Killing a murderer ought to be much, much cheaper than keeping him in jail for life

Repealing Maryland's death penalty

But it’s not.

And it ought to scare would be murderers a lot more than life in prison, given the nature of American prisons.

Well, maybe not.

But, anyway, first, liberals made the death penalty ridiculously expensive and too full of uncertainty and delay to add a shred of extra deterrence.

Now they have the brass to argue for abolition because it’s too expensive and doesn’t provide added deterrence.

How about that?

But the truth is nobody cares whether or how far the law enforcement system really works on any terms.

The best that can be said for it is that it keeps some shitty and dangerous people off the streets for a while.

Actual deterrence requires not only reliable and severe punishment but a good chance that the guilty will be punished and a better chance of being punished if guilty than if not.

Do we have those things?

Does anyone care?

Republicans want lower taxes.

Democrats want to abolish the death penalty and to soften penalties across the board.

And that’s about all there is.