I was reading in the newspaper that it costs us about $97 per inmate for the upkeep of the facility, utilities, TV, etc. I am thinking to myself we spend so much money to keep people who have committed serious crimes comfortable--I realize that we are bound to treat them with respect, clothe and feed them, bed, running water. But we are paying for their TV, computers, weight rooms, etc.
Next I read how some inmates are taking part in a speech class. These inmates pay their dues (as we PAY them a small amount for working in different areas). The article goes on to say many involved are life imprisoned. That these inmates committed murder, accessory to murder,or other crimes that put them there for 10 years to life.
Our tax dollars are footing the bill for comforts that our homeless do not have. Seems our society is a bit off kilter. We are clothing, employing, feeding, and entertaining the imprisoned, when we have a huge unemployment rate and homeless persons. This does not make sense to me! We are PAYING convicts, even a small wage so that they can purchase things from the prison STORE! When we don't have enough jobs for those who have NOT committed crimes.
I realize that we are going to provide for those imprisoned, but why do we give them email accounts and televisions. They LOST their priviledge to these things when they committed a crime to put them there for life.
Would you give to a charity that gave to inmates OR would you give to a charity that helped impoverished families, and the homeless? I know where my dollars would go to, and yet I have NO control over the price per inmate. Where is my tax deduction for contributing to the health and welfare of inmates?
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There are a lot of things like this that I just don't understand...
ReplyDeleteI read an article today about Mattel celebrating the 50th "birthday" of Barbie by renting a ocean view Malibu home and creating Barbie's Malibu Dream house. Barbie is a D O L L. A play toy! In this economy does it really warrant spending this kind of money on putting together a dream house for a doll? Something that the majority of the general public (who have paid for the thing y buying the dolls) will never get to see??? Give me a break! Wouldn't the money have been better spent in, say, a fund to help out workers in the toy industry that have been displaced from their jobs??? Kay-Bee toys just closed... I'm sure they sold a lot of Mattel toys over the years.
There are so many things like this where the money could be used and would be beneficial to so many more people but hey... they never did ask for logical suggestions.