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5-14-08 David Stanczak FORUM
05/14/2008 08:53:23
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LET ME COUNT THE WAYS
May 14, 2008
Looking for reasons to question anything our governor discusses more substantive than his appreciation of Hannah Montana is like eating at Ming’s. You get more than you wanted and more than you can comfortably digest at one sitting. The topic this time is Blago’s proposed closing of Pontiac Correctional Center to save money. He’s fixated on that alternative to the exclusion of closing the prison in Joliet or agreeing to the creation of a commission to study the alternatives comprehensively and come up with a recommendation.
Why do I think he’s insincere? Let me count the ways. First, with the governor, saving money is relative. He still hasn’t backed off his idea to spend a few gazillion dollars on a health insurance program while the state’s infrastructure is crumbling, and the state sinks further into unfunded debt. He also hasn’t curtailed his flights to Springfield at a cost of $5,800 per trip. The last trip reported on was for a prayer breakfast, at which he arrived 15 minutes late and departed within the hour-the article didn’t say whether he missed the prayer or the breakfast.
Second, it’s not like the prisons are so under populated that it doesn’t make sense to keep all of them open. Statistically, they are 35% over capacity now. Closing Pontiac will mean either massive overcrowding (which will cause problems), or converting the largely unused minimum security prison at Thomson into a maximum security prison (which we can’t afford).
Third, if the governor is hell-bent on closing a prison, he could get over six times the savings by closing Joliet rather than Pontiac. But then that would inconvenience the Democratic legislators who represent the Joliet area rather than the Republican variety down here in flyover territory. Not closing Pontiac would also inconvenience the Democratic legislators in the Thomson area.
When I first heard that Blago had defeated Jim Ryan, I took consolation in the fact that we were finally rid of George Ryan. But then, Ryan at least had the advantage of being a competent crook.
This is David Stanczak on WJBC’s Forum.
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