Pubdate: Sun, 27 Sep 2009 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2009 The Toronto Star Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456 Author: Russell Barth MAKING A BID TO INCREASE CRIME Re: Conservatives too tough on prisoners: report, Sept. 24 The headline is misleading and will actually help the federal Conservatives solidify their myopic voter base. They aren't being "tough;" they are deliberately trying to increase crime. An increase in crime will demand more cops, more courts and fewer rights for average citizens. The whole thing is a scam designed to stimulate the law-enforcement and incarceration industry, because crime has been dropping for more than a decade and they can no longer justify hiring more cops and building more jails. They need an increase in crime to make an increase in anti-crime spending more palatable for the public. The U.S. policy has been a huge success in this regard, making a handful of people very rich at the expense of taxpayers. Russell Barth, Nepean