Date: 8/10/2019 10:49:44 PM
HARLAN RICHARDS

August 10, 2019

Donuts or Songs?

Every now and then Stanley Prison offers prisoners the opportunity to buy something we don't usually have access to. I can buy a dozen donuts for $6 (actually up to three dozen at $6 per dozen) in the latest fundraiser. Or I can buy three songs on my tablet for that same $6.

The opportunity cost of buying donuts is not buying three songs and vice versa. Do I want to eat donuts and have a treat I don't normally get or do I want to buy songs that I'll be able to listen to over and over? If I had piles of money, I could do both. But money is scarce in prison, so I have to choose.

Most prisoners have the same quandary: buy donuts and sacrifice something else they want or need, or skip the fundraiser and buy that other item (coffee, stamped envelopes, snacks, etc.)? What would you do in my place?

Today's the last day to order, and I finally made my decision: no donuts. I like the donuts they're offering, so eating them would be a nice treat but not a "gotta have" item. I'd rather have three new songs on my tablet. But there are items I would choose over new songs.

I don't know who chooses what to sell on fundraisers, but whoever it is: they sure select lame items. The last time they sold baked goods, it was long johns and they weren't very good. The prison serves us better cinnamon rolls once a month, and I always trade those off for an extra helping of tuna. They have had cheese curd fundraisers, which seems to be a bizarre item to offer. They also have offered roasted chicken, which was very good and popular. However, staff didn't like that fundraiser because it was too much work, so we'll probably never have it again.

Fundraisers have pros and cons. All in all, they're a good thing—even if I skipped this one.