Texas inmates make masks for first responders

[ABikerSailor]

What in your opinion is a no good reason? If the implication is we are locking people up for cheap labor, nothing can be further from the truth. It's not like we have too much room in our prisons. Most of our prisons are overcrowded. Judges (like the ones in my city) often find themselves in a bad position because on one hand, they are trying to keep the community safe, and on the other, they are being pressured to not send people to prison because there simply isn't enough room.

If you aren't a murderer or rapist, you don't belong in prison. Done.

Of course, we have a P-I complex, for making rich people richer... The fact that we don't have enough room doesn't bother the one percenters.

So if you rob a bank, you don't belong in prison? If you extort money from a person or company, you don't belong in prison? If you shoot somebody in the commission of a crime, and don't kill them, you don't belong in prison? How about beating somebody to near death with a bat? Arson? Conning an 84 year old woman out of her life savings?

Prison work isn't free, in fact, the law states companies must pay at least minimum wage. Work is optional as well. Nobody is forced to work in prison. However prison can get pretty boring, and some have a conscience about repaying their debt to society, so they work if possible. It helps them pass the time.

Might wanna do some research on that one Ray. No, prisoners are NOT paid minimum wage. Current average wage for prisoners is around 86 cents per day. And, while there are jobs that pay by the hour (anywhere from 33 cents to 1.41), those are only about 6 percent of the prison jobs. Many prisoners don't get paid at all.

How much do incarcerated people earn in each state?

Prison wages come up again and again in the context of prison conditions and policies. So, we found the most up-to-date information for each state.

www.prisonpolicy.org

One major surprise: prisons appear to be paying incarcerated people less today than they were in 2001. The average of the minimum daily wages paid to incarcerated workers for non-industry prison jobs is now 86 cents, down from 93 cents reported in 2001. The average maximum daily wage for the same prison jobs has declined more significantly, from $4.73 in 2001 to $3.45 today. What changed? At least seven states appear to have lowered their maximum wages, and South Carolina no longer pays wages for most regular prison jobs – assignments that paid up to $4.80 per day in 2001. With a few rare exceptions, regular prison jobs are still unpaid in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, and Texas.


Incarcerated people assigned to work for state-owned businesses earn between 33 cents and $1.41 per hour on average – roughly twice as much as people assigned to regular prison jobs. Only about 6 percent of people incarcerated in state prisons earn these “higher” wages, however. An even tinier portion of incarcerated workers are eligible for “prevailing local wages” working for private businesses that contract with states through the PIE program. The vast majority spend their days working in custodial, maintenance, grounds keeping, or food service jobs for the institutions that confine them.

My information is from the leftist LA Times. Here is what it says:

When private companies contract with prisons, the labor isn’t cheap. Federal law requires contractors to pay minimum wage for inmate work. The state may garnish those wages to cover the costs of incarceration. If inmates working for private contractors are cheated of a fair wage, the fault lies not with the business that hires prisoners but the system that confines them.

Op-Ed: Think prison labor is a form of slavery? Think again

When a prison inmate prays for release from her cell, prison industries can be her first salvation.

www.latimes.com

Your "information" is from an op-ed piece, not based on actual information like the link I provided.

Your confusion here is because you don't read. You didn't read the story I posted, and you didn't even read your own.

Your link clearly states that they are paid very low wages for non-industrial work. In other words, they get paid for taking care of the jail and outside grounds. Business has nothing to do with that.

My link explains the reason they are paid under minimum wage is because they don't get a direct paycheck from the company they do the work for. The company pays the prison, and the prison takes deductions out of their check, but they are technically still getting paid at least minimum wage.

So this theory that companies are virtual slave labor employers is false.

Sorry, but inmates that get to work outside of the prison system are only around 6 percent, meaning that 94 percent of the prisoners either get zero wages, or slave labor wages.

 

[ABikerSailor]

You know, I asked my roomie what kind of material those masks were made from. Apparently, they are made from the same stuff that HEPA filters are made from, tightly woven nylon that is pressed like felt.

Sorry, but cotton fabric ain't gonna cut it.

If you bothered to read the OP, it clearly states that those masks are not designed to the quality standard needed to completely protect first responders from this virus. They are producing them because any kind of mask is better than no mask.

I would disagree with that quite strongly. A sense of false security because you THINK you have a mask that will protect you is dangerous as you might take more chances than not.

