Often times I’m all in favor of decriminalizing things. If the “crime” breaks no legs and picks no pockets, then I have a hard time seeing why it’s any of the governments business. So the Dallas, Texas, District Attorney John Creuzot’s recent plan on decriminalizing marijuana possession? Fine, great, wonderful. But there’s something else that I, and a *lot* of other people, do have a problem with:

Dallas County District Attorney’s Office to Dismiss Many Misdemeanor, State Jail Felony Cases

Theft of Necessary Items

Creuzot said his office will not prosecute theft cases where the value is under $750 unless the evidence shows the theft was for economic gain.

“Study after study shows that when we arrest, jail, and convict people for non-violent crimes committed out of necessity, we only prevent that person from gaining the stability necessary to lead a law-abiding life. Criminalizing poverty is counter-productive for our community’s health and safety,” Creuzot said.

Basically, he wants to legalize the theft of food and diapers and the like. If you owned a small grocery store in his jurisdiction… wouldn’t you consider packing up and closing your doors?

Not only is this economically insane (by legalizing theft, it’s essentially back-door communism), it’s also quite insulting. Just because someone is poor doesn’t mean they’re fricken’ thieves. You do not “criminalize poverty” when you make it illegal to steal stuff; you’re criminalizing theft. But the DA here sees no difference between the poor and thieves.

I look forward to watching his run for the Dem Presidential nomination with interest.