It’s a free gym membership for inmates in Maricopa County jail in Phoenix. Sheriff Joe Arpaio, often called “America’s Toughest Sheriff”, is working hard to help First Lady Michelle Obama with her anti-obesity initiative.
For good cardiovascular health, a lower risk of heart disease, increased blood and oxygen flow, and overall weight loss, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has launched a program called, “Peddle Vision,” where inmates bicycle to create electricity that powers their television.
The tv is there. Now all inmates need to do is power it and they can enjoy hours upon hours of The View. Too bad Lance Armstrong didn’t think of this first. Imagine the sales in workout videos and the benefit to the planet, which of course would be negated when everyone plugged the videos into their electricity-powered entertainment systems.
You can’t win for losing.
But Sheriff Arpaio is doing it. He’s a true humanitarian. He’s not only helping these inmates gain self-confidence and a better self-image while giving them a svelte self, he’s also doing his part for the planet. Ed Begley Jr. needs an “I Heart Sheriff Arpaio” t-shirt.
Sheriff Arpaio hasn’t been well received in the media. TIME magazine has called him a “stern law-and-order advocate”, what his constituents have seen as a positive, who “has declared war on illegal immigration”. He’s also on ACLU’s short list of people they really don’t like.
He doesn’t mind. He isn’t shy about enforcing the law, since that’s his job, and his constituents relying on him to keep them safe apparently love him. He’s won all his elections with double digits.
“I will never back off from enforcing the laws of this county. They might as well get used to it. I am in this fight to stay,” he said on his website, SheriffJoe.org.
Of course, his actions are completely unfounded, especially in Arizona. They don’t have any illegal immigration issues. Or crime because of it.
A longtime rancher was killed on his Douglas-area property over the weekend, and neighbors worried that his homicide was connected to increasing border-related crime in the area.
Nope. No reason for Sheriff Joe Arpaio to be concerned about the safety of his citizens. No reason at all.
April 2nd, 2010 at 1:40 pm
i am completely against this …
if i was the warden i would give free bacon and eggs in bed every day
followed by ice cream sundaes for a mid-morning snack
and as many donuts, chocolate shakes, and candy as the inmate can eat.
i would bring in the best chefs and even sponsor one of those reality chef shows to promote the richest, tastiest food for inmates possible.
at the same time i would get free cable tv with all the premium channels, 24/7/365, and NO exercise equipment at all …
oh and really comfy couches and beds too with free cigarettes and whiskey.
wouldn’t it be better for society if criminals came out of prison weighing 500 pounds and unable to run fast or climb through windows? plus they would be easily identifiable, so you could avoid them easily on the street, and muggers would be unable to catch you.
April 2nd, 2010 at 2:37 pm
” Sheriff Joe Arpaio, often called “America’s Toughest Sheriff”, is working hard to help First Lady Michelle Obama with her anti-obesity initiative. ”
Cute, made my day
Lisab, shouldnt we be rehabilitating these criminals while punishing them ?
Most jails let you watch the tube for nothing.
These guys want it, they have to work for it.
Most of them ended up there because they didnt belive in that philosophy.
April 2nd, 2010 at 2:44 pm
well … under my plan we could train them in sedentary jobs, like toll collector or customer service operator
April 2nd, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Yeah, I myself being locked up more than I’d care to mention feel that prisons dont act enough as a motivation to get your sht together.
But do we really want people with these criminal traits taking jobs that offer minimal pay ?
April 2nd, 2010 at 3:38 pm
i just want them to have jobs where they do not bulk up to be muscular monsters. something with very little physical activity … as opposed to now where they lift weights all day long and become bouncers and construction workers …
i am thinking insurance salesman
April 2nd, 2010 at 3:50 pm
Nah.
Once a guy has paid his dues I think he should be able set himself some better standards and goals.
Unfortunately most dont because the system makes almost impossible for those released to get back into society. No one would take me. I ended up having to open my own business, which actually paid off more than anything the system offered me
April 2nd, 2010 at 4:56 pm
Well as a liberal I’m actually for this idea. I know Arpaio’s a massive wang and this is just another in his endless string of self-promoting PR, but it is actually a kind of useful way to promote health.
Because Arpaio’s such an ass, I’m wondering if he’s giving these prisoners sufficient calories to run the equipment; last I heard he was spending something like 63 cents a day on meals comprised of expired meats and that kind of thing.
Arpaio himself is a fat bloated tool, but I do like the idea of exercise-powered entertainment in general.
Now I just need to figure how to this skateboard to my laptop, and I’m good to go…
April 2nd, 2010 at 5:07 pm
63 cents or not the state is required to provide an inmates nutritional requirements.
“Expired meats”
Got anthing to back that up ?
April 2nd, 2010 at 10:19 pm
Oh, yes, this is indeed what prison inmates need to become rehabilitated and useful members of society after their release, to ride on bicycles and power a TV. Yeah. That makes a whole lot of sense. This guy is some kind of an idiot. He had ought to be in prison too, and if the truth be known, he’s probably done enough things to warrant it.
April 2nd, 2010 at 11:28 pm
This country is so fouled up now, only one ticket will put it back together in a short period of time:
Ted Nugent/Joe Arpaio 2012.
April 2nd, 2010 at 11:43 pm
Right on Robert. You’re the first besides me so far that I’ve heard endorse Nugent.
But I was thinkg more Nugent/Palin.
Klo, will you ever say something intelligent ?
Jeez, I just realized I’m that much dumber for even asking
April 3rd, 2010 at 3:57 am
He’s trying to go “green” with his detention facility by reducing the “carbon footprint”.
April 3rd, 2010 at 7:12 am
Joe is sheriff of Maricopa County. I believe Mr Krentz was living and killed in Cochise County. Hard to blame a guy for actions that occurred outside his jurisdiction.
April 3rd, 2010 at 7:40 am
Thats nice to know Brad. But what does that have to do with the program Arpaios program ?
Violence from Mexican border cities are flowing into all border states,
April 5th, 2010 at 8:53 am
Joe Arpaio is the epitome of what’s wrong with our modern day criminal justice system. If Arpaio had his way, civil rights simply would cease to exist. Even if you buy the law-and-order approach, Arpaio is no hero. Here’s just one example from the endless list of downright evil acts perpetrated by Sheriff Joe and his roving band of sociopathic gunmen:
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2004-08-05/news/dog-day-afternoon/full
Read it. Then come back and defend this guy’s department.
April 5th, 2010 at 8:58 am
Violence from Mexican border cities are flowing into all border states
There is absolutely zero evidence showing a correlation — let alone causation — between illegal immigration and street violence. That is a myth. We’ve experienced a record decline in violent crime during the same period that we’ve seen an explosion in illegal Mexican immigration.
The violence spilling over the border is due solely to the drug cartels, not everyday Mexican citizens crossing the border for work. And those drug cartels only exist because of our own stupidity. Immigration is not the problem.