We do not live under a Bill of Frights or Fear - We live under a Bill of Rights

 

Ever since James Madison’s speech on June 8, 1789, to the House of Representatives, the freedom of speech has been attacked numerous times and challenged in court even more often than can be counted. His speech read, “The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, to write, or to publish their sentiments; and the freedom of the press, as one of the great bulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable.”

The House committee rewrote the language to read, “The freedom of speech and of the press, and the right of the people peaceably to assemble and consult for their common good, and to apply to the Government for redress of grievances, shall not be infringed.”

Then the Senate amended these words to say, “ “That Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and consult for their common good, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Subsequently, the religion clauses and these clauses were combined by the Senate.

Every person, free man or author, has an undoubted right to express his or her own sentiments as their own point of view before the public. The Constitution forbids the restriction of such rights and allows the press the freedom to publish whatever they may feel is proper but not without consequences if the expression is improper, mischievous or illegal.

This First Amendment right does not expose your opinion, writings or publishes to the control of the prejudices of one man that could make him arbitrarily biased and an infallible judge of all controverted point in learning, religion, and government.

Thus the rights and will of any individual is still left free. Government shall not pass laws that ban, restrict, or censor act of this freedom to express thought or inquire, leaving such liberty of private sentiment intact and allowable within the realm of existing laws written. Perhaps I have become a libertarian for the freedom of speech and press.

Perhaps I have taken offense to attacks and counter attacks of political discourse with my writings as I feel they may be intended to prosecute me for my thoughts, ideas or experience. It is with much resentment I see political opponents do something that departed from the spirit of our Constitution and that is unacceptable.

My words, writings and speeches are not designed to falsely shout any threats or false promises. It is not used to cause threat, harm or written in such a nature as to create a clear and present danger to anyone or any system. It is merely an expression of my views, political pandering or dissent in matters I have chosen to write about upholding that the suppression of speech that offers no threat or danger is allowed under our Bill of Rights.

My First amendment protects me for expressed speech, press, and religion and commits law to protect me from uninhibited criticism, caustic or unpleasant attacks on government management styles and public officials and prohibits the state to forbid or proscribe advocacy of the use of force or law unless these words are found to be inciting and likely result in producing lawless actions.

Creating Competence and Capabilities

Correctional officers are expected to deliver mandatory elements to the workplace. Such elements include performance, attention to detail, focus abilities to carry out special assignments and many more expectations rarely taken for granted. Creating or building personal opportunities for such improvements requires the officer to develop a career or self-development plan that makes full use of their talents and improve their skill set at the same time. However, this plan cannot be developed without the employer’s help.

Budget conditions in every locality, state or at the federal level has been the focus of shortage of funds for years now. Providing good service, performance and other mandated duties and tasks are needed to meet the current technological changes and access to data critical and very important. This makes the interaction between administrative personnel and front line personnel more important than ever before.

As the burden increases and with downsizing a priority to control the costs, many governments are at risk of becoming ineffective and difficult to create better opportunities for those capable of handling such upcoming challenges. They can avoid this by implementing management principles friendly to enabling the employee while at the same time, allow full potential contributions to fill in any gaps created by organizational vacancies or short comings.

Transforming the abilities and capabilities of good employees will ensure improving the delivery of services as designed by the objectives and mission of each agency. At its core is a strong focus on capability building at all levels, which then becomes an integral part of how well the agency operates. Keep in mind the most important element is sustainability. One can build the right capabilities but without nurturing and constant advances, it can fade out surprisingly quick causing the core values to be diminished and the work left incomplete.

Why partake in capability building you ask? Competency expands your ability to provide more services with the same number of employees in the work force. It allows individuals to become more valued and appreciated boosting morale and improving attendance. Most of all, building abilities improves the consistency of the services provided and a broader range of solutions to keep the production going in the right direction while improving delivery and communication efforts. 

Capability building adds value to the organization and the work force. It can integrate human solutions with the use of machines and make them work better together. It gives the business an additional resource to the solution process from those working the front lines and likely give their managers and supervisors the answers to the problems experienced on a continuous basis.

Competence building thus involves more than just teaching employees how to complete their day-to-day tasks. Instead, it focuses on a broader set of skills that increase each employee’s value to the organization, such as learning to reach problems’ root causes, or providing effective feedback to diminish interruptions of services or delivery of goods mandated by law or policy.

