Rand Paul and Patrick Leahy: Join Us to Do Away With Mandatory Minimums

[cali]

Attorney General Eric Holder's decision not to pursue mandatory minimum sentences for certain drug cases is an encouraging step. Few have criticized the merits of his proposal, but some say that it is for Congress, not the executive branch, to take action. To them we say: we are ready. Join us.

Mandatory minimums are costly, unfair and do not make our country safer. They have played a major role in overcrowding our prisons and have confined us to an unsustainable and irresponsible economic path. In just the last three decades, the federal prison population has soared by almost 800 percent. There is increasing bipartisan support to reverse this trend, and it will take Congress to pass legislation to accomplish that goal.

In March, we introduced the Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013, which allows judges greater flexibility in sentencing federal defendants where mandatory minimums are considered unnecessary. Existing federal law provides a "safety valve" for a very narrow range of offenders in drug cases otherwise subject to a mandatory minimum sentence, but the law has proven insufficient.

Our bill would expand that safety valve to more defendants in more types of cases and has earned support from across the political spectrum, including conservative columnist George Will, Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist, former National Rifle Association President David Keene, the New York Times, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, and more than 50 former federal prosecutors and judges.

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http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/is-eric-holder-making-a-good-move-on-mandatory-minimums/rand-paul-and-patrick-leahy-congress-is-read-to-do-away-with-mandatory-minimums

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. I stand with Rand Paul and Patrick Leahy on this.

I also give kudos to Holder for his speech Monday telling prosecutors to lay off the mandatory minimum charges.

Of all the things America can be proud of, being the world's leading jailer isn't one of them.

[former9thward]

2. This would be a good reform.

They have lost the war on drugs. Admit and now its time to go another direction.

[Comrade Grumpy]

3. Kick for federal sentencing reform. The momentum is mounting.

[AlinPA]

4. Rand Paul working with a Democrat?? I thought this was from the Onion.

[cali]

5. Not the Onion, and I'm glad this has bipartisan support

[Lee-Lee]

6. When it comes to drug policy, we have allies in the libertarians

And on a lot of other stuff too.

[morningfog]

7. Recommend. My first pre-coffee reading of the headline was "Join Us to do away with

minimum wage" I couldn't believe Leahy would support that. But, would not be surprised if Paul did. Glad to see it is man mins instead.

[cali]

8. kick for kitties.

[bvar22]

9. Uh-Oh... You really messed up.

You clearly never read the memo that says,
"if Rand Paul (or Ron Paul or Ralph Nader) is FOR something,
you MUST be AGAINST it to be a "Good Democrat".

Just look at the current Greatest Page for a depressing display of this
New Politics for the Uninformed and Just Plain Lazy.

[eridani]

10. Wait a minute. Aren't we supposed to be against everything either Ron or Rand is for? n/t