I continue to be amazed at groups that kowtow to convicted felons. In Virginia, special interest groups are urging Democrat Governor Mark Warner to restore the voting rights of 10,000 convicted felons.

In Virginia, anyone convicted of a felony loses certain rights, including the right to vote, to hold public office and to serve on a jury.

Most states automatically restore a felon's right to vote once he or she has completed a sentence, paid fines and made restitution. But Virginia is one of seven states where felons lose their voting rights for life.

The governor has the power to restore all citizenship rights, except for the right to possess a gun...

Warner already simplified the process by streamlining the paperwork.

I think the bulk of the problem is actually caused by lawmakers and prosecutors. To appear tough on crime, politicians have steadily increased the penalties and reclassified what used to be minor crimes as felonies. Call it the 'Felonization of America' if you will, but crimes that used to be somewhat mundane are now being zealously prosecuted for political gain. Simple drug possession, traffic fines, or filling in that mud puddle in your back yard can get you slapped with a felony. Malice and potential to do harm often don't even enter into the equation.

For instance, here in Virginia a teacher was recently charged for keeping a handgun in their car. The teacher had a permit to lawfully carry a concealed handgun, but apparently didn't realize that he could not even leave it locked in his car on school property. The law changes to permit such an act on July 1st, but since it happened in April, he's facing a felony gun possession charge. So on July 1st, no harm no foul. Up until June 30th, Class 6 felony. Even after July 1st, non-permit holders are subject to felony possession for having a gun on any "portion of any property open to the public used for school-sponsored functions."

I know Ohioans who are reluctant to lawfully carry a firearm, because a simple violation of the statute is classified as a felony rather than a misdemeanor. You have to ask yourself, is it worth risking a felony for tripping over the legaleze put in there by lawmakers?

But I digress. The point is that there are so many crimes classified as felonies, it's hard to weed the good from the bad. I think that a rapist or murderer should never have their rights restored. But someone who was charged with reckless driving in a non-injury accident should absolutely have their rights restored after they've paid their debt to society. The same goes for anyone caught in the Martha Stewart Catch-22, where investigators can't find any evidence of a real crime, so instead they charge people with not cooperating in the witch hunt.

When it comes to restoring the rights of convicted felons, it should be done on a case by case basis, rather than blanket amnesty doled out for political gain. (And yes, that means you George Ryan.)