Conservatives and Liberals Agree: Law Enforcement Should be Funded Locally

Funny how things catch up with you. Back in 2005, as Director of Government Affairs for the National Taxpayers Union, I (along with several other conservative leaders including Grover Norquist) signed an open letter outlining our groups’ collective opposition to expanded federal subsidies for local law enforcement.

Well, as the Santa Fe Reporter has found, this federal program has been expanded dramatically (nearly tripled) under President Obama’s so-called “stimulus” program. Funds from the program, as The Reporter notes in a detailed article, were used in part for a mistaken drug raid in Española.

Law enforcement — like nearly all other government programs — are better left to local government. President Obama certainly does not understand this fact and his “stimulus” is a great example.