You Gotta Be Kidding Me, Virginia Republicans Again, Allow The Virginia Department Of Corrections Veto Over Oversight ? When Will Virginians Wise Up To This Fox Guarding The Hen House Politics ? By William Thorpe

Virginia Republicans are well aware that The Commonwealth Of Virginia (taxpayers) reportedly pays out $2 million yearly to private attorneys, on top of whatever settlement levied against the State in lawsuits brought against The Virginia Department Of Corrections. Because Sen. Dave Marsden, D-Fairfax, highlighted it during the recent legislative fight to get The Virginia Department Of Corrections in compliance with and to abide by laws all Virginians are subject to. The Republican Party, Nationally and Locally, (Virginia) has created a cottage industry of polemicizing against governmental spending it disagrees with and abhors as wasteful. And there isn't a Virginia taxpayer (save for the beneficiaries) who would disagree that doling out $2 million yearly to lawyers on top of settlement penalties due to unlawful and extra-judicial behavior by prison officials isn't wasteful, when all the prison official has to do is stop breaking the law. Nonetheless Republicans have consistently enabled and principally supported the prison officials presumptuous above the law activities and practically accorded The Virginia Department Of Corrections veto powers over efforts to subject it to actual and legitimate oversight. During this 2024 Virginia General Assembly Legislative session, again Democrats worked to establish Department Of Corrections specific oversight mechanisms, regardless of how much teeth it would have, it was an unassailable assertion. Sen. Dave Marsden, sponsor of The Virginia Prison Ombudsman-Oversight proposal said, [as reported by Graham Moomaw on 2/13/24] "I think what it will do is cut down on the $2 million we pay every year for outside counsel with the attorney general's office to settle lawsuits". Marsden told the committee. "I think a lot of these can be short-stopped by an ombudsman" . In opposition to the bill/proposal, The Virginia Department Of Corrections Legislative liaison Jerry Fitz, declared how The Department sees itself as an above the law entity, not subject to oversight by the Virginia voter and taxpayer (who by the way not only gives it its authority but funds it) with, "the costs of implementing a more robust oversight system would be unknown", and that ombudsman oversight, "would create another layer of government". Then The Virginia House Appropriations Committee with Republicans in the majority voted straight party line to agree with VADOC that it'd be onerous and a burden for it to comply with the law. I mean seriously, an agency tasked with confining those convicted of breaking laws claiming it should be allowed to break the law, because complying with it "would create... another layer of government" and "the costs of [compliance] would be unknown"? And the peoples representatives, politicians voted for to maintain social integrity under law, agreeing with a state agency that being watchful of its activities is at odds and will impede its functioning? And politicians tasked with the responsibility of ensuring oversight of all of Virginia government outsources the privilege to the subject? At the expense of that laboriously gleaned realization, absolute power corrupts absolutely? Hasn't VADOC taught us that enough?

By William Thorpe

I'm William Thorpe Virginia exiled me to the Texas prison system. I'm solitary confined at the Wainwright Unit