By Lone Shark
While the expansion of gambling produced too much of the noise and distraction in the first half of the 2012 session of the Florida Legislature, the second half is properly focusing light on the proposal to ‘privatize’ the operation of state prisons in South Florida.For a Republican majority legislature, the prison issue is surely the one by which lawmakers will and should be measured for embracing – or abandoning – conservative values that matter. It is the truest conservative litmus test in the 2012 session on a policy issue for which differences are somewhat traditionally split along party lines.
Liberal-leaning media already have used their news coverage and rained down opinion pieces in opposition of privatizing prisons – swallowing the union rants on the issue –which, again, should only embolden House and Senate Republicans to be themselves and to stand up for the right things.
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Republicans should consider this troubling fact: it’s the unions that are the leading opponents to cost-effective contracting-out operations of south Florida prisons. The hybrid union label of Teamsters and the ACLU is being falsely presented as credible witness with only flimsy philosophy against a smart and strategic plan that is the wave of the future.
When the ACLU and the Teamsters decry privatizing state prisons as a dangerous gamble, Republicans automatically ought to know that the other end of this argument is their safest and best place to stand, fight and win. Clearly, the unions are motivated not by protecting public safety but rather by protecting union jobs and the lucrative millions of dollars in union dues that sustain the anachronistic union movement.
Lawmakers should ask themselves: Are our public safety and fiscal conservatism more aligned with principles of the Teamsters, or the Tea Party?Florida’s violent crime rate is at its lowest point in more than 35 years – and that’s because the state has embraced protecting public safety as its overarching priority. But protecting the public’s wallet is just as important a value.
Privatizing the operation of prisons in south Florida is guaranteed to save taxpayers at least 7% in costs – as required by the proposed law to allow the transfer. Proponents believe the savings will actually be substantially higher. And the professional private companies that would bid on this work know how to help keep our communities safe – it’s what they do for a living.
Even more promising, the private corporations expected to bid on operating the prisons already have deep relationships and commitments to faith-based and character-building programs to work with inmates and their families to foster real rehabilitation. That kind of commitment is aimed at reducing an alarming 40% rate of recidivism among state prison inmates who are more likely to commit new crimes and return to prison again, without such positive intervention.
Conservative lawmakers have an opportunity to stand up for public safety, promote taxpayer savings and reform dangerous criminals by taking the lead on the prison privatization issue. They should not enable self-serving unions to define the issue or its outcome in this session.