 

[MindWars]

I don't think face masks are something you can rig without it being noticeable. Plus the fact they probably don't allow inmates to do any work unless it's under supervision.

Um, yeah, have you met Prison Guards? Not exactly the kind of people I'd want to do QC, but I've worked in manufacturing. Even people who actually WANT to do the work need to be checked.

Why so negative, Joe? Inmates do a lot of good work in prison shops.

Yeah you enjoy slave labor aye. lol

 

[JoeB131]

Trust me, as a former commodity trader, that is quite normal. When stocks go up, futures go down. When stocks go down, futures go up. Why do you call making money being greedy? There is nothing greedy about it.

Wow, so you weren't very good at it if you ended up driving a truck instead of making money. The fact that we allow so much of our economy to essentially be held hostage to this casino, where we're now letting big corporations loot the treasury for 2 Trillion, and you don't see a problem because of course you don't.

They can file for unemployment online. Now the one-time payment checks are getting ready to go out in the mail. On top of that (and I can't believe this) the federal government is adding $600.00 per week for unemployment for four months. If you normally get $300.00 a week from your state unemployment, you will soon be getting $900.00 per week.

Yes, that's kind of crazy... it's actually an incentive for people to not look very hard if they get fired. Also, freelancers can now apply for unemployment. This is pretty much trying to mollify everyone. It won't work.

As long as you don't move your "nest egg" or need to use it in the near future, it will be fine. If you have the money to buy more shares, you should have done it a few days ago. However you still have opportunities coming up.

I've avoided the market like the plague since my last nest egg went up in smoke in 2008.

Seems like a good call right about now.

 

[Godboy]

Why so negative, Joe? Inmates do a lot of good work in prison shops.

Gee, why am I negative about the Prison Industrial Complex. You know, where we lock up millions of people for no good reason to provide cheap labor to greedy corporations.

I can't think of a single reason why that's a bad idea.

They arent forced to work, moron. Its voluntary. The ones who volunteer get extra money in their commissary every month. You are ALWAYS wrong.

 

[JoeB131]

They arent forced to work, moron. Its voluntary. The ones who volunteer get extra money in their commissary every month. You are ALWAYS wrong.

Wow, so let's try this. Let's throw you in jail for some bullshit. (Because when you lock up a black kid for smoking some pot but little white Timmy gets probation, that's bullshit) Then let's make you work at a menial job for a few extra bucks at the commissary while some rich asshole gets richer. Then let me know how wonderful you think that is.

 

[Biff_Poindexter]

Now, can anybody tell me what's wrong with this? While working and even non-working Americans are making sacrifices to combat this problem, shouldn't prison inmates do the same? It's not really a partisan issue, given the former HUD director, now Governor is using the same resource.

Let's see now. Someone who is spending his life in prison because of a cop making something that will save a cop's life.

Nope. Can't see how that could possibly go wrong.

I don't think face masks are something you can rig without it being noticeable. Plus the fact they probably don't allow inmates to do any work unless it's under supervision.

And there are quality control measures in place...I say if they can make them, let them make it.....

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Wow, so you weren't very good at it if you ended up driving a truck instead of making money. The fact that we allow so much of our economy to essentially be held hostage to this casino, where we're now letting big corporations loot the treasury for 2 Trillion, and you don't see a problem because of course you don't.

Sorry Joe, but everybody is looting the treasury right now, not just big corporations.

Commodities is a very high-risk game. I played for a few years. I won, I lost, and had the best time of my life. I didn't want to end up like a liberal crying because my employer was not paying me enough money, or we need unions to close down even more jobs in our country. I took a risk and tried to make money myself with investments.

I may have lost in the end, but most people do in that market. It was only a couple of thousand dollars which I had at the time. The best part about it is I learned a hell of a lot.

Yes, that's kind of crazy... it's actually an incentive for people to not look very hard if they get fired. Also, freelancers can now apply for unemployment. This is pretty much trying to mollify everyone. It won't work.

I have no problem with self-employed people getting unemployment during this madness. Under any other condition, I would be against it. But this is something so unique, the rules could change for this one instance. However I don't think the feds should be supplementing people who are already getting help.

I've avoided the market like the plague since my last nest egg went up in smoke in 2008.

Seems like a good call right about now.

