A day after the FBI released its yearly crime data showing that murder rose yet another 4% in 2021 after rising almost 30% in 2020, President Joe Biden announced that he is pardoning everyone convicted of marijuana possession.
Rampant crime has been a major focus of Republican campaign advertisements against Democrats this election year, and Democrats deserve every single attack. Across the country, Democrats have been defunding police departments, decriminalizing offenses like bus fare jumping, and supporting prosecutors that refuse to prosecute gun possession and other misdemeanors.
BIDEN TO PARDON PRIOR FEDERAL SIMPLE MARIJUANA POSSESSION OFFENSES
Young men are very aware that law enforcement in Democratic jurisdictions will not enforce these laws, which is why crime is rising around the country.
Voters know it too, which is why they overwhelmingly tell pollsters they trust the Republican Party more on crime than Democrats. More than three-quarters of voters identify crime as a “major problem” in the country right now, and 60% say the issue will play a “major role” in deciding who they will vote for this November.
It is hard to understand why exactly Democrats think pardoning people convicted of marijuana possession will help reduce crime. It must be the same logic that leads them to believe the solution to the border crisis is to release those immigrants arrested for illegally crossing the southern border into the country more quickly.
Compassion can be a noble virtue when applied thoughtfully. When applied broadly and indiscriminately and in a manner that undermines the rule of law, it can make the very communities we are trying to protect a lot less safe.
