You know it's bad when the left-leaning Editorial Board at USA Today raises red flags about Wisconsin's pro-criminal "budget".

     As I've written before, dismantling truth-in-sentencing and releasing felons early as proposed in the current State budget is a recipe for disaster.  When the criminals who are released early commit new crimes - as they inevitably will - blood will be on the hands of every legislator who voted for this foolish nod to political correctness.

     In its Monday edition, the editors at USA Today (hardly a conservative editorial page) argue how irresponsible it is to release inmates early.  As evidence, they point to what has been happening in Kentucky: 

     "Last year, in a bid to save $30 million over two years, the Legislature started granting early releases to inmates.  Only after 2,500 prisoners were on the way out the door did the legislators realize that in their rush, they had unleashed viloent felons and sex offenders along with less dangerous prisoners.  At least 154 violent felons have been released, as well as 25 sex offenders.  Four were inadvertently released even though they had already been indicted for other crimes.  Only a few months into the effort, five had returned to prison sporting new felony convictions. ... ".

     The editorial concludes: "So far, the early-release programs don't even look like honest budgeting.  They only stop the flow of red ink temporarily, potentially replacing it witjh something else the same color - blood!"

     If the Governor and several Democrats in Wisconsin get their way, almost every criminal currently serving time in the State prison system will see their sentences reduced.  Several classes of what I consider to be dangerous offenders - repeat drunk drivers, large scale drug dealers and the like - will be dumped back into the community in the very near future.  They will re-offend again - and we will all pay the price.

     More sober minds need to intervene and stop the Lena Taylor's and Pedro Colon's of the State Legislature before it's too late.  In other words, it's time for some grown-ups to emerge and take control.  Otherwise, as USA Today notes: States releasing prisoners early may pay for it later.   

     Actually, it won't be the State that "pays" the costs of this irresponsible plan.  Rather, it will be the law-abiding citizens of the State.  You know who you are.  The silent majority of citizens who are getting shafted by this anti-business, anti-taxpayer, pro-criminal budget that is moving through Madison like a freight train.