Feb. 21, 2007 - 17:29 MST

ZOMBIE FINANCING

It happens here in our state, and it is easy for me to assume that it is happening in other states too. A column by Ann Imse of The Rocky Mountain News in todays paper divulges a sad fact. Quoted in full here:

FEDS HAVEN'T PAID $5 MILLION DUE FOR HOLDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Lawmakers want Colorado to sue for reimbursement

"The Bush Administration has eliminated from its proposed budget ALL federal funds for incarcerating illegal immigrants who have committed crimes."

"And it has not yet paid the $5 million due to Colorado and 22 counties for last year."

The $282 million State Criminal Alien Asssistance Program reimburses state prisons and local jails for housing immigrants who've committed a felony or at least two misdemeanors."

"State Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West, held a press conference Tuesday, to call for payment of the overdue grants and restoration of the appropriation for next year."

"We are incurring costs borne because the federal government is not doing its job to keep the borders secure," said McFayden, who has eight state prisons in her district."

" Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said he is outraged that the federal government is still sitting on last year's funds and could give him no explanation why."

"The grant program "never even gets close to our cost," Robinson added. He estimated the federal reimbursement at 10 cents on the dollar."

"MacFadyen said she and state Rep. Paul Weissmann, D-Louisville, are co-sponsoring a resolution calling for the state to sue the federal government for complete reimbursement for "incarceration of undocumented foreign nationals."

"The draft resolution says 1,560 foreign-born prison inmates cost Colorado $43 million last year, where the state's share of the reimbursement due last summer was just $2.35 million."

"Those figures have dropped dramatically since the height of the reimbursement program. In 1996, the state prison system received $5.3 million, six times as much per illegal immigrant inmate."

"U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado, a vocal critic of illegal immigration, likely will push for the funding, said his spokesman, Carlos Espinosa. But the Democrats now control the House of Representatives , and therefore the federal budget, Espinosa noted."

"As a result, Bush's budget proposal "has nothing to do with reality," he said, and the Democrats might well fund the reimbursement program. He speculated that Bush eliminated it so he could promise $1.5 billion for a border fence."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

First off, is there a decimal point missing in that $282 million sentence , should it be $2.82 ? Or am I missing something ?

One item amazes me is the following, "We are incurring costs borne because the federal government is not doing its job to keep the borders secure," said MacFadyen who has EIGHT STATE PRISONS IN HER DISTRICT."

And her district is Pueblo - West. Makes me wonder, is Colorado going into mass production in the prison business ? Or is this the norm country wide ?

Well, be that as it may, seems that our feds are figuring that if they ignore it, it'll disappear into the cracks in the woodwork -- much as the aliens seem to be doing.

And that fence, last I heard it will only cover a portion of our border and not have enough manpower to cover it to begin with. Let the states and cities pay to keep prisoners alive and housed. Heh.

ICE can't seem to handle the insurging flow, state patrol is beginning to concentrate on alien smugglers and not just lone aliens.

And our military is in Wacky Iraqi while the act on the Washington stage sings loudly, "Yaka hula hickadoola," while activating their usual smoke screen.

Yeah, I know that is an old song barely remembered by me, but don't our people at the helm of state sing the same old songs forever ?

Methinks Bre'r Bush is engaging in ZOMBIE FINANCING . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Blog