Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Legislative leaders in the state of California face opposition from the powerful lobby that represents the ridiculous prison system. Earlier this year, a panel of judges from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that California’s prison system does not meet the standards of the U.S. Constitution. The Court ordered California to reduce its prison population by 50,000 prisoners. Then, the State Senate responded with a bill that would release nonviolent offenders who had completed 80 percent of their time in prison, provided those prisoners had earned vocational skills or academic credentials while in prison. The prison lobbyists launched an attack on the legislation, and by the time the state assembly passed its version, the bill was watered down significantly. Not a single Republican, I understand, voted in favor of prison reform. Another victory for the prison lobbyists, and another loss for the California taxpayers.
I find a lot of irony in the process. Those who work in the human warehouses known as “corrections” like to consider themselves Republicans, or better yet “conservatives.” They claim to believe in the Constitution, in smaller government. Yet when the court says the prison system violates the constitution, they scream that the courts don’t have the right to intervene in California affairs. Those who work in “corrections” cling to their bloated salaries, to their taxpayer guaranteed pensions, to their government healthcare, to their overtime and total lack of accountability. Despite recidivism rates that suggest the system renders people less likely to succeed upon release, they demand their overtime, their benefits that come at taxpayer expense. These same people who scream about government spending and the sacredness of the constitution work for a system that judges have held violates the constitution, and demand that the government continue locking people in cages so the guards can enjoy their 4×4 pickups, motor homes, boats, and six-week vacation each year. So much for principled conservatism. Hypocrites!
This morning I began my work at 1:29, and by the time I put my writing away I finished chapter ten, began chapter eleven, and advanced the manuscript through page 471.
I ran 10 miles, bringing my running tally to 2,344 miles over the past 264 days.
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
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