In an ironic jest the governor of CA has proposed a constitutional amendment limiting prison spending to the levels that are spent on education. This is not an attempt to fund education or limit prison overpopulation. It is simply a cynical ploy to privatize the prison system. La Times has the story.
The governor is currently under a federal court mandate to spend money to treat his prisoners better. Prison overcrowding is a serious problem in CA and the obvious solution of changing sentencing guidelines for nonviolent crimes has been resisted this whole time. Rather than doing the right things this governor is intentionally trying to drive California into a ditch to justify ridiculous right wing fantasies of services without taxes through what he has called his 'shock doctrine'.
Prison privatization has failed in every state that has tried it. To justify going this route by pointing to our lack of funding for higher education is the height of hypocrisy. Keep in mind, California passed a balanced budget a long time ago. He vetoed it!
Privatization does not work for prisons, schools, or national parks, but people know that there would be a boatload of money to make ruining the system, and that is what this is all about. The corporate looters behind these proposals should look to Bernie Madoff as an example and try to make their eventual incarceration more tolerable.
We need to look no further than California to see that the failed right wing policies promoted by the yacht party are the worst thing we could have happen to the rest of the country. The Democrats may have some trouble organizing and solving these crises, but please don't forget who caused the problems in the first place! Criminal malfeasance should never be rewarded with capitulation.
End of rant.