No-penalty shoplifting was a California reality until voters passed Proposition 36 in November. Opponents of the new law remain vocal as the results of its enforcement come into view. And of course, their opposition is based upon dreams of “proportionality” at the expense of order.
Previously, Democratic lawmakers’ realized “proportionality” was a law that charged shoplifters with no more than a misdemeanor provided the stolen items valued less than $950, and also charged open drug use, possession, and the like with a misdemeanor, if punished at all.
This system led, naturally, to streets and stores run rampant with theft and delirium. Observers on both sides of the issue, those sympathetic and those fed up, could see there was a huge problem but disagreed on just how untenable the situation was. Thus Proposition 36 came about, reclassifying much of the shoplifting…
