We’ve written extensively about the ridiculousness of the so-called federal government “shutdown,” which it turns out affected only 17 percent of government expenditures.
The other 83 percent of the gravy train? It’s still flowing …
Anyway, another example of the ludicrousness of the whole thing can be found in America’s federal prisons – which we would argue perform a core function of government. As it stands now more than 36,000 federal prison guards are not receiving paychecks from the federal government.
They will be compensated when the shutdown ends, of course, but right now they’re not getting paid (unlike U.S. President Barack Obama and members of the U.S. Congress).
Ready for the irony?
The inmates they’re guarding are getting paid, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) – which states in its “shutdown” contingency plan that there is enough “carryover cash” to continue funding inmates’ commissary accounts.
“The Bureau of Prisons’ (BOP) Buildings and Facilities and Commissary accounts have multi-year authority and have adequate carryover funding to meet expenses during a lapse in appropriations,” the plan states. “Employees paid from these funding sources are not dependent upon an enacted appropriation and are therefore considered excepted.”
Wow …
What a government, right?
“We already know that the inmate run the asylum, but this?” one of our readers mused.
Don’t get us wrong: We have no problem with inmates performing jobs for pay as part of their rehabilitation, but it is insane that the federal government would continue to pay them during a shutdown while refusing to pay the people whose job it is to guard them.
Once again, government apparently has no problem continuing to do thousands of things it shouldn’t do … while neglecting one of the handful of tasks it actually should be doing.
So backward …
27 comments
Got a problem with Bubba the Love Machine getting paid $1.00/hour to serve his prison bitches rice an beans? Take it up with Bubba.
In the mean time, pay your taxes.
I think if you will check you will find they are drawing unemployment while out of work,then they will get their back pay. The dictator looks out for his friends.
Not so, most won’t get anything for the first week (some states the wait is longer). Most states require you to repay unemployment if you are furloughed then return to work and receive back pay as these guards will.
BS colonel. You are demoted to sarge.
Okay, here we go. SC’s DEW web site if a effing disaster and I can’t find their FAQ sheet but here’s one from Virginia that is typical of most states: http://www.vec.virginia.gov/
Quoting, “…Q. What happens when Congress passes the budget, and I am reinstated in my job?
A. If you receive back pay from your agency to cover the furlough period, you must repay any unemployment benefits you received for that time….”
Now Frank, I’m not sure what “…If you receive back pay from your agency to cover the furlough period, you must repay any unemployment benefits you received for that time…” means to you but last time I read that it meant that if you got money from the unemployment folks and then got paid back for the time you were furloughed then you had to give the unemployment folks their money back….
Colonel, congress is going to give them every nickel. Contrary to media reports of people falling dead, starving children and plagues o’plenty, it don’t happen in 1 week. With some of the salary’s I’ve seen reported, it shouldn’t happen in two years. living paycheck to paycheck my fracking patooty
The states are paying the unemployment out – they’ll get it back, most don’t have the reserves to spare it. Concur that the “effects” are greatly exaggerated but interestingly enough I’m not hearing or reading a lot of “sky falling” accounts. Granted Al Jazeera is “the local news” where I am but I don’t see a lot of stories in the
“Fish Wrap”The State either.Wow: 2 commests, 1 comment, 1 comment. High traffic should be a SLAM DUNK for FITS. Because The State has gone to FB posting only, to silence critics of its leftwing dogma. FITS should be knockin’ it out the park. But you’re sucking wind, among other things.
I hope the @#c* the dumb@$$#$ stupid enough to put their ads on here are paying per hit, not some display rate,
You will likely do for their product or service what you did for Nancy Mace’s political aspirations…Hahahaha….
Anyway: e-mail me FITS, I’ll come back for the right price. Your Ignorance has been confirmed since I left. No one is reading your stupid liberal-tarian Bull-$#!*. Even liberals secretly want to be challenged with substance and intellectual and philosophical consistency. Not your waffling, moderation and pop culture cliche.
Toodles…hahahaha…
You’ve been gone?
You may be too F*#kin Stupid to figure it out (you still think Obamacare’s a good idea)…but I’ll guran-d@*n -T you, FITS finance-keeper knows it…
Internet ad purchasing is still fairly new, and being srcutinzed. So when a site has a sharp drop off, like FITS has had since I left, you better bet somebody has both feet kicking FITS’ stupid @$$ al around his dope-smellin’ crib..I bet their dull @$$#$ are trying to figure out what the F#*k happened.
They have no idea that FITS’ skill, talent and experince are a liability…whereas they can ride my @$$ to the bank.., But they have their heads so far up the @$$ of the liberals, they look like a two-headed Pelosi.
Look! It’s Mr. America! How’s that 28% GOP approval rate going? Think Teddy C can turn that around? LMAO!
Noticed you don’t have the balls to post on The State with your FB login. It’s so nice that you can’t troll all day with classic rants. You’re just a candyass clown with no real integrity.
I wonder if he’ll predict Cruz, then Ryan, then Perry again? Keep up the Lord’s work, sucker. Btw, you driving that John Deere to DC?
He’s actually brought more clicks. Than you ever could HufPoBro
What we drinking today, fuck stick?
Yeah, FITS needs you bro, they need you like a gazelle needs a broken leg.
Of course, Barak looks after his own!
It seems kind of retarded to keep using a hashtag in a blog.
Don’t be so judgmental Jesus.
Man, the metaphysical, epistemological aspects of that comment….
:)
Fully intended. I wondered how much would catch it.
edit: much to many
i don’t get it. Splain it Lucy.
The prisoners get paid $0.12 per hour or $4.80 per week. If they did not get paid then they would not spend money on the overpriced junk in the commissary. The profit from this junk goes to wealthy friends of members of Congress. GO FIGURE. The prison guards make over $100,000 per year with overtime and do not punch a time clock.
I’ll bag with you on the ot, but the inmates ‘earn’ to fracking much.
Inmates gotta make a little coin so they can score smack from the guards. Don’t you watch Orange?
Poll: Americans Divided Over What Wild Animal They Would Like To See Congress Mauled By
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) — As the partial government shutdown grinds on into its twelfth day, Americans remain deeply divided over what kind of wild animal they would most like to see Congress mauled by, according to a new poll released today.
While a majority of Americans say they would enjoy seeing Congress torn limb from limb by a ferocious bear, there is disagreement over which species of bear would be best suited for that assignment.
When asked, “What kind of bear would do the best job of savaging Congress with its fearsome paws?,” Americans gave grizzly bears the highest job-approval rating, followed by polar bears, and by black bears in a distant third.
But the poll showed that there was also strong support for the idea of Congress being set upon by a pack of rapacious animals, with rabid hyenas the first choice of many respondents, followed by feral dogs and cats.
While insatiable, bloodthirsty mammals were most often cited as the animals Americans would like to see eviscerate Congress, there was significant support for another scenario, involving Congress being consumed by a swarm of predatory insects.
Fifteen per cent of those surveyed “strongly agreed” with the statement, “Being torn limb from limb by a grizzly bear or devoured by a pack of rabid hyenas is too good for these people. They should be eaten, very slowly, by a colony of hungry fire ants. Yes, that’s it — fire ants. That would be amazing.”
Damn, I clicked on the gay parade thing for Cola, then all the fucking gay dude pics started showing up in the adverts…. sucks.
Finally now the single show girls.