Posted by Tina
Federal overseer acts to seize $8 billion for California prison healthcare
SACRAMENTO — The court-appointed overseer for healthcare in state prisons today moved to seize $8 billion from the California treasury, asking a federal judge to hold Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and California Controller John Chiang in contempt of court. *** With the state mired in fiscal crisis, J. Clark Kelso, the federal receiver, asked U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson to force officials to turn over the money he says he needs to raise prison healthcare to constitutional standards. Henderson, who appointed the receiver as part of an inmate lawsuit, has ordered the state to cooperate with Kelso. *** The receiver told reporters today that he took the step “with great reluctance, and yet a sense of firm conviction.” *** “We have fully explored and exhausted every avenue for securing this funding in a manner that least affects California’s budget and immediate cash needs,” Kelso said. “But the state’s leaders have failed to act.” *** Kelso is building seven new facilities for the long-term medical, mental health and dental care of 10,000 inmates, and he is renovating existing clinics at the state’s 33 prisons. (all emphasis mine)
This little project, and the lawsuit that spawned it, stinks to high heaven. And constitutional standards”? What constitution and what standards? If he’s talking about Californias Constitution I find it hard to believe it addresses health care in any way for anyone.
Schwarzenegger agreed to Kelso’s plan and included it when he proposed his budget in January. But legislation that would have authorized borrowing for most of the funding was blocked by Republicans in the state Senate in May.
Unless the state has authorized the building of such facilities and the funding for it there isnt any reason to go forward with construction.
What do you think pilgrimsare the bureaucrats serving the people, or special interests, or themselves…or what?