The Empire Unwinds

This prison was built not too far south of where I live:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/42717207#42717207

To sum up, the Federal government built the darn thing, but the money to actually run the place has been cut out of the budget.

. . . and so the empire begins to die.

Right now, the Feds are spending 4 million dollars a year to keep the lights on and the place ready. Maybe they'll cut that out of the next budget.

A cousin of mine traveled to the Ukraine last summer. The country is littered with old Soviet era projects that have never been completed. Russia itself is also full of abandoned government areas. The money ran out. The workers wandered off. Often, the locals stripped the buildings for scrap.

No doubt when funds to finish and run the old Soviet projects ran out, a lot of people must have thought the problems were only temporary. I'm sure most of my neighbors think the prison will eventually open. Then again, since the whole area has been in a long death spiral, maybe they know better.

These budget cuts are thought of as temporary at first. Then bigger problems crop up and an empty prison in the wilds of northern New Hampshire gets forgotten.

Sure, some people were hoping for jobs there. It's tough to be out of work -I know. However, I'm not a big believer in prisons. The US imprisons more people than Russia or China, and that's just wrong. Working in a prison is no great shakes either. A guard is as much of a prisoner as the people behind bars. It diminishes the human spirit.

If the politicians want to generate some local work, hire people to dismantle the concrete monstrosity. Get a jump on collapse and sell those cell bars before scrap prices drop. Maybe they can restore the wildlife habitat that's been buried under all that concrete.

Oh, it is possible that the prison will open, but at the cost of other projects that won't be finished or staffed. The crunch is on folks. I've a good view of the collapse from where I sit.


-Sixbears