A friend of mine, Kath, just sent me an email about the toughest sheriff in America. Considering I've just written about my views on prisoners and their punishments, I found it fascinating that she would forward me a 'chain email' containing this information. I did a quick bit of research and found out that the below story is true. In relation to what I wrote about prisoners receiving compensation, I present this to you as what we should be doing here in NZ:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio for President!

Here’s something you don’t see everyday. A Sheriff who isn’t playing politics? Believe it!

Some of you may know him as the Sheriff who built the “Tent City Jail” in Maricopa County, Arizona.

Imagine, a Sheriff with the stones to actually DO THE JOB HE WAS ELECTED TO DO. Hard to believe it when all you see are these pussys who are handed these high-ranking positions in our government.

Among Sheriff Arpaio’s many accomplishments:

He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them.

No more smoking or porno magazines allowed in the jails. He took away their weights. Cut off all movies but “G” rated movies.

He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects.

Then he started chain gangs for women so he wouldn’t get sued for discrimination.

He took away cable TV until he found out there was a federal court order that required cable TV for jails. So he hooked it up! And only let in the Disney channel and the weather channel.

When asked why the weather channel he replied, so they will know how hot it’s gonna be while they are working on my chain gangs.

He cut off coffee since it has zero nutritional value.

When the inmates complained, he told them, “This isn’t the Ritz/Carlton. If you don’t like it, don’t come back.”

He bought Newt Gingrich’ lecture series on videotape that he pipes into the jails.

With temperatures being even hotter than usual in Phoenix (116 degrees just set a new record), the Associated Press reports: About 2,000 inmates living in a barbed-wire-surrounded tent encampment at the Maricopa County Jail have been given permission to strip down to their government-issued pink boxer shorts.

On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 degrees inside the week before.

Many were also swathed in wet, pink towels as sweat collected on their chests and dripped down to their pink socks.

“It feels like we are in a furnace,” said James Zanzot, an inmate who has lived in the tents for 1 year. “It’s inhumane.”

Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the Tent City Jail and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not the least bit sympathetic. He told all of the inmates: “It’s 120 degrees in Iraq and our soldiers are living in tents too, and they have to wear full battle gear, but they didn’t commit any crimes, so shut your damned mouths!”

Way to go, Sheriff! Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it’s time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things taxpayers can’t afford to have for themselves.

Joe Arpaio was again re-elected Sheriff in Maricopa County, Arizona.

Why should Arizona be the only state to benifit from this true American patriot… the entire United States needs this guy!

In ‘08… I’m writing in Joe Arpaio for President!