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    Who are the NERD fund donors Mr Snyder?

    Raise the curtain.

    Stealth EO could release 4,000 convicted felons while budget fires 1,000 corrections workers


    By Nick, Section News
    Posted on Fri Feb 13, 2009 at 07:41:24 AM EST
    Tags: Granholm, Cherry, budget, corrections, Ficano, Wayne County (all tags)

    The Granholm-Cherry administration's apologists are making a big deal, this morning, over the fact that her latest budget proposal, coming in at hundreds of millions of dollars more than last years, actually fires 1,500 state employees. 'See, she is cutting state government,' they argue, hoping folks will assume those employees are all middle-managers, pencil pushers and red-tape manufacturers.

    Alas.

    The Lansing State Journal tells the governor's dirty little secret this morning - a full 1,000 of those at-risk employees are corrections workers on the front lines of the battle to keep violent criminals behind bars.  

    How, you're asking, could the state fire 1,000 of the brave men and women who daily supervise career criminals, rapists and murderers to keep them from wreaking havoc on each other and Michigan families without serious consequences?  And the answer is, they can't.  

    The administration isn't without their own creative solution, though.  Yesterday, while everyone in the press was distracted by the budget they took another under-the-radar action whose consequences could be disastrous.

    As many as 3,500 to 4,000 prisoners could be paroled by October under an executive order Granholm issued Thursday. The governor ordered the State Parole Board to review the status of 12,000 prisoners who already have served minimum sentences for potential release.

    (Mel) Grieshaber (executive director of the Michigan Corrections Organization) urged state officials to be cautious about early releases.

    "We think there are a lot of bad guys in there who potentially are going to get out," he said.

    Bad.  Idea.  And we know that, at least privately, Michigan Democrats admit as much.  Remember, it was less than two years ago that every Dem in the state, from the regressisphere to the Capitol to the local county organizations made the forceful argument that Michigan state government had "cut to the bone."  There was nothing left to cut.  Nothing we could eliminate.  Tax hikes or bust.

    Now, suddenly, we can release 4,000 convicted felons early and fire 1,000 law enforcement officials without serious, potentially violent consequences?  C'mon now.

    Read on...

    And speaking of the counties, likely 2010 Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Wayne County Executive Bob Ficano is now staring down the throat of his own $100 million deficit.  The Detroit News reports that he's got plenty of nice things to say about most of his bureaucrats but apparently he's none-too-pleased with the Wayne County Sheriff... because he'd rather not cut public safety in and around Detroit!

    Ficano praised department heads who have made difficult budget cuts, but blasted Sheriff Warren Evans for his resistance in the process. Last year, Ficano asked department heads to slash budgets 10 percent to erase a $33 million deficit.

    "The sheriff knows to make cuts without jeopardizing public safety," Ficano said.

    I'm sure he does.  Just like the governor knows how to make cuts without jeopardizing public safety.

    What is it with prominent Democrats suddenly wanting to gut police and corrections forces?

    Even the ultra-liberal Ivory Tower is questioning the governor over her decision to cut some areas of the budget while ignoring completely things like retiree benefits, an area rife with potential for serious reform (though they like the corrections cuts just fine).

    Bottom line, when you chose outrageous union benefits over safe streets voters are right to question who you're really working for.

    < Looking for a novel Valentines... | Friday in the Sphere: February 13 >


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    by sherrywantsanisland on Sat Feb 14, 2009 at 10:46:37 AM EST
    4,000 convicted felons early!  If you are a convicted felon, We The People paid a prosecutor to bring this before a judge and jury. We The People paid the Judge and jury. In most cases, We The People paid a public defender to represent and defend the criminal.  We The People paid for the courtroom, lights and heat. We The People paid for Senators and Representatives to make the laws the criminal failed to follow.  We The People paid for the buildings the Senators and Representatives worked in to pass the laws.  Furthermore, We The People pay Granholm, I'm at a loss of words for why We The People pay her. We The People have one thing in common...We The People pay and pay and pay. I say someone in this circle is guilty of misappropriation of We The People's taxable earned income.  A dog chasing his tail has better odds!  Seriously it is time for We The people to say, "ENOUGH"  It is time to make laws and enforce laws or damn it, have no laws!  I can live and continue to pay taxes with either direction chosen by We The People. I can not and will not tolerate nor continue to pay for total incomptence. We The People are either part of the problem or part of the solution. Thank you & Happy Valentines Day XOXO, Sherry Wants An Island were trepassors will be shot and survivors will be shot again. LOL  


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