Many of you that know me or have followed my blog (ronsuarez.com), know there are two national issues that greatly concern me.
One is the war in Iraq. Our concept of creating an open democratic Iraq may have been well intended but our attempts to do it by force have been a very expensive mistake.
The other issue is the incarceration rate in the US. We have the highest per capita incarceration of any country in the world that has reliable statistics. The high US incarceration is a result of very hash sentences for consensual drug related offenses. This attempt to change social behavior by force and punitive action has also been an expensive failure. We have expanded courts and prisons instead of the programs and social services that might reduce the basic problem or the high rate of recidivism.
The proposed police and courts building follows this same mistaken logic. Some improvements need to be made to the present facilities and the police need more space, but we are spending far too much on a structure emphasizing force and punishment. Some supporters of a new facility have argued that it is cheaper to own than to rent. However, too little effort has gone into the investigation of buying existing buildings and refurbishing them to meet whatever space needs the City may have.
The very large cost of this building will require cuts in the social programs and services. I do not believe that this is in the best interest of the citizens of Ann Arbor. At the very least Council and the Mayor should Ask the Voters First before the city greatly increases its debt. The citizens should decide if this is the direction they want for our city's future.