LETTER: Country wrong at many levels

For those of us that have lived long enough to remember when things were different, it is so very sad to watch the death of America as we once knew it.

No it was not perfect, but there was accountability for your actions as I remember it. Not so today. Just look at who we had running for president. I don’t believe either one has the morals or ethics of an alley cat; it’s all about them and what they can get.

I have lived long enough to remember when rape, murder, kidnapping and espionage could get you death or the rest of your life in prison, and as I read this paper I have to wonder what has happened not only in America but also here in Flathead County.

It costs a ton of money for local law enforcement to chase down our local criminals and to house them, but in almost all cases they are never charged in the end with the actual crimes they committed by the county attorney’s office.

It seems like major theft might be brought down to jaywalking just to get a plea to something. There is talk that we need another judge. My thoughts are about the ones we have — if the words “deferred sentence” and “probation” were taken from their vocabulary, there would be a lot fewer criminals appearing before them. So many are turned loose to prey on the public time and again. I see so many times when someone is arrested and they are under some kind of probation.

Another thing is there is absolutely no truth in sentencing. Take note of the woman who allowed her boyfriend to beat her baby to death, 20 years with 15 suspended; she will probably serve no more than 2 1/2, and the actual killer in all likelihood will never spend the 40 years he was sentenced to behind bars.

I would think the “Serve and Protect” motto for the police should apply to the county attorney’s office and the judges also. Make the criminals pay for their actual crimes and send them to prison. —Glen Hook, Kalispell