Arm Twisting

My daughter come home from school a couple of days ago with an interesting story. She told me some women was at the school trying to round up kids to go on a bus trip for Helena in support of the Jail in Hardin to try to pressure the state to let them place inmates there. I don't know how much support she garnered but the trip did happen. <br />n<br />n<a href="http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/03/12/news/state/22-hardinjail.txt">Backers of Hardin's empty jail protest at Capitol</a><br />n<br />n<blockquote>The dispute over a 464-bed jail sitting empty at the edge of Hardin was on stark display here Tuesday as hundreds of Hardin-area jail supporters filled the Capitol rotunda for a rally.<br />n<br />nLed by Greg Smith, executive director of the Two Rivers Authority, the economic-development arm of the city of Hardin, supporters took an adversarial tone, arguing that state interference has prevented them from opening the jail and offering more than 100 new jobs in their economically depressed area.<br />n<br />n"We don't want a handout," Smith told the boisterous crowd, which included three teenage dancers from the Lodge Grass High School Indian Club along with a traditional drumming group. "But we do want some assistance."<br />n<br />nBut state officials, who met with the protesters for more than an hour after the rally, said that it is state law and the lack of need for jail space that has the facility mothballed and in danger of defaulting on $27 million in revenue bonds issued to build the jail.</blockquote><br />n<br />nRebecca Convery, Hardin city attorney, was the women in the school, twisting arms, trying to get more people to go. When she talked to my daughters class, my daughter asked her a couple of questions that I found the answers too interesting.<br />n<br />nMy Daughter: Why did you build the jail when there was no contract or guarantee the state would place any prisoners with you?<br />n<br />nRebecca Convery: They didn't tell us we couldn't build it.<br />n<br />nMy Daughter: So did the state urge you to build it?<br />n<br />nRebecca Convery: They didn't tell us we couldn't build it.<br />n<br />nMy Daughter: Did you know that you couldn't house out of state prisoners when you built the Jail?<br />n<br />nRebecca Convery: They didn't tell us we couldn't house out of state prisoners and they didn't tell us we couldn't build it.<br />n<br />nMy Daughter: Did you ask if you could house out of state prisoners?<br />n<br />nRebecca Convery: They didn't tell us we couldn't build it.<br />n<br />nMy Daughter: Don't we have enough of a criminal element around here without importing more criminals from outside the area to infect our neighborhood.<br />n<br />nRebecca Convery: Attitudes like that don't help the situation out.<br />n<br />nYou kind of get the theme here don't you. The whole problem is the state didn't tell them not to build it and as a local resident you aren't supposed to ask questions about it, just support it and shut up. Doesn't it just sound like a little kid saying, you didn't tell me I couldn't? I though we were dealing with adults here. I do know from experience that you have to be real careful around Hardin talking about the jail. You ask questions about it to the wrong people and ropes come out to hang you with. I thought questioning what politicians do is part of our process. Not in Hardin nowadays. Toe the party line or die.<br />n<br />nI did have to laugh at this one.<br />n<br />n<blockquote>Much of the crowd's anger was directed at <a href="http://governor.mt.gov/governor/govbio.asp">Gov. Brian Schweitzer</a>. One protester held a sign that said "We've Been Schweitzered. Was It As Good For You Governor As It Was For Us."</blockquote><br />n<br />nNow I am not one to defend Schweitzer, but how is this his fault? Shouldn't the crowd be angry at the Hardin politicians that funded and built the facility without planning ahead to make sure there would be inmates to fill it? Who's really at fault here?<br />n<br />nI will point out that in this story or anywhere else do we see the county of Big Horn or any local legislators supporting Hardin in this process. Do you think the City of Hardin might have stepped on a few toes along the way? I know they have and it is now coming back to bite them on the arse. All i know is the saga of the Hardin jail continues. Where it will end, who knows, but watching the process is fun.<br />n<br />n<strong>Luck, bad if not good, will always be with us. But it has a way of favoring the intelligent and showing its back to the stupid. John Dewey </strong>