Sorry I am not the best writer over here. Yet I would like to say something. Yes you can blame the system and the Gov when it comes to disasters. That heat wave should really wake up people to wonder if they couldn't deal with that, how on earth will they deal with a terrorist attack of a large scale like us Americans had to deal with. They couldn't even deal with a heat wave?
Weather disasters happen all the time. We have had our heat waves over here in America. I have sat here and watched on TV wondering what in the hell their problem is over there dealing with this. To many died over a heat wave.
Over here we have a heat wave hit and go beyond the normal weather pattern for an area and it's all over the media what needs done. Not to mention that we know the elderly are at high risk. Where you will see organizations and the community all come together and protect each other and make it through it.
One thing that I would like to bring up that shows the difference between Republican and Democrat views is a situation that happened in my home state. Not that this situation matters much on saving lives, but on how you deal with a disaster after and how it impacts the people of the state.
We had a tornado go through and destroy a entire town, Spencer, SD a few years ago. We have twisters all the time in South Dakota. In fact just this year on June 24th we had over 60 in one day reported. So twisters for our state are nothing new, every year they create damage. Not every year they take out towns or kill.
This one a few years ago took out a whole entire town and killed 6 people. Instantly help was there for the people of Spencer. South Dakota has inmates that work, they are low level custody inmates (trustees) that go out in the community and work, but also are ready to work in a disaster situation. I worked for the state corrections until last month as an Officer. When the Gov. says go we have to have the inmates on the road from their cells in 30 minutes. Something we are proud of that we can do.
The lights went out in Spender, SD before the twister hit. There were no sirens no warning. They just heard and saw it coming and took shelter. The town was wiped off the map. Even the towns water tower was reduced to nothing.
Inmates were taken to Spencer and paid .25 cents an hour to clean it up for the people. They were very happy to do this, as they felt like they were doing something right. They cleaned the whole town up in days. Did all the heavy work, mean while so many South Dakota people showed up to help there was a line for miles and miles of cars. People wanting to come help. Vendors in the area pulled together, Coke and Pepsi came and dropped off tons of pop and water for the victims and the volunteers. John Morrell the meat packing plant in my state dropped off all this meat. So everyone could eat. Our Republican Gov. Janklow was standing in the middle of this town that had nothing left helping grill food to feed people.
No one died after, everyone pulled together to make sure every person in that town was taken care of.
Now election year comes up and there is a debate on TV between Gov. Jannklow and Democrat Hunhoff. Of course Hunhoff tries to slam Janklow on the Spenser, SD ordeal. Saying having the inmates out there working took away from the companies in South Dakota that could of made money off that.
Now here is were a very clear line is drawn on Democrat Vs Republican thinking. Since when is a disaster a time to profit and make money? In the end the state has to pay the bill. I rather pay inmates 25 cents per hour to clean it then to pay a small business a few million to clean it up so they can pay their workers $8hr or so to clean it. Sorry, that is not a time to make profit.
We have inmates eating up the resources in prison as they sit there, get them out there, work them and it turns around and saves the state money. Also gives these inmates a lesson on what it is like to help other people instead of hurting them by theft or drugs.
If there is a flood we are proud to say that inmates are on the way to help clean it up. South Dakota doesn't piss away money. We use resources that are cheaper and get the job done. These other companies can make money some where else, a disaster is not the time.
This last election I know us at the Dept. of Corrections were biting our fingernails scared a Democrat would get Gov. of the state and we knew that would mean the end of inmates working in our state. Something we approved of because it gets them out, keeps them busy, teaches them new trades, and makes our job easier and in the end it helps society as a whole.
But it takes away jobs from the people. Nah the jobs they do in the community when not doing disaster work are jobs people wouldn't want to do. Like spending 8hrs a day just filing paperwork. We use inmates to type in data off paper into computers. Jobs that are down right boring, yet they learn from the boring job for 25 cents an hour, how to run a computer, to type. To HOLD a job. Something convicts really have a hard time doing.
When the unemployment rate hits a certain point the state does pull inmates from job sites and opens the state jobs for other people. So that can't be used against us. Well planned out program and it works.
However, on another note. The medical system on a Federal and State level are messed up over here. I plan to post on my site soon my views on that as I am fighting them left and right to help my brother. I wouldn't trade our Gov for any other, just that I see some flaws and in this great country I am able to do something about it. Which I am, I have wrote my public officials and I am getting ready to build up enough people to lobby and change the laws. So that the people like my brother and the elderly do not slip through the medical gaps when they can't take care of themselves.