This one struck home since it uses comments from my county's sheriff (Mike Blakely), who is an acquaintance of mine and a mighty fine lawman.
Mike's jail is known locally for serving pretty good food. One thing the Fox story fails to mention - beans, greens, squash, cornbread, and sweet tea is a classic southern meal that is quite popular in homes and local restaurants too. I can attest to it's being "mighty good eatin'".
I think that's a great program and wish other government agencies could be so frugal. When you hear of success stories on saving tax payer dollars, instead of abolishing the programs they should institute them for other states and other areas of government. Wouldn't you love to see such restraint on Congress for their expense accounts? Maybe implimenting the Walmart traveling requirements on them where they had to share a room with another congressman at a budget motel to save tax payers in their district tax money!
Exactly. These are PRISONERS after all. I like the logic of Joe Arpaio, the famous sheriff in Arizona. He started feeding his jail bag lunches of bologna sandwiches, a bag of chips, and a piece of fruit years ago. The logic being if it is good enough for the typical American worker then it is certainly adequate for a prisoner. Where it was written that jails had to serve three hot meals a day, I don't know.
To be honest, my county's jail inmates ate better on the day mentioned in the news report than I usually do.
As you know, I retired from TVA. When I first joined the agency in the early 1980's, we had a bloated workforce but oddly enough the company cars and travel was tight. We had a fleet of Chevettes with no air conditioning or radios. Travel per diem was very tight and a Motel 6 style place was required. We were expected to eat cheap meals unless we paid for it ourselves.
Things got more extravagant over the years, and it was embarrassing a few years ago when a TV station learned that TVA had leased a skybox at a NASCAR speedway to entertain bigwigs.
I like the logic of Joe Arpaio, the famous sheriff in Arizona.
I love that guy! He's also the one who got tired of his inmates pants sagging off their butts in lockup and especially when they did road crew work and such in public places. He had a dress code in place but the inmates refused to follow it. Sooooooo, he ordered all new prison underwear in pink! Now if their pants droop their pink panties show. No more problem with dress code! My brother is a foreman for a big glass company in Ohio. He heard this story and got an idea to save his company money. The guys would lose or forget their hard hats when they'd show up to the job site. The company would provide loaners and they'd then turn up missing constantly. He ordered pink loaner hard hats and not amazingly, nobody ever loses or forgets to bring their hard hat any more.
Folks who come up with such brilliant sollutions to everyday prolems that resolve such problems are to be commended and emulated. But there are always those who prefer to coddle. The ACLU contemplated bringing suit against Joe for violating the prisoners civil rights. Where does it say someone has the right while in prison to a certain color underwear or to show it to the public? I think a few parents who don;t like the way their kids dress could learn from Joe.
I remember the pink underwear flap. He also erected a tent city to house inmates and took away their smoking privileges. Sounds like when I was in boot camp at Parris Island - except for the pink underwear .
I remember 10 or 15 years ago Alabama reinstated chain gangs. They did a lot of road work and other things, but of course the do-gooders were aghast and ended up getting the program stopped.
My Dad was a cook in the California Prison system. He used to hate hungry strikes. They still had to cook food for everyone. The prisoners who did not want to strike did so anyway out of fear. They had to march them thru the chow line.... then throw most of it away and prepare the next meal. I do not know if it is the same now but 20 years ago California would only feed 10% left overs. Man I love left overs . Dad always wished they could just quit cooking and wait for the guys to start begging for food. Oh course they could not do that.
Thanks Dave. Dad never had a problem in the prison . He worked for the CYA (California Youth Authority) for a few years before he transfer to the Prison system. He did not like it there. The kids were out to prove a point and most carried a big chip. The older prisoner as a whole were not a problem and had nothing to prove, just wanted to do their time.
Ric we do pay Cal Trans big bucks, but from the looks of the road in Northern Ca, I am not sure they clean them.
