With the government shut down and everybody taking sides, I’m unimpressed.  In my opinion, there is way too much talk that is only talk.  I used to say I’d follow Dr. Herbert Goldstein to hell if he’d teach me all the way there.  I do not regret that statement.  One of the wisest things he ever taught me was “You can’t put the kids on hold”.  The bell rings and you have to do something.  You can lock inmates up-for awhile at least.  The reality, however, as anyone who has worked corrections knows, is that you need at least twice the staff to manage locked down inmates as those who have some freedom.  The forgotten staff who care for the forgotten people never really furlough.  Folks are up in arms about federal furloughs; the state of Georgia has been furloughing  all state employees for over 7 years.  But line staff didn’t really furlough; they just didn’t get paid.  They took work home or just went in to try and catch up on documentation.  As soon as they were “at work”, they had to do something (The Kingdom of Heaven, p.51).  I would love to see one Congress person  explain a negative response (“no” or anything he/she doesn’t want to hear) to one inmate, or kid in special ed or client in a community mental health program.  You don’t think an honorable Congress person would lie, do you?

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