The worst thing you could do is pull your money out right now. If you did it before the collapse, that's one thing. But if you're in the game, stay in the game at this point.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

You know, I asked my roomie what kind of material those masks were made from. Apparently, they are made from the same stuff that HEPA filters are made from, tightly woven nylon that is pressed like felt.

Sorry, but cotton fabric ain't gonna cut it.

If you bothered to read the OP, it clearly states that those masks are not designed to the quality standard needed to completely protect first responders from this virus. They are producing them because any kind of mask is better than no mask.

I would disagree with that quite strongly. A sense of false security because you THINK you have a mask that will protect you is dangerous as you might take more chances than not.

I'm sure anybody getting those masks are well aware they are not to the standards of total protection from COVID-19. But if you have a job where you could possibly be in contact with an infected person, it's better than nothing. It's not giving anybody a false sense of security.

 

[candycorn]

Why so negative, Joe? Inmates do a lot of good work in prison shops.

Gee, why am I negative about the Prison Industrial Complex. You know, where we lock up millions of people for no good reason to provide cheap labor to greedy corporations.

I can't think of a single reason why that's a bad idea.

They arent forced to work, moron. Its voluntary. The ones who volunteer get extra money in their commissary every month. You are ALWAYS wrong.

Not in Texas:

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

What in your opinion is a no good reason? If the implication is we are locking people up for cheap labor, nothing can be further from the truth. It's not like we have too much room in our prisons. Most of our prisons are overcrowded. Judges (like the ones in my city) often find themselves in a bad position because on one hand, they are trying to keep the community safe, and on the other, they are being pressured to not send people to prison because there simply isn't enough room.

If you aren't a murderer or rapist, you don't belong in prison. Done.

Of course, we have a P-I complex, for making rich people richer... The fact that we don't have enough room doesn't bother the one percenters.

So if you rob a bank, you don't belong in prison? If you extort money from a person or company, you don't belong in prison? If you shoot somebody in the commission of a crime, and don't kill them, you don't belong in prison? How about beating somebody to near death with a bat? Arson? Conning an 84 year old woman out of her life savings?

Prison work isn't free, in fact, the law states companies must pay at least minimum wage. Work is optional as well. Nobody is forced to work in prison. However prison can get pretty boring, and some have a conscience about repaying their debt to society, so they work if possible. It helps them pass the time.

Might wanna do some research on that one Ray. No, prisoners are NOT paid minimum wage. Current average wage for prisoners is around 86 cents per day. And, while there are jobs that pay by the hour (anywhere from 33 cents to 1.41), those are only about 6 percent of the prison jobs. Many prisoners don't get paid at all.

How much do incarcerated people earn in each state?

Prison wages come up again and again in the context of prison conditions and policies. So, we found the most up-to-date information for each state.

www.prisonpolicy.org

One major surprise: prisons appear to be paying incarcerated people less today than they were in 2001. The average of the minimum daily wages paid to incarcerated workers for non-industry prison jobs is now 86 cents, down from 93 cents reported in 2001. The average maximum daily wage for the same prison jobs has declined more significantly, from $4.73 in 2001 to $3.45 today. What changed? At least seven states appear to have lowered their maximum wages, and South Carolina no longer pays wages for most regular prison jobs – assignments that paid up to $4.80 per day in 2001. With a few rare exceptions, regular prison jobs are still unpaid in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, and Texas.


Incarcerated people assigned to work for state-owned businesses earn between 33 cents and $1.41 per hour on average – roughly twice as much as people assigned to regular prison jobs. Only about 6 percent of people incarcerated in state prisons earn these “higher” wages, however. An even tinier portion of incarcerated workers are eligible for “prevailing local wages” working for private businesses that contract with states through the PIE program. The vast majority spend their days working in custodial, maintenance, grounds keeping, or food service jobs for the institutions that confine them.

My information is from the leftist LA Times. Here is what it says:

When private companies contract with prisons, the labor isn’t cheap. Federal law requires contractors to pay minimum wage for inmate work. The state may garnish those wages to cover the costs of incarceration. If inmates working for private contractors are cheated of a fair wage, the fault lies not with the business that hires prisoners but the system that confines them.

Op-Ed: Think prison labor is a form of slavery? Think again

When a prison inmate prays for release from her cell, prison industries can be her first salvation.

www.latimes.com

Your "information" is from an op-ed piece, not based on actual information like the link I provided.

