Ballot Measure 61 appears to me to be too expensive for the taxpayers of Oregon to afford at this time.

The Oregon Department of Corrrections estimates a cost to taxpayers of up to $200 million yearly.

While I have not totally made up my mind to support Ballot Measure 57, it is the measure I’m leaning towards.

I support mandatory sentences for certain offenses as I believe this is a strong deterrent. I also believe in drug treatment in attempting to bring these people back to a productive life. Measure 57 has provisions for both these issues.

Measure 57 is not cheap,either, with a $40 million price tag for drug rehabilitation each biennium. Oregon Department of Corrections has estimated this measure could cost up to $70 million per year.