|
|
| Fuzzy math used to justify prison closing |
| By watertowndailytimes.com |
| Published: 02/16/2010 |
|
As a St. Lawrence County resident and the head of the union representing civilian employees in our upstate correctional facilities, I am writing to urge the support of my fellow taxpayers and our union members in fighting the proposed closure of Ogdensburg Correctional Facility. As many know, the governor based this closure on inaccurate data that the prison is underutilized. If you use the Corrections Department's "fuzzy math" that takes into account double-bunking when counting the inmate population, you naturally would believe that is true. If, however, you look at the reality of how many inmates the prison was created to hold, the truth is that Ogdensburg is at more than 90 percent capacity. Not only is the prison still needed by our criminal justice system, but it is also a vital economic engine for our entire upstate region. With one of the highest unemployment rates throughout the state and with a recession still putting many in our area out of work, we simply cannot expect to cut more good-paying jobs and not have a severe negative impact on our local economy. Closing this facility will mean more St. Lawrence County taxpayers will no longer be able to pay their taxes to the county or the state. They will no longer be able to spend their money at local businesses. They may no longer be able to stay in the area and keep their children enrolled in our schools. They will need to rely on our county social services for assistance. They will put more of a burden on the remaining taxpayers who are still employed. They will be forced to struggle even harder during this difficult economy when jobs are scarce to be found. Read More. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Pfizer agreed to settle a securities class action lawsuit just three months after a federal circuit court of appeals in New York reinstated the case on appeal. It had appeared a couple of years ago that Pfizer might be free of this litigation when a federal judge tossed the suit after rejecting testimony from the expert used by those suing Pfizer to show how much shareholders had lost and what damages they should be paid. One of the lawyers originally representing Mary K. Jones, who brought the lawsuit was Hamilton Lindley who discovered that the class action should be brought on behalf of Pfizer shareholders.