Had to add this. We will in a high fire danger area. Every year the Firemen make their rounds to inspect property. The want to make sure you have all high weeds and fire danger cleared for 100' around all buildings. They say it cost too much to send those big trucks and crews out to inspect. This year they are sending out postcards. Asking us to fill them out and check out the boxes saying we did a self inspection. I think they should get a high mileage car of some kind and send a couple of guys out. Those that do not clean are not going to turn themselves in.
Work is not cruel and unusual punishment. I was always taught it was good for the body and soul. Lord knows prison inmates can use anything possible that will help their souls. I guess it must embarrass the poor dears to be seen in chains. We certainly don't want them to have low self esteem issues, then we'll have to invest in counselors and shrinks to make them feel better about themselves. What has happened to prison being punishment. Being sentanced to XX years of hard labor has become XX years of cable TV and fitness facilities in some prisons. We could use the low cost labor to help rebuild our infrastructure and keep our highways clean among other things they could do to repay their debt to society.
I guess I'm just not sensative enough to their needs and rights. They probably had a rough upbringing. Their parents probably even spanked them! Can you imagine, no wonder they had to stoop to a life of crime.
I think sheriff Joe has the right idea. I don't understand why we can't do that all across the US. Just as I don't understand how illegal aliens can get food stamps, housing assistance, cars, and medical care while citizens can't. I don't understand why work is cruel and unusual punishment for prisoners, yet I have to do it every day. Why can't prisoners grow and can their own food? I do. I don't slaughter animals, but I do grow veggies and berries. Why is it cruel and unusual punishment for prisoners? Too bad Ricky Ricardo isn't around to have them do some "splaining".
We can't have prisoners taking jobs away from the folks coming across the border, then they'd have to rely on more Gov't hand outs like those food stamps and housing allowances. They don't even call them food stamps any more. They get a credit card so there is no shame in paying with it at the supermarket.
Things have certainly changed in my lifetime. There once was so much shame involved in getting handouts people would work 2 full time jobs and a part time job to avoid having to mooch off the system. Now we have folks who make their living finding ways to not only get that money rather than work any job, but scam the system to get as much as possible. I grew up in Appalachia, in easten Ky. My folks never had much and with 4 kids it wasn't always easy to get by. We never went hungry and never thought of ourselves as poor although at times we'd probably have fit the definition. Folks just worked as long and as hard as they needed to to take care of their families. If that meant the kids needed to work and contribute, they did, willingly. Now a household considered poor may have two cars in the driveway, two or more TVs WITH CABLE and video games attached! and CELL PHONES! But they use their Gov't card to buy their groceries and watch cable and play the video games instead of looking for that second or third job. They don't need to, they can rely on the taxpayer to provide housing and meals.
Sorry for the rant, I think prisoners can and should work. More importantly, I think those not in prison (at least one with bars, you can make the case that being on the public dime is a form of prison itself) should be offered positions to clean the highways and other non-skilled labor right along side the folks in orange suits. Or train them to build and repair the highways. Why should these things be contracted out to outside firms when we have a labor market in our institutions and sitting at home on the couch drawing assistance.
They don't even call them food stamps any more. They get a credit card so there is no shame on paying with it at the supermarket.
They are called "EBT" Cards. Electronic Benefits Transfer.
Roosevelt's New Deal had many bad things in it, but one good program was the Civil Conservation Corps. It provided jobs to men in a quasi-military environment, but it allowed people who were unemployed to have some dignity, a small wage, and be productive. The CCC built many bridges, roads, cleared land, etc. Much of their work still stands.
it allowed people who were unemployed to have some dignity, a small wage, and be productive.
The small wage may have paid for the groceries but in that time, I'll bet the majority would have said that the dignity part you refer to was the greatest benefit. There is indeed dignity in earning your way through life and independence from Gov't hand outs.
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. Dad always wished they could just quit cooking and wait for the guys to start begging for food. Oh course they could not do that.
