Letters to the Editor
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No Child Should Be Left Behind Bars!
I recently visited Hutto. Four sets of parallel railroad tracks front the T. Don Hutto prison. Locals say there are always parked railcars on the tracks that block the prison from public view. There were only tiny slits for windows where prisoners are held and the outside perimeter was constantly patrolled by “official vehicles.” I’ve seen all the WWII atrocity news footage and photos. I can unequivocally state that a chill ran through me when I stood in front of this prison in Texas on American soil where women and children have lost almost all contact with the outside world. We are no longer the home of the free and the brave. We should be ashamed.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has now turned the most needy and desperate among us into a commodity, a commodity to line the pockets of corporate cronies with taxpayer dollars. The more we demonize immigrants; the more people we can funnel into the private prison system and accelerate the transfer of taxpayer dollars to the private sector. These taxpayer dollars aren’t just wasted; their use is immoral.
This unbelievable situation is unfortunately just another example of the evils of public-private partnerships which have become the darlings of far too many state and national officials.
Texas has become a hotbed of public-private conspiracies. Elected officials are trying to sell our public highways to foreign corporations and they’re working overtime to privatize our water—“Sold! To the highest bidder.”
Public resources become privatized commodities. Money changes hands. Water and roads are important enough, but children? Where do we draw the line in this country? The USA is quickly becoming a country that’s lost its moral compass. It’s time for change. Can we wait until 2008? How long can the children of Hutto wait?
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