opinion
Save ex-inmate Programs, Save money
O
ne of the first places state
and federal governments
look to make cutbacks in
an attempt to balance their bal-
looning budgets is in the penal
system. As a result, ex-offender
re-entry programs that help reha-
bilitate those who are at risk for
returning to prison are on the
chopping block. Sure, cutting
funding to these programs may
help balance budgets in the short
m atHiS ’ m ind
Judge Greg Mathis
incarcerate them. Additionally,
communities and individuals will
continue to be victimized by crime
and trapped in a seemingly never-
ending cycle.
Recently, USA Today reported
on these cutbacks and the impact
In many states, the number of ex-
offenders committing new crimes has
increased, partly because of cuts to
programs
term. But, as ex-offenders become
repeat offenders and return to jail
or prison, we end up shelling out
more money in the long run to
they could have on states across
the country. Florida, for example,
saw a small decrease in the num-
ber of ex-offenders who commit-
ted a new felony while on proba-
tion. Instead of looking at the big-
ger picture and continuing to
invest in programs designed to
reduce recidivism, Florida, in an
attempt to get its fiscal house in
order, plans to cut such programs.
Other states are also weighing sig-
nificant budget cuts to all parts of
their criminal justice systems.
This is just bad business. In
many states, the number of ex-
offenders committing new crimes
has increased, partly because of
cuts to programs that help them
transform their lives and stay out
of prison.
Any state considering such cuts
should look to Michigan for guid-
ance. Budget gaps and increasing-
ly high unemployment rates have
lead lawmakers there to address
both problems with a novel plan:
help ex-offenders find and keep
jobs that will keep them out of
prison. According to a report by
the Institute for Research on
Poverty, Michigan has used job
avoid making budget cuts to
prison re-entry programs at all
costs.
In these difficult economic
Michigan has used job placement
programs to cut the prison population
by about 15 percent
placement programs to cut the
prison population by about 15 per-
cent during the last four years and
has saved more than $200 million
each year.
Here’s hoping other locales will
follow Michigan’s lead. With your
help, maybe they can. Call or
write your county, state, and feder-
al legislators and demand they not
be so short sighted; ask that they
times, it is only reasonable that
lawmakers conserve resources
where they can. The criminal jus-
tice system, particularly ex-
offender re-entry programs, is not
the place to make these cuts. Our
lawmakers must think about the
effect these budget reductions will
have on our overall safety and the
economic impact they will have
on taxpayers down the road.
koch Brothers: libertarian, Free market enthusiasts
A
ccording to the lib-
eral left media,
Charles Koch is
gearing up to help raise and
spend $88 million during
the 2012 election cycle.
Most African Americans
have never heard of billion-
aire brothers Charles and
David Koch, but if they
could be “good people to
know.” Charles and David
Koch are the owners of
Koch Industries, which is
headquartered in Wichita,
Kansas. Their annual rev-
enues are estimated to be
$100 billion. Their holdings
include: Oil refineries, four
thousand miles of oil
pipeline, Brawny paper
towels,
Dixie
cups,
Georgia-Pacific
lumber,
Stainmaster carpet, and
Lycra. Koch Industries is
the second-largest private
company in the USA, after
Cargill. If Koch Industries
were a public company it
would rank about 16 in the
Fortune 500. Their com-
bined fortune of $35 billion
is exceeded only by those of
Bill Gates and Warren
Buffett. Charles Koch is
Koch Industries, Inc’s chair-
man of the board and chief
executive officer. Charles
and David Koch’s and his
strategy for running a busi-
ness,
Market
Based
Management (MBM), is
B uSineSS e XCHange
William Reed
described in his 2007 book
The Science of Success,
which promotes long-term
planning for success even at
the expense of short-term
gains. The Kochs are empir-
ical examples of successful
capitalists. Koch is a liber-
tarian and his philanthropy
includes co-founding the
Cato Institute, the Institute
for Humane Studies, and the
Mercatus Center.
The Kochs and their affil-
iates have recently been
recipients of received nega-
tive
media
coverage.
Charles and David Koch
were raised as Libertarians,
and advocate individual lib-
erty, especially freedom of
expression and action.
Liberal Democrats accused
the Koch brothers of fund-
ing opposition against
Obama Administration’s
policies. It’s a spurious
argument, the Kochs and
their foundations have been
donating to many pro-free
market organizations and
think tanks long before
Obama came into the White
House. For more than 40
years these brothers have
been steadfast proponents
of individual and economic
freedom. Through their per-
sonal involvement and pri-
vate foundations they law-
fully support activities and
causes consistent with their
beliefs. Koch Industries is
the source of funds for free
market foundations and
causes. Koch Industries and
its subsidiaries spent more
than $20 million on lobby-
ing in 2008 and $12.3 mil-
lion in 2009. Enterprising
Black groups and individu-
als may want to take note
that the Kochs’ network of
non-profit groups, once cen-
tered around sleepy free-
enterprise think tanks,
seems to some to be emerg-
ing as a more ideological
counterweight to Bush-era
GOP political operatives.
This has cheered fiscal con-
servatives seeking to reori-
ent their political apparatus
and aspirations around free-
market, small government
principles and candidates.
In recent years the Koch
brothers have increasingly
focused their giving on
more activist groups, and,
perhaps more significantly,
they have used their influ-
ence to help guide millions
more in contributions from
other major conservative
benefactors,
primarily
through twice-a-year donor
summits they have been
organizing since 2003. The
conferences bring together
roughly 150 wealthy con-
servative business titans or
their representatives to hear
presentations from politi-
they know not of.” Among
the hundreds of organiza-
tions that have received sup-
port from Koch companies
and/or the Koch founda-
To prosper, Blacks should steer
clear of ‘hating those they know
not of’
cians and thought leaders to
fund their non-profits. At
the most recent summit in
Rancho Mirage, Calif., the
Kochs and their invited
donors pledged to con-
tribute $49 million towards
an $88-million budget goal
for policy and political proj-
ects in the 2012 election
cycle.
To prosper, Blacks should
steer clear of “hating those
tions are Americans for
Prosperity and Americans
for Prosperity Foundation.
Youth
Entrepreneurs®
Kansas (YEK) was founded
in 1991 by the Charles G.
Koch Foundation to teach
business and entrepreneur-
ial skills in high school
classrooms, and offers
hands-on experience to help
students succeed as busi-
ness owners or employees.
YEK chapters teach free
enterprise
fundamentals
through hands-on experi-
ences and encourage stu-
dents to start their own busi-
ness, enhance their busi-
ness skills for future career
opportunities and continue
into higher education.
Many Koch-funded YEK
programs are located in
inner-cities. Students write
a business plan, participate
in classroom competitions,
and receive school credit
for successfully meeting
class completion require-
ments. YEK graduates’
involvement is maintained
through
the
Alumni
Program, which promotes
continued learning opportu-
nities and community serv-
ice.
william reed is available
for speaking/seminar proj-
ects via Baileygroup.org)
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February 16, 2011 The Seattle Skanner Page 5