Your confusion here is because you don't read. You didn't read the story I posted, and you didn't even read your own.

Your link clearly states that they are paid very low wages for non-industrial work. In other words, they get paid for taking care of the jail and outside grounds. Business has nothing to do with that.

My link explains the reason they are paid under minimum wage is because they don't get a direct paycheck from the company they do the work for. The company pays the prison, and the prison takes deductions out of their check, but they are technically still getting paid at least minimum wage.

So this theory that companies are virtual slave labor employers is false.

Sorry, but inmates that get to work outside of the prison system are only around 6 percent, meaning that 94 percent of the prisoners either get zero wages, or slave labor wages.

I'm not disagreeing with that. What I'm saying is that it's not the fault of private industry. Look, where does your money go? It goes to keep a roof over your head, food on the table, utilities, medical care.........

So what's wrong with a prison deducting an amount for your upkeep? Doesn't that save taxpayers a little more money? Is it slave labor when people on the outside go to work and use all their money to pay bills?

 

[Godboy]

They arent forced to work, moron. Its voluntary. The ones who volunteer get extra money in their commissary every month. You are ALWAYS wrong.

Wow, so let's try this. Let's throw you in jail for some bullshit. (Because when you lock up a black kid for smoking some pot but little white Timmy gets probation, that's bullshit) Then let's make you work at a menial job for a few extra bucks at the commissary while some rich asshole gets richer. Then let me know how wonderful you think that is.

Who is going to prison for smoking pot?

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

They arent forced to work, moron. Its voluntary. The ones who volunteer get extra money in their commissary every month. You are ALWAYS wrong.

Wow, so let's try this. Let's throw you in jail for some bullshit. (Because when you lock up a black kid for smoking some pot but little white Timmy gets probation, that's bullshit) Then let's make you work at a menial job for a few extra bucks at the commissary while some rich asshole gets richer. Then let me know how wonderful you think that is.

Correct, we should not have deterrents for going to prison. If we did that, why would they want to come back???

 

[JoeB131]

Commodities is a very high-risk game. I played for a few years. I won, I lost, and had the best time of my life. I didn't want to end up like a liberal crying because my employer was not paying me enough money, or we need unions to close down even more jobs in our country. I took a risk and tried to make money myself with investments.

And you ended up living in a slum with a crappy job that didn't pay health insurance. My worst day, I'm not as bad off as you are. Although with trump, I'm sure he'll try really hard to fuck us all over.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Commodities is a very high-risk game. I played for a few years. I won, I lost, and had the best time of my life. I didn't want to end up like a liberal crying because my employer was not paying me enough money, or we need unions to close down even more jobs in our country. I took a risk and tried to make money myself with investments.

And you ended up living in a slum with a crappy job that didn't pay health insurance. My worst day, I'm not as bad off as you are. Although with trump, I'm sure he'll try really hard to fuck us all over.

I had insurance all of my adult life until the uninformed voters elected a commie. That's when things went to hell.

 

[JoeB131]

I had insurance all of my adult life until the uninformed voters elected a commie. That's when things went to hell.

If your insurance didn't meet the low standards of the ACA, it probably didn't cover anything.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

I had insurance all of my adult life until the uninformed voters elected a commie. That's when things went to hell.

If your insurance didn't meet the low standards of the ACA, it probably didn't cover anything.

It wasn't great insurance but it wasn't bad either. It's a small company and not subject to the regulations. Commie Care laws must be followed by companies with 50 or more employees.

 

[miketx]

You people on the left keep insulting the other half of the people in this country. Go ahead, it worked out so well for you the last time with Hillary's Deplorable remark.

Again, Trump hasn't grown your coalition. Hillary lost because too many people thought she had this in the bag and decided to vote third party. That mistake won't happen again. Especially when the economy is FULLY IN THE SHITTER come November.

The only thing that has gotten worse since Trump is you vile filthy scum!

 

[JoeB131]

It wasn't great insurance but it wasn't bad either. It's a small company and not subject to the regulations. Commie Care laws must be followed by companies with 50 or more employees.

You know, the more you talk, the more it's hard to see how ACA caused your employer to drop insurance.

Sounds like he dropped it and just used ACA as an excuse.

 

[JoeB131]

he only thing that has gotten worse since Trump is you vile filthy scum!

Shit, dude, I thought IM2 was yelling at me for a second... because you are both using the same image for your AVI.