Our friends at Progress Michigan have just done something good. They’ve invested in a Robert Reich sound-alike to explain, in easy to understand terms, the true costs of privatization in Michigan. As fond as I am of my painstakingly-detailed and painfully-long rants on the subject, like my recent piece on the privatization of Michigan’s prison food service industry, the truth is, a four-minute video is infinitely more effective when it comes to conveying the importance of the subject matter, and the threat we’re facing from those, like Governor Snyder, who would like to see all public services privatized. And this, of course, is in spite of the evidence, which shows that, more often that not, costs have risen, quality has dropped, and corruption has increased, when we’ve handed these critical parts of Michigan’s infrastructure over to private hands… Here’s the video. If you like it, please pass it along to your friends.
Speaking of Aramark, the prison food vendor that was recently found to have been serving maggot-contaminated food to Michigan’s prisoners, it’s now being reported that the Snyder administration quietly forgave the $98,000 fine that had been levied against them by the State. And Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer, among others, is wondering why. In fact, Schauer is requesting that Snyder release all emails relating to Aramark, so that we might have a better understanding of what happened. “Schauer also called on Snyder,” according to the Detroit Free Press, “to immediately disclose whether Aramark Correctional Services of Philadelphia or any of its officials had donated to the New Energy to Reinvent and Diversify (NERD) fund, a Snyder nonprofit fund that accepted undisclosed corporate donations and which Snyder announced in October he was disbanding.”
Could it be that Snyder quietly forgave the $98,000 penalty because Aramark had been depositing big checks in his super secret NERD fund in the run up to this November’s race against Schauer, who, coincidentally, is now beating him in the polls? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Regardless, though, I think it’s safe to say that Snyder has been dishonest at best, in that he’s given the impression that his administration has been taking a hard line against Aramark, to the tune of $98,000, when, in fact, that wasn’t the case.
In related news, Snyder has refused to set a time to debate Schauer, which, I think, speaks volumes.
[It should be noted that, while the $98,000 fine against Aramark was descended, there are still other fines against the company that have not been.]
10 Comments
Interesting.
Farming, culinary arts, food service, and all the other domestic arts should be performed by inmates and not “hired out”.
“Domestic arts”
Since when is providing food for hundreds of people living in an institutional environment on a daily basis done in the home?
While I understand the point, the word choice is strange.
I like the word choice because inmates should be given opportunities to make their prisons more homelike and less institutional. DIY home making would help with rehabilitation and life/ job skills.
When news broke that Aramark got off the hook for almost $100,000 in fines, I was shocked.
As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I feel like I was misled to think that Aramark had been punished for their many mistakes, but that was far from the truth.
When my colleagues and I asked tough questions about the Aramark contract, we were reassured that corrective action was being taken. To now hear from media reports that the fine was cancelled five months ago under pressure from the Governor’s office is a gut punch.
Report after report over the summer reiterated the fine that was imposed and the Governor’s office never corrected it.
Now I’m left with questions: Why is there no accountability with Aramark? Why were Democratic members of the Subcommittee on Corrections not informed of the cancellation? Why did the Governor’s office not correct media reports? Were they intentionally deceiving the public, media, and legislators?
Lansing Republicans seem to think that the rules don’t apply to them.
Special favors and shady deals have no place in Lansing. We need to take back control of the House so we can truly hold Lansing Republicans – and their friends, family, and wealthy donors they do state business with – accountable.
Is it not conceivable that these $98,000 in fines were just bundled into the fines which were imposed later, which were significantly higher? If that were the case, though, Snyder would have said that to the press.
From MLive:
Read more:
http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2014/09/michigan_corrections_cancelled.html
I guess I will just say that “the people” will get the government they deserve and sadly, what the people of the State of Michigan seem to feel they deserve is to be lied to and cheated.
If the Aramark CEO gave money secretly to Snyder, we should begin impeachment proceedings.
News just broke that 5 inmates were found with heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and tobacco, which were smuggled into a prison by an Aramark employee.
Read more:
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/09/16/aramark-worker-arrested-after-5-inmates-found-with-heroin-other-drugs/15694937/