Ranting

I've personally never even really thought about politics or government too much before this class. There are just so many topics and issues, it's hard to pick one thing I really care about. I also hate having to take sides on issues, because personally I think most of the time both parties have really good points, I'm a very undeceive person. One thing I've always relied on and cared about were crimes and punishment. I firmly believe the punishment should fit the crime, simple as that. I'm not educated very well on the legal system, how it works, and it's loopholes, so all my assumptions and opinions are based on past experiences, news articles I've read, and testaments from well-trusted friends. Over the years I can say, for the most part, I'm worried/disgusted with how our legal systems handle people who commit crime. I really began questioning our legal system a few years ago, after an incident that really hurt me emotionally. A few years ago, one of my good friends car broke down on the highway around midnight, as he was tending to his car on the side of the road a drunk driver hit him and ended his life. He just turned 18. The drunk driver served one year in jail, and had 10 years of probation. Another friend of mine was caught spray painting graffiti and was sentenced to two years in prison, with another 5 years probation after that, not including a hefty fine. That isn't right in my opinion. Someone who spray paints a wall should not have to do more time in jail then someone who took another persons life. I understand graffiti can be a problem, but having to serve time in prison for a non-violent crime? That seems a little unjust. And not to mention child rapist being able to make parole after a few years in prison, most sex-crime offender have a past in doing those types of crimes but yet they still keep being released into the public to wreck more peoples lives. Drug laws seem to be getting a little out of control too. Billions and billions of tax paying dollars spent on the "War on Drugs" and really nothing to show for it. A lot of the money is spent on keeping non-violent drug offenders in jail, why? I would think they should be sent to a rehabilitation center instead of being kept in prison full of violent criminals. I just think that our government really needs to start re-looking into how and who runs our legal system, and make punishments that fit that actually fit the crime, and keep dangerous people in prisons where they belong. I'm just ranting on what bothers me with our government, I know other people might think those punishments are perfectly just. Like I said it's just an opinion I've formed over the years.