYorker]

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Financier George Soros has thrown his support to an effort to amend California's three-strikes law, the San Diego Union-Tribune said Tuesday.

Soros, Progressive Insurance company founder Peter Lewis and University of Phoenix founder John Sperling each contributed $150,000 to a campaign supporting a November ballot measure amending the California law to apply only to those who commit violent or serious crimes.

The law, which originally passed as a ballot initiative, currently allows for a non-violent felony to trigger the mandatory 25-years-to-life prison sentence for a third offense.

The Soros-backed measure reduces the number of crimes that count as strikes and could, the non-partisan Legislative Analyst said, save the state millions of dollars in prison costs because there would be fewer criminals behind bars.

Opponents of the measure say the contributions only help make the case that wealthy out-of-state donors are trying to dismantle California's criminal justice laws.

[Prime Choice]

Soros backs weakening [Cal.] three-strikes law

I'm not surprised. Leftists are always a criminal's best friend.

[mewzilla]

Gee, wonder what John Kerry has to say about that. Soemone should ask Kerry his opinion on three strikes laws...If they can get that gutless wonder to attend a presser.

[RinaseaofDs]

Is George Soros a citizen of the US? Does he live in California? If not, what massive loophole in campaign finance law allows him to directly intervene in any way in our electoral process?

[John Jorsett]

The prison guard's union is widely touted as being one of the heavyweights in CA politics. I wonder if they'll be running ads to oppose this measure?

[Libertarianize the GOP]

ping

[NativeNewYorker]

Soros *is* a naturalized US citizen, and no doubt owns property in California, but AFAIK he makes his US home here in the NYC, with estates in both the Hamptons and Westchester for when he's bored.

[LuckyHat]

I don't remember voting for Soros!! WTF??

[Seydlitz]

I can't stand Soros, but this is a reasonable idea. The three-strikes law was designed to get violent criminals off the street. Therefore, it is not unreasonable that the law should apply to only violent or serious crimes.

We don't need to be over-loading the prison system with people who do not commit violent crimes. It is a waste of tax dollars and is too Stalinesque for a country dedicated to liberty. The last thing that we need is our own gulag archipelago.

[RexBeach]

For a moment, I thought the headline on this posting was that George Soros had a weak back.

[kaktuskid]

Soros *is* a naturalized US citizen

Suggestion, revoke his citizenship and deport him (just like we did with the ex-Nazis)..there is enought dirt on him to kick him out.

[Rakkasan1]

weak mind, spineless back.

[samtheman]

3-STRIKES laws... the real reason crime rates are way down... not the silly "assault weapons" ban...

[Zeroisanumber]

I'm not a fan of Soros, but changing the law so that it only applies to repeat violent felons makes sense. Imprisoning non-violent felons for life is a punishment that outweighs the crime.

[drypowder]

measure reduces the number of crimes that count as strikes and could, the non-partisan Legislative Analyst said, save the state millions of dollars in prison costs because there would be fewer criminals behind bars.

If the 3 strikes law loses its' teeth, the cost burden would be shifted directly to the victim(s) of the crime. This is a no brainer! Someone with two strikes knows the rule, create a victim one more time and they're gone. That, to me, is a worthy incentive for any criminal to stop at two strikes. If they think the crime is worth the risk, then they ought to accept it's worth spending the rest of their lives in the pin. Time behind bars is not for rehab, it is punishment for creating a victim. Also, the focus of this issue has been placed on the Poor CAREER Criminal and taken off the VICTIM. Hey supporters (SOROS), Get a CLUE. Fact: three strikes has resulted in fewer victims of crime.

[gutshot]

Maybe Soros is worried about being convicted for more than three white-collar felonies.

[kingu]

SacBee Article -- Here's a brief off of the Johnandkenshow.com website... There were a lot of places Sherry Souza would rather have been Tuesday morning, but she spent it near the sun-baked road where her only child died five years ago. Souza and CeCe Stone, whose 19-year-old children were killed in the same drunken-driving wreck, held a press conference on a busy rural highway near Folsom to draw attention to a November ballot proposition they oppose because it includes a provision that could free their children’s killer from prison two years early. The women, campaigning against the measure whose overall purpose is to soften California’s “three-strikes” sentencing law, said they’re incensed because Jerry Keenan, the father of their children’s killer, has put more than $1.5 million of his own money into the “Yes on 66″ campaign.

The third strike can be any related felony, and really, it's the THIRD time someone has come before the court; I don't feel sorry for folks that already had two chances to clean up their life.

Most times, their victim doesn't even get one chance. But, if you really want to clean up the three strikes law, sounds fine to me. But it'd be nice if it could be done without trying to screw the system up even more by putting in hidden changes to our drunk driving laws.

[gridlock]

Therefore, it is not unreasonable that the law should apply to only violent or serious crimes.

Soros wants the law changed so Three Strikes no longer applies to burglary or auto theft, even burglary of an occupied house. And in order for somebody to get thrown away for burglary or auto theft on the third strike, they have to already have two violent felonies on their record.

You know, if I had a repeat convicted violent felon buglarizing my house, I would consider that a serious crime, wouldn't you?

Here's a hint for the California criminal class. If you have two violent felonies on your record, don't steal any cars or break into any houses. I mean, it's not rocket science!

[Doctor Stochastic]

The three-strikes law often induces the perp to leave no witnesses to the third crime. The British experience in the 1800s caused Scotland Yard to call for the reduction in the number of crimes for which the death penalty could be invoked.

[Wayne07]

The three-strikes law often induces the perp to leave no witnesses to the third crime.

I call BS. Can you back this up with some evidence of this in california since the start of the 3 strikes law?