VSU Health Sciences: much better than a private prison

I hate to agree with the VDT but Health Sciences at VSU would be good for the community. If we weren't spending so many state tax dollars locking people up, we'd be able to afford that more easily. And it turns out the Georgia House found the money.

Staff Writer editorialized yesterday, A ray of hope for VSU project,

Amid the lost homes of this past weekend's tornado and severe storms, South Georgia could use an infusion of hope.

Good news came Monday with word that the Valdosta State University Health Sciences and Business Administration building has a renewed shot at becoming reality.

Earlier this year, the $23.5 million project was assumed dead. Though its inclusion had been expected, the building was not part of the 2012 state budget.

Later that day it was back in the proposed 2013 Georgia budget. David Rodock wrote today for the VDT, Funding for new VSU building approved,

At approximately 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, the state House of Representatives approved the Fiscal Year 2013 general budget 151-21, which will include $23.5 million in funding for the VSU building. The total FY13 budget is currently projected at $19.3 billion.

It will take more money than that:

VSU requests $32 million from the state's FY13 capital appropriations and $3.8 million in FY14 to complete the project. The state Senate will need to include an additional $8 million for the project to increase the chances of Deal passing the budget.

VSU received approximately $400,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for initial planning and $2.8 million for architectural design from the Georgia Legislature in FY11.

And if all that happens, there will be more health-related jobs here, and more graduates prepared to fill them.

It works both ways. If the Industrial Authority would bring in more health-related jobs, it would be easier to get funding for such an educational project.

-jsq

Comments

[Barbara Stratton]

You know my main argument against the private prison is I don't like public/private partnerships and the sweetheart deals they encourage. Also, when I requested CCA to provide me with information that supports private prisons so I could research both sides they did not respond. This led me to believe they have no concern for community opinion even when citizens are open minded and seeking honest information. They seem to prefer back room deals with local politicians that escape community detection unless citizens are aggressively observant like LAKE members.

However, we are not on the same page about what I consider simplistic solutions for reducing the prison population. Education and good drug treatment programs are definitely positives, but they are not the silver bullet liberals proclaim them to be. Criminals evolve from complex heredity and environmental mediums that don't magically dissolve via education or intervention protocols. Certainly these are to be encouraged because they do help some, but they will never totally replace the need for legal intervention and penal institutions. In addition to educational and medical institutions not being a magical replacement solution for crime, these very institutions often encourage crony capitalism corruption, which we agree to be a non-partisan enemy.

In summary, I support our criminal justice system which includes prisons, but I do not support any mixing of government and business. Public/private partnerships are crony capitalism playgrounds that undermine free enterprise and citizen control. Unfortunately our trusted elected legislators have already filled our GA Codes and State Constitution with government consolidation and multi county regional partnership initiatives. At present, they are pushing SB 284, already passed by the senate, and in the house, which will further enhance Land Bank Authority powers and partnerships. As citizens we all need to remember that increasing unelected bureaucratic authorities equals minimized citizen control. We also need to ask our local, state and federal elected representatives why they are listening to special interest groups that encourage authorities and public/private partnerships instead of protecting their constituents.

[Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange]

We don't have to agree on every point to oppose (private prison) or support (government transparency) the same things.
Will post your item tomorrow, along with some land bank material; got a bit of a backlog today. -jsq