quote:

---

"I will just say from the standpoint of someone who's up for reelection, I've never had a constituent approach me and say, "Gee Senator, we need more people on probation" or "I wish you would parole more felons." Not a single constituent."
-- Texas State Senator Steve Ogden (R-Bryan)

---

And yet, every session . . .

Funny, that was exactly the context in which it was said during the hearing two weeks ago ....

a constituent say "Could you PLEASE raise taxes so that there is enough $ to lock them all up for the maximum term and throw away the key". Or even heard a constituent say " could you PLEASE raise my taxes - they are not nearly high enough!

However, in 1993, when the Legislature put out a bond issue to the public for a 1 billion dollar bond to pay for construction of prisons, it passed overwhelmingly. As it would today.

An excellent point, JB ... and probably also an excellent example of the disconnect between our elected legislators and the public at large.