Thursday, March 24, 2005

Supply is Not Endless


I wrote a blog back in February, “Texas is Running out of Prisons, Again” ( link via title bar ). It was about how a Sheriff in Arizona had saved the citizens a fortune, not a small one, a large one; by housing prisoners in tents. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure up how much money could be saved with such a program across the nation; I’ll settle for Texas at the moment.

I read this past week where the State of Texas is going to implement a “back door” income tax. They aren’t calling it an Income Tax; it’s a payroll tax that is paid “only” by the employer “before the employee is ever paid”. What’s the difference between a tax that is associated with an employee and a tax that is taken out as withholding? Texans have voted down the introduction of any form of Income Tax and the back door political move by “JoeBob Crabdick” is an insult and a slap in the face to all Texans. What do you think, Govna’ Perry?? I suppose you guys think we all fell off a turnip truck and this is the first time in the big city.

Before I forget to say it, “You guys in Austin make me want to puke in a bucket!” So, this is Austin’s idea of how to generate enough money to keep the great State of Texas solvent; taxing the hard working folks half to death today, then later on you can increase “this non income tax – income tax” so that it shows up on the other half of the pay stub. Like I said a moment ago, “You guys in Austin make me want to puke in a bucket!” I have a better idea, CUT SPENDING and use a big pencil as you go through the budget. You don’t have to turn off the faucet; you can turn it back a few turns, the supply is not endless

This morning I got one of those “pass this along if you agree” emails from a friend of mine. It appears to have originated from Robert Arnold, with a moniker “Factotum”.
I happen to agree so here is what he wrote:

TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONA COUNTY SHERIFF AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio (in Arizona) who created the "tent city jail":


He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them.

He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. Took away their weights.

Cut off all but "G" movies.He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects.Then he started chain gangs for women so he wouldn't get sued for discrimination.

He took away cable TV until he found out there was a federal court order that required cable TV for jails. So he hooked up the cable TV again only let in the Disney channel and the weather channel.When asked why the weather channel he replied, so they will know how hot it's gonna be while they are working on my chain gangs.

He cut off coffee since it has zero nutritional value.When the inmates complained, he told them, "This isn't the Ritz/Carlton. If you don't like it, don't come back."

He bought Newt Gingrich' lecture series on videotape that he pipes into the jails.When asked by a reporter if he had any lecture series by a Democrat, he replied that a democratic lecture series might explain why a lot of the inmates were in his jails in the first place.

More on the Arizona Sheriff:


With temperatures being even hotter than usual in Phoenix (116 degrees just set a new record), the Associated Press reports: About 2,000 inmates living in a barbed-wire-surrounded tent encampment at the Maricopa County Jail have been given permission to strip down to their government-issued pink boxer shorts.

On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 degrees inside the week before.Many were also swathed in wet, pink towels as sweat collected on their chests and dripped down to their pink socks.

"It feels like we are in a furnace," said James Zanzot, an inmate who has lived in the tents for 1 year. "It's inhumane."

Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates: "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and our soldiers are living in tents too, and they have to wear full battle gear, but they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your damned mouths!" (emphisis added)

Way to go, Sheriff! Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves.

If you agree, pass this on. If not, just delete it.

Sheriff Joe was just reelected Sheriff in Maricopa County



No comments: