Friday, April 24, 2009

New State Budget Cutting Proposal

Facing a near 6 billion budget shortfall by 2011, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle is seeking ways to appear to cut spending. Beside buying Chinese paper clips and pencils to save cash, the state administration will be allowing prison inmates early release.
Wisconsin's estimated 22,000 inmate population could be seeing a significant reduction in coming years.

"You go and behave yourself in prison and you do what you are supposed to do, there is actually some incentive for you to do well," Doyle said.

Wisconsin's Department of Corrections Secretary, Rick Raemisch, estimates about 3,000 inmates would be eligible for early release.

"They truly do have to earn their way out, whether it be through programming, behavior adjustment, or positive changes behind bars. It's being smart on crime instead of tough on crime," Raemisch said. He did not have an exact savings estimate, however.
However, in order to distract from his usual taxes-under-every-rock policy, the Governor needs some more flash. Fortunately for him, the sleight of hand is at hand.

Over on Interesting News Items, Ling Carter let Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle's next budget cutting move out of the bag:
LOS ANGELES, CA - Faced with budget cuts, the LA Zoo has downsized their animal population, releasing two Bengal tigers into Griffith Park. "Unfortunately, tigers eat too much, especially the pregnant one," said zoo official Cesar Sonora. "Our cost analysis revealed we could lay-off the cats, then transfer resources to the monkey house, which badly needs new Plexiglas." When asked about the danger of freeing large predators into the country's busiest park, Sonora was sympathetic, "We realize our move could inconvenience the public, but transferring the animals would have been so costly as to be fiscally irresponsible." Sonora thought briefly, then smiled, "On the upside, this could really help solve the park's homeless problem."
Perhaps Wisconsin State Attorney General, J.B. Van Hollen, had a premonition of this when he ruled that the open carrying of weapons was legal.

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