The news media are enthralled with the drama of the wrestling match at the brink of the “fiscal cliff.” However, the taxpayers should keep their eyes on the equally gripping story of the budget shortfalls facing virtually every state. Our governors and state legislators are grappling with insolvent pension systems, ballooning Medicaid expenditures, skyrocketing prison costs and falling tax revenues. Still, there is good news. Rather than being paralyzed by partisan gridlock, state leaders have found bipartisan agreement on an important issue: criminal justice reform.
