Crime has consequences — or at least, it’s supposed to. But in recent years, “progressive” prosecutors and politicians have experimented with a dangerous idea: cashless bail. The theory was noble enough — don’t keep poor people locked up just because they can’t pay. The reality? Criminals back on the streets before the ink on their arrest reports was dry.

Communities across the country learned the hard way. Shoplifters became repeat offenders. Carjackers were arrested one day and back out the next. Even violent criminals found themselves walking free, emboldened by a system that signaled their actions carried no immediate cost. Victims felt abandoned. Police felt demoralized. And ordinary citizens lived in fear.

That’s why President Trump’s executive order cracking down on cashless bail matters. It ties federal funding to jurisdictions that insist on these reckless policies. If cities want Washington’s dollars, they have to prove they’re taking crime seriously.

Predictably, the Left is outraged. They cry about equity and systemic bias. But where’s their outrage when a grandmother gets mugged by someone who should have been behind bars? Where’s their equity for the shopkeeper who closes early because thieves keep raiding his store? Real equity means protecting the law-abiding, not pampering the lawless.

The truth is, bail isn’t perfect. But it’s a safeguard — a way to make sure people don’t treat arrest like a revolving door. Removing it altogether isn’t reform; it’s chaos.

Trump’s order sends a clear message: law and order isn’t optional. Justice means accountability, not excuses. If progressive cities want to run social experiments, they can do it on their own dime — not the taxpayers’.