I didn't dismiss anything - I just don't think that is an important factor, hyperbole notwithstanding. There would be no need to pay for more and better prisons if there weren't so many people jailed for victimless crimes.

Besides, voters don't choose to pay taxes or not. Politicians are the ones who decide on tax levels and what the money should be spent on. The reality is that there is a disconnect between voters and their alleged "representatives", as evidenced by the fact that they are normally selected by a majority of less than 1-2% of those voting, but barely half of those eligible bother to vote. In addition, many of those voting are there because of a single hot-button issue and the topic of adequate prisons, for example, may never come up during an election.