Intended Budget Cuts

Has anyone noticed all the budget cuts slowly taking its toll on the Texas prison system?? The whole system is but a skeleton compared to what it was even just 3 yrs ago. Not only have they totally shut down the Windham school system (both vocational & academic) but, the commissary has more than DOUBLED (prices), there are no desserts on trays. Well, only one day a week, only 2 meals a day on transfer/diagnostic units (...and there are about a half dozen of them that generally hold 2,000 prisoners). And I'll bet all seg prisoners will be on the "2 meal a day plan" in another year (10,000 prisoners). Seg prisoners are 24 hour lock down. We don't work "for free" like general population prisoners so, we'll only be getting 2 meals pretty soon. This next year's budget crunch already has prisoners paying $100.00 for a medical visit!! And let me tell you, the food they put on all 3 trays will easily go on one tray for one meal (no lie) w/ no salt or pepper or seasoning. Everything is bland. Do you think Rick Perry is going to use tax payer cash to put seasoning on prison food... or desserts? For prisoners who work all day for free? C'mon! And you know why? Because the Texas prison building boom has backfired! ...Well, why? DEBT. Debt & more debt!

The government has been operating waaaay beyond its means for years. The government hasn't given Texas money to help operate its ridiculously over-sized prison system anymore. For over 5 years the government hasn't even been able to pay those who work for the services it's created & controls (police, military, 2 million man prisons, schools, courts, postal services, etc, etc...) Just in the past 5 years the government borrowed: 2008 $259 billion. 2009 - 1.58 trillion! 2010 - 1.3 trillion, 2011 - 1.65 trillion, 2012 - 1.6 trillion! ... See the problem? If the government could borrow no more money today, they would only have enough for about 1/2 the services they provide right now! Think about that for a moment... 1/2 the police, prisons, soldiers, teachers, etc... and don't forget to take into account that all that debt has to be repaid. O.O The national debt that needed to be repaid was 11.7 trillion in 2009, now it's 15 trillion! Sabes como digo? (Know what I mean?)

The point to notice here is Texas can no longer facilitate all these UNITS (almost 112 system-wide!) Their big scheme to make big profits off "other people's problems" is costing them hugely! They've already shut down 4 units, no desserts on trays, $100.00 medical co-pay (no joke), only 2 meals a day on transfer/intake units, taking psych meds away. Laying off & streamlining like crazy. NO MORE education/vocation. (College if YOU'RE paying for it). Even asking PRISONERS for donations in the prison newspaper, haha! Are you kidding!? They won't even honor their own parole & good time laws & they want a donation from me! [confused face] Do I just look retarded or what!? Donate them money so they can run a corrupt system & keep me in here longer while they make money off my straw man!? Something's gotta give. I've done over 3 times the required amount this rotten system wants from me, to make parole. This system is full of prisoners who have 170, 200, 350% of their TIME DONE. Of course, it's a "management tool". Texas promises 'early parole' for working FOR FREE and good behavior - but they never honor it. They work everyone FOR FREE & make you do it all anyway. And we all "toe th' line" w/ good behavior, trying to get home to our families. Set off after set off after set off. Our loved ones die & our nieces & nephews all grow up w/out us and the ones making these decisions on my parole could care less about my good behavior. It's all a money thing to them. I'm in this dump for possession of some stupid dope. NO ONE was hurt in my crime. 13 years of confinement (so far). Crimes much worse in the highest levels of my own government are committed practically daily. And it's blown off like it's nothing... What's really going on...??