With the greater value that more skilled people can create, the organization will enhance its unique competitive position. That means tailoring the capability building to the organization’s business context, culture, and needs—especially to the factors that allow the organization to create value and boost productivity and efficiency levels.

Is Governor Doug Ducey Doing his Job?

Arizona Republic link

In my view, the governor does have some tough choices. So here is my proposal for the new governor who has barely had a chance to get his feet wet on the problem. The very first the governor should do is to use that bully pulpit to take control of all expenditures and justifications for such spending. He has already prioritized his list so give him credit for doing so. First, do an assessment of the former administration as follows:

The organization of the Child Safety agency has to be structured to ensure a delivery of performance standards as well as safety for our high risk kids to be protected, safe and removed as needed. Take funding from DES that should be allocated to Child Safety programs. I think an increase of funding is appropriate and justified by the role they play in our public safety for kids today.

Re-negotiate all contractual services related to the state’s dependence on the private sector’s role to hybrid governance as a joint venture. One can change the terms or length of the contract to off-set any losses and this buys the Governor time to establish his next budget plan. This includes contracts on IT computer services and servers, communications, transportation, parks, highways, inmate hospital care and fees for services rendered and many other agencies who use private contractors to subsidize their work or needs to provide public service. Establish user fees (parks, museums, airports, state property and buildings) that return funds to the general fund and allow state treasurer access to these funds for future expenditure or end of year needs. Not a tax hike but a renewal source of funding within limits.

Realize where you can reduce agreed terms down 3% and get rid of some of the exclusiveness rules that causes us to pay for services not rendered e.g. 90 % prison bed payment as a mandatory condition even when bed count is lower. This is one huge drain that is being abused. Under Gov. Brewer, the prisons have become huge burdens to taxpayers. Their strategy has not been cost-effective and lacks long term planning.

Get rid of the pork in all state agencies and draw in the use of state vehicles as take home or limit their use for designated official use only. Regulate the use of fuel and other resources that cost taxpayers excessive utility bills etc. Expand your Go Green concept statewide. Take an assessment of all department heads, their deputy directors and upper echelon staff (grade 22 and above) and take a 3% pay cut on their salaries and benefits. Get this done in the first year.

Focus on K – 12 classroom needs and keep you promise to make education your primary goal and do it first. Many will appreciate your efforts regardless whether it’s a compromise between public and charter, the kids win.

The prison costs have been inflated because of serious and deliberate mismanagement of the prisons, not population or crime but overspending by the DOC. Hire a nonpartisan, non-political analyst and do some of the things other states are doing to reduce the state’s incarceration costs safely. Work with county prosecutors and identify community corrections and other alternative supervision methods for non-violent first offenders (no sex offenders) as well as implementing jail diversion programs to reduce the prison intake numbers and associated costs.

Focus on the “cost intensive populations” such as the elderly, mentally ill, DUI etc. It can be done and should be a priority to complete before your second year is finished. Terminate accessory contracts e.g. cable TV for prisoners and replace with existing CCTV systems using public television as entertainment and vocational channels for education.

You can save so much in cutting prison costs. Costs that have been embellished with home grown special projects (added max custody beds we don’t need) that makes it a money pit to all taxpayers. Begin an external driven NIC or American Corrections Association accreditation process of all medium to max custody prisons should be implemented immediately. This will give Arizona credibility in our court system and result in less litigation, less assaults on staff and inmates, less deaths and better public safety for the dollar spent.

Higher education is critical for our future. Cutting post-secondary education impacts the quality of life and potential future labor sources for our state. Reconsider your 75 million cut and find it somewhere else even if it is a percentage of the total suggested. I suspect between the 3 % savings on contractual services and 3 % pay cut of division directors and deputy directors, you will recover your 75 million and place it somewhere else without raising tuition costs for our kids.

Fifth, accept healthcare AHCCS and Medicaid and keep it the way it was designed by Gov. Brewer. It was good for those persons who cannot afford health care. Let the Feds subsidize the healthcare costs but here is the secret – diminish your healthcare on your prisoners.

Medicaid does not kick in unless the inmate goes under medical treatment for more than 24 hours and this is abused by our medical contractors. Instead of sending inmates to four or five regional hospitals localize their placement inside the prisons through a long term healthcare unit as well as a mental health treatment center as this can be done. Changing inmate patients from hospital care to in-patient prison care saves millions and can be done safely with existing building through minor remodeling and construction.