MORONIC IDEA: TEXAS SENATOR SUPPORTS RELEASE OF FOREIGN BORN NON-VIOLENT OFFENDERS EARLY FROM PRISON

Sometimes you just wonder about the people we've elected to run this state and country. An article today in the Austin American Statesman and later in the Houston Chronicle quotes Texas state Senator Eddie Lucio as saying that deportation of some non-violent Texas prison offenders to their country of origin might be a good idea as a money saver AND a money generator for Texas.

Bad idea, Eddie.

Here's the quote:

"It could mean a lot of jobs, economic development, because the federal government will have to find a place to put them before they deport them," said state Sen. Eddie Lucio, a Brownsville Democrat who is championing a two-part plan to empty state prisons of many of the nearly 11,400 foreign nationals by turning them over to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials for deportation.
He said that ICE would need additional holding facilities for the soon-to-be deported criminals and that federal money might be available to pay for them and the jobs they would they create.
"This could be a win-win situation for Texas," said Lucio, noting that South Texas might benefit from such a program since that's where many federal immigration detention centers already are located.

You can read the whole article here at http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/lawmakers-discuss-deporting-foreign-convicts-352470.html

I think the problem might be that Eddie IS NOT THINKING. Fortunately, the article quotes a legislator with a sensible opinion on the matter, and I hope that his attitude is the prevailing one in our state legislature next year.

"It shouldn't be a reward to get out of prison early in Texas just because you're in this country illegally," said state Rep. Jerry Madden, R-Plano, the former chairman of the House Corrections Committee, which explored possible deportations two years ago as a way to save money.

"If you deport them and they come back and commit another crime, nobody wins."

That's right, Jerry. You've got the interests of Texas and Texans at heart, brother. I say if Lucio wants to sponsor this plan, just write in an addition to his proposed legislation that ALL LEGISLATORS who vote for this idiocy become PERSONALLY LIABLE in case one of these crooks sneaks back in and victimizes someone else.

I think that would fix Eddie's visions of idiocy right away.

Eddie also needs to think about the rest of Texas instead of just looking for jobs for his district. Common sense will tell you THAT WE ALREADY HAVE PEOPLE WORKING IN THIS STATE AS PRISON GUARDS GUARDING FOREIGN INMATES! I know, I know, common sense must be in short supply in Senator Eddie's office, but it would seem like someone on his staff might mention that to him.

NOTE TO SELF: If Eddie Lucio ever runs for statewide office, remind his opponents of his pork barrel attempts and his hair brained ideas about deporting inmates.

If I were a foreign citizen, read "illegal alien", I'd be all for this plan. Freedom, yes sirree. All illegal aliens in our prison system get deported anyway after doing their time, so it's not like that doesn't already happen.

First off, those serving "non-aggravated" sentences in Texas are serving, for the most part, mere fractions of the time given them by juries and judges. A two year sentence is reduced to mere months, and so on. So it's not like these "non-violent criminals", for the most part, are looking at doing any significant portion of the sentence a judge or jury gave them or that they plea bargained for. To me, as a Texan, it is a joke the way that "non-violent offenders" do so little of the actual time they are given.

Secondly, those soft on crime like to use the term "non-violent criminal" as if to connote that the criminal caused less injury than a violent one. In most cases, this is just not true. There is almost always a victim, even if that victim is society in general.

Let's look at some non-violent criminals who would be facing early release under Eddie's plan:

-Identity thieves
-thieves
-forgers
-credit card and currency counterfeiters
-drug dealers
-couriers of illegal drugs
-habitual drunk drivers


I have an idea that State Representative Madden should tack on to any bill that Sen. Eddie tries to float regarding this issue. If Eddie introduces a bill supporting the early release of these inmates, just tack on a proviso that once transported to Eddie's district, they will all be given free bail so that they can live in Eddie's district pending deportation and deportation hearings. If possible, make it a condition that they live a mile from Eddie's house.

This will generate all kinds of jobs for Eddie's constituents. More police and sheriff employees to handle the crime wave that will hit his senate district, and the cost of this crime to the folks who elected this joke. But that way, his district, via their county and city taxes, will pay for all of these jobs, and not my federal tax money.

Finally, has anyone wondered what would happen if the Mexican authorities refused to accept an en mass deportation of thousands of felons back into Mexico? Since we basically walk them across the bridge, would this really be a good deal for the already chaotic border cities of Mexico?

What if Mexico said, "Well, so sorry but we're not claiming them anymore, and we refuse to accept them"?