Three Way News
Your Source. For everything. Really.
Contributors
- Hammer
- Jambo
- Libby Mae
Current Poll
Recurring features
Hammer's Favorites
- Dobson v. Sponge-Bob
- Calvin, the nest egg
- Pat's predictions
- Bachmann spins Cupertino
- 205 atheists assume the bench
- Fox spins Oil for Food
- Fact check: highest taxed state
- Gen. Myers v. Reality
- Janice Rogers Brown
- Killing Field
- Kline hates Big Bird
- Vote Luca Brasi!
- Cornyn's Stalinist Supreme Court
- Rumsfeld's hidden metrics
Jambo's Favories
- Dolphin research updates
- We all shine on
- If you have to write...
- Columnist NY Times should have
- Truth about taxes
- Fourth of July
- Movie objects
- Lost in supermarket
- Dysfunctional Farmer Labor party
- Punks you hated
- Some preacher from east
- Winning issues
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Strib asks Kline to help repeal senseless drug law
The Strib editorial today makes a world of sense. If John Kline won't follow such good advice, perhaps Coleen Rowley will make a pledge:
Since 2000, [the] Higher Education Act has barred students with drug convictions from access to federal financial aid.
So far, more than 160,000 students seeking federal aid have been turned away because they had drug records. It's a foolish law: Ample evidence shows that the surest shield against addiction relapse is a goal-oriented life -- the kind college pretty much guarantees. That's why addiction experts nationwide favor the ban's repeal.
Minnesota Rep. John Kline is perfectly situated to help arrange that outcome. He's a member of the House Education Committee, which will consider reauthorization of the Higher Education Act today. As written, the renewal bill calls only for a partial repeal. Former drug offenders would become eligible for aid, but students convicted of drug crimes while in college would still lose it.
And, of course, the rich kid who gets caught with pot isn't affected: mom and dad can foot the bill for college. It's the poor kid who makes a mistake who is much more likely to lose out on any chance for a college education. It's time to treat kids like kids: eager to explore and ready to make mistakes, but still able to learn from them.
3 Comments:
Rowley would be a better fit for the district. It's more conservative than some districts, but Bush only won 51% of the vote in 2004 and 2000. A strong centrist candidate would do well.
I still get a chuckle over the fact that Jeb Bush, with his drug addicted daughter (who has been convicted), hasn't been kicked out of his subsidized housing. Granted, its state money...but like you say, even if the rules apply, it don't matter much if you're rich and can bypass the punishment.
cp
By 
, at
9:00 AM
Drug crimes irritate the heck out of me. When I was doing public defender work, you'd have clients sent off to prison who would wait months or years for a bed in an appropriate treatment facility. Then you'd see similar situations where the accused would get probation because they could afford to pay to enroll in a private treatment facility.
<< Home
