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Ritter wields power of life, and death
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The latest debate raging through the halls of the Capitol building is whether or not Colorado should outlaw the death penalty. House Bill 1274, a bill to repeal the act, is on a fast track to the Governors office, where it may be met with an unpopular veto pen from Democratic Governor Bill Ritter.
The bill recently passed through the House by a single vote. The tally was basically split down party lines with every Republican voting against repealing the act, except Don Marostica, R-Loveland, and Democrats voting for it, with few exceptions.
Of course, the only logical answer is to get rid of it. I don’t know how any person could be for the death penalty when it so clearly violates American standards of civilization.
From a moral, and a financial perspective the death penalty just doesn’t make sense. It actually costs the state more to keep an inmate on Death Row than it does to feed them three crummy meals a day in a penitentiary. From a moral perspective it’s stated pretty clearly in the Ten Commandments that “Thou Shall Not Kill.” More to the point, there have been numerous cases of innocent people being released from Death Row with the help of new technology. So why’s there even a debate?
Why do Republicans, the party that claims to be more fiscally responsible than Democrats, favor the death penalty when it costs millions more to enforce? Why do Republicans, who claim to be the god-fearing, pro-life party of America, continue to support the death penalty when it so clearly goes against their Christian beliefs?
I presume they’re still trying to hang onto their last remnants of respectability, during the Reagan era, when Republicans were supposed to be tough on crime.
But more importantly, why does Gov. Riiter continue to support a provision that hasn’t been enacted since 1977?
He’s a devout Christian so he knows the Ten Commandments. He’s a former prosecutor so he knows the penalty isn’t useful in deterring criminals. He’s also a Governor trying to squeeze as much money out of the state as possible, so he must know it doesn’t make sense financially.
I cannot speak for the governor but he must like playing god, because his pen alone wields the power of life and death before us.
