Nothing beats a little ground breaking vision to get folks saying negative things about a new policy or direction. Republican A.G. Henry McMaster is exactly the type of forward thinking, commonsense leader America needs. He truly is Today’s Leader, and Tomorrow’s Future. From The State:

S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster is working behind the scenes this summer to build support for dramatic statewide judicial reform that few other states have attempted.

His sweeping plan is to abolish parole for all of the state’s prisoners while diverting first-time, nonviolent offenders to something called Middle Court, an alternative court that would provide drug treatment and other rehabilitative services but not prison. A model for this approach is the state’s drug courts.

A chorus of critics say the proposal lacks details. More importantly, they say, it would require new spending in a state unwilling to fully fund its current prison system.

“What’s missing from this plan is any willingness at all to pay for the consequences of this proposal,” said Jon Ozmint, director of the state’s Department of Corrections, who ran against McMaster in the 2002 Republican primary race for attorney general. “It’s a Trojan horse.”

McMaster’s proposal failed to clear either the House or Senate this past legislative session. But McMaster, who has been mentioned as a gubernatorial candidate in 2010, said he’s certain it will pass when the General Assembly convenes again in January.

“A new idea takes more than one session to percolate through,” he said.

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