Working In A Junkyard

We work in a prison that doubles as a junkyard.

Sure, we're hard on stuff. It's a prison. Somebody should be making tough things to last in a place like this.

Sgt LB told me one while he was in Iraq that his laptop accidentally got dragged underneath his HMMWV for twenty miles and when he got to a safe place and drug it out from underneath the vehicle, all he had to do was blow the sand out of it and it worked fine.

Why can't we get stuff made like that?

Well, because we're a low priority podunk prison in a mostly bankrupt state, that's why. So we have to settle for whatever used junk they can scrape together for free or less. As with most government agencies, we get what the lowest bidder offers because that's the way it's done.

In the meantime, all of the cheap junk they bought us is falling apart as fast as it's getting shipped in. I think we got some fifty new microphones for our radios a couple of months ago and already most of them are broken. Why? Because they were cheap to begin with.

And, we're hard on stuff.

Working in a prison isn't brain surgery or rocket science. Which is a bloody good thing around here. There would be alot of accidentally lobotomized people making things blow up if it were.

But even the simple stuff..... the things that could get fixed and fixed right with one guy and a tool belt can't ever get fixed. You notice something is broken and you put in a work order. Then you wait and wait and wait..... and while you're waiting, the thing gets more broken.

And by the time they get around to fixing it..... "Well, it's too broken. And we can't afford to replace it. You'll just have to do without. There's no money."

I'll bet the governor and his staff aren't sitting around in government surplus reject chairs in front of desks held together with duct tape. And I'll bet if his stuff gets broken it gets fixed mighty fast!

The rate things are going there's going to be nothing left but the fences soon.

And even they don't look too healthy.

Ahhh..... Tomorrow is Stay At Home Because You're Well Day.

"Sorry. Can't come in. Feel too good! Might be out all week! I'll be back when I feel worse, okay?"

I can see that going over big....