Sheriff Joe is at it Again

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You all remember sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, who painted the jail cells pink and made the inmates wear pink prison garb. Well, it seems Maricopa County was spending apporx. $18 million dollars a year on stray animals, like cats and dogs. Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over, and the County Supervisors said okay. The animal shelters are now all staffed and operated by prisoners. They feed and care for the strays. Every animal in his care is taken out and walked twice daily. He now has prisoners who are experts in animal nutrition and behavior. They give great classes for anyone who'd like to adopt an animal. He has literally taken stray dogs off the street, given them to the card of prisoners, and had them placed in dog shows. The vest part? His budget for the entire department is now under $3 million. The prisoners get the benefit of 28 cents an hour for working, but most say they would do it for free, just to be out of their cells for the day. Most of his budget is for utilities, building maintenance, etc. He pays the prisoners out of the fees collected for adopted animals. Maybe the rest of the country should take a look at the way he runs the jail system, and copy some of his ideas. So many animal shelters run by counties have run out of funds or come under fire for mismanagement lately that perhaps this would actually work. I know we haven't run out of prisons or inmates. What do you think?