Just as I think it's ridiculous to blame the entire Republican party on the misguided ways of some of its members (ahem TomFoley ahem), I also think it's patently ridiculous to be wailing and crying that the Democratic party is sending the country straight to hell, especially since they now have a slightly larger control of our government's legislature. For over 200 years this country has been operating on a largely bipartisan basis, and the control has always swung back and forth between parties. I was not at a voting age when the Republicans took control of Congress, and I can't say as I had a huge interest in it at the time, but was there this much crying and teeth-gnashing then? Get over it! Start whining when the country is run by people with pitchforks and horns. In the meantime, let's hope something good will come of this regime change!
In the meantime, I forgot to mention that there was a measure on our ballot to pass a sales tax increase of a quarter of a percent, in order to build the funds necessary to build a new jail. I've probably blogged in the past about the horrendous overcrowding of jailspace here, not just in Hamilton County. Prisoners are let go in order to make space for other prisoners. J makes routine prisoner transports to other counties because there just isn't enough space. So they have to send prisoners to other jails, sometimes 5 and 6 counties away, where there is space. Doesn't anybody realize we're paying for that? That we're paying more in the long run than we would to build the new jails necessary? The greatly ironic thing is that it was a REPUBLICAN who proposed this tax increase. Ha! So poo on all you who swear that Republicans cut taxes, and all Democrats do is raise taxes!
Unfortunately, the measure failed. Also, the Republican candidate strongly supporting it, Phil Heimlich, was running for re-election and lost. The guy that beat him, David Pepper, previously ran for mayor of Cincinnati. I guess he's so anxious to make a change in the city that he doesn't care what position he's running for. I am told David Pepper also supported the tax increase, but Phil Heimlich has a record of supporting LEOs and the system. Hopefully they will continue to work on new ways of supporting the construction of another jail. I'm really not comfortable with the idea of someone being convicted of a class 1 felony and being let go, simply because there's too many class 5 felons crowding up the jail.
(Note: currently I don't believe they will let felonies go, only misdemeanors. I'm being a little exaggerative here)
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We approved a new jail last year. Unfortunately, the powers that be had us vote for a new jail, covering the cost of construction, but not for the extra man-power to RUN IT!! We're going to get screwed again. The county sheriff runs the jail and the sheriffs office is in a shambles. They are even talking about hiring our police chief to take over as sheriff to clean up the place.
Your sheriffs aren't elected?
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