Pubdate: Thu, 17 Nov 2005
Source: Des Moines Register (IA)
http://www.dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051117/OPINION01/511170357/1001/NEWS
Copyright: 2005 The Des Moines Register.
Contact:  http://desmoinesregister.com/index.html
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/123
Author: David Yepsen, Register Political Columnist
Bookmark: Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration)

PRISON ESCAPE REPRESENTS A FAILURE OF STATE GOVERNMENT

Let us review for a moment the first purpose of government: It's the 
protection of the public safety. Nothing's more important.

The escape of two dangerous convicts from the state penitentiary at 
Fort Madison Monday night shows that protecting public safety didn't happen.

In other words, state government failed Iowans Monday night.

It's the second time in two years lifers have escaped from an Iowa 
prison. (Two years ago some dolt left the alarms on fences turned off 
during a construction project at Oakdale.)

To borrow a prison phrase from actor Struther Martin: What we have 
here, is a failure . . . of politicians.

Both Republicans and Democrats at the Iowa Statehouse have 
participated in shorting corrections budgets in Iowa for too long. A 
guard tower went unmanned, and an escape resulted. Now political 
leaders must be called to account.

This is one of Gov. Tom Vilsack's worst nightmares. It eclipses 
everything else he's trying to do as he prepares for his last year in 
office and a run for president. Governorships and political careers 
have been ruined over prison episodes like this. That's because at 
some point voters figure out the governor is the CEO and is 
accountable for the Department of Corrections.

The initial reaction of Statehouse politicians on Tuesday was to 
point fingers. Democrats said Republicans cut corrections budgets. 
Republicans said they approved the budgets sent them by Vilsack -- 
and increased spending each of the last two years. The nasty fact is 
all have been too cheap. Iowa has some of the lowest per-capita 
levels of spending on corrections.

The only group with the right to say "I told you so" is the American 
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union. It 
represents prison guards, and it has warned both parties that the 
staffing levels at the state correctional institutions were too low.

Soon, look for a cover-up. All the politicians and prison bureaucrats 
will figure out that this name-calling is a no-win deal for 
everybody. So, they'll agree to say nothing. They'll start 
stonewalling and hiding information. (Confidential security matters, you know.)

And they'll use the Abu Ghraib defense: They'll try to it pin all on 
some lowly, overworked prison guard. This peon will be fired, proving 
again that bureaucracy always assigns accountability at the lowest 
levels to cover the fannies at the highest levels.

Iowans deserve better. As the governor and the Legislature prepare 
their budget for next year, they need to give corrections first dip 
in the money bucket. As we vote for a new governor and a new 
Legislature next year, don't let them forget what the first purpose 
of government is. We have a right to be safe from sex offenders, meth 
dealers and, yes, escaped lifers. Elderly Iowans live in special fear of crime.

There will be other ramifications. The escape will embolden other 
inmates. And it will add fuel to the fire for a death penalty in 
Iowa, something polls show Iowans already support. Death-penalty 
opponents are fond of saying, "We do have the death penalty in Iowa. 
We lock them up, and they die in prison." Uh, Messrs. Moon and 
Legendre just shot a hole -- or strung a homemade rope -- through that theory.

You can bet gun sales are increasing as well. News stories said 
Wednesday people around Fort Madison were locking their doors. Yeah, 
and I imagine some were were locking and loading, too. People have a 
legal right to do that, and many do. If government can't protect us, 
more probably should.

Right now, our hopes and prayers have to be with the men and women in 
the manhunt for these chaps. These officers are doing the hard work 
of cleaning up the mess left by our politicians and their minions.

These law officers range from young adults with families to grizzled 
veterans. I have always wondered what it was that motivated people to 
devote their lives to protecting the rest of us from society's lowlifes.

But I'm glad they do. At some point, one of them may come face to 
face with the duo, convicts with nothing to lose.

May God be with our thin blue line.