Mannix breaks off talks on crime compromise

David Steves of the Register Guard reports that Kevin Mannix has broken off talks with legislators seeking to arrive at a compromise bill on an expensive property crimes initiative that former Gubernatorial candidate, Kevin Mannix has put on the 2008 ballot.

The measure, primarily funded by Loren Parks, will cost Oregon taxpayers approximately $200 million to fund, solves a problem that has been on a steady decline in Oregon since the mid-1990's.

Mannix credits his previous "tough on crime" legislation for the state's 46 percent drop in violent crime though violent crime has dropped by 38 percent nationally during the same period of time.

State prison costs have nearly tripled, from $365 million to more than $1 billion since the passage of Measure 11.