This is Change I Can Believe In

Jim Webb is truly a phenomenal United States Senator. He has the confidence and intelligence to tackle tough public policy problems that lesser politicians (99 percent of his colleagues in the country) dare not tackle out of concern of taking a hit in popularity, upsetting interest groups and/or upsetting established media narratives.

Per the Washington Post:

"I enjoy grabbing hold of really complex issues and boiling them down in a way that they can be understood by everyone," Webb said. "I think you can be a law-and-order leader and still understand that the criminal justice system as we understand it today is broken, unfair, locking up the wrong people in many cases and not locking up the right person in many cases."

I wish him all the best in his efforts to reform our incarceration infrastructure. The fact that more than 1 percent of the U.S. population is in jail is not only immoral, a serious indictment on the failings of our society (a black man without a high school diploma has a 60 percent chance of going to prison!), culture and public policies... it is bankrupting our state and local governments.

Furthermore, Webb is one of the few public officials with the credibility and the desire to challenge drug enforcement advocates. It is no secret our "War on Drugs" has been a complete unmitigated disaster.