I'm not saying they are destined to be criminals, but it just seems reasonable to help them out now. Rather than pay for it later. In fact, we might give a little more thought to lavishing our resources on children every time we get a chance. It is simply sound fiscal policy. The smaller they are, the cheaper it is to help them.
Day care is cheaper than remedial reading tutors in elementary school.
Reading tutors in elementary schools are cheaper than armed guards and metal detectors in high schools. It's cheaper to pay for a child psychologist's time than to pay for a lifetime of incarceration. And this is not even counting the bleeding-heart stuff like despair and unrealized human potential. This will be hotly debated over the next few months. I hope that our legislators will remember that children who grow up ignorant and desperate will be in our pockets for the rest of our lives.