A ‘second chance’

The days of locking up convicts and throwing away the key are over, if Sen. Sam Brownback has anything to say about it.

Brownback will soon introduce the Second Chance Act in Congress, according to the Los Angeles Times. The law “would dedicate millions of federal dollars to helping ex-convicts find jobs, housing and treatment for mental illness and addiction.”

“Recidivism rates are now higher than ever,” Brownback told the Times. “It’s time to take a different approach to make real and effective changes in the system — to offer prisoners a chance to become part of society in a positive way.”

March Madness

Brownback is widely believed to be a contender for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, but an unscientific poll suggests he’d lose the race to Condoleezza Rice.

The “Presidential March Madness” poll at surveysaintlouis. com pitted 64 Republicans against one another, NCAA Tournament-style, to determine the leading contender for 2008.

Brownback was seeded fourth in his bracket and defeated Texas Gov. Rick Perry in the first round of online voting, then outlasted Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley in the second round.

Rice, however, won the Sweet 16 showdown with Brownback, claiming nearly two-thirds of the 3,296 votes cast.

Social Security

Rep. Dennis Moore doesn’t often get attention from the national media, but the debate over changes to Social Security is changing all of that.

The reason? He has carefully staked out what little middle ground exists in the debate.

A recent Bloomberg News article, for example, labeled Moore a “deficit hawk” and a rare Democrat who could be persuaded to back President Bush’s call for private accounts.

“I don’t oppose at all private accounts as long as we don’t have to borrow money to do that,” Moore told Bloomberg.

Few experts believe that would be possible without raising taxes, however.