Colorado spends too much on incarceration, he said, and we cannot sustain our present course into the future. Well, maybe the governor has a point. In fact he didn't go far enough. An awful lot of money goes into law enforcement and emergency response services. That's an absurd proposal, of course, intended to underscore that not all government programs are of equal worth to society.
Some government services are essential to safeguarding life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Others are not. Among the services provided by government, protecting peace, order and public safety is the most vital. It would be nice to believe that the governor and other like-minded people go through such an analysis when they propose something like shorter sentences in order to divert money elsewhere. But there is no sign that is so. Coloradans can only hope that members of the legislature, who will ultimately decide this matter, approach their responsibility more seriously than the governor has.