Pubdate: Sun, 29 Aug 1999
Source: Star-Ledger (NJ)
Copyright: 1999 Star-Ledger
Contact:  1 Star-Ledger Plaza, Newark, N.J., 07102-1200
Website: http://www.nj.com/starledger/
Forum: http://forums.nj.com/
Author: Lois Erwin

FORTUNATE SON

The question is not just whether George W. Bush used illegal drugs when he
was younger. The question is whether he sees the hypocrisy of his hard-line
stance against today's youthful offenders. If a like-minded person had been
governor when Bush was a "youthful offender" and if he didn't have a
powerful father to smooth the way for him, he might well have a record today
and be ineligible for office. Instead, Bush was allowed his admitted
"youthful irresponsibility" and permitted to set his past aside and become
governor of Texas.

The young people he commits to jail terms under his "zero tolerance" policy
for drug use will have records that will follow them all their lives. Not
only will they be ineligible to hold office, they could very well find
themselves ineligible to be police officers, security guards or any other
job from which a record excludes them. Does Bush not recognize that his
"zero tolerance" will prevent these youthful offenders from profiting from
their mistakes as he profited from his? Is he mean-spirited, trying to score
points with his Texas constituents or is he just a hypocrite?

Lois Erwin, Waldwick 

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