Michigan's economy is a mess and has been for at least a couple of years. To compensate for declining tax revenues, the state is closing prisons, including one in Standish, in the northern part of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The prison contributes 25 percent of the town's budget--its closing will be a gut punch to Standish. What to do? Well, I certainly don't know how to fix Michigan's money problems, but I will write about them next week as a side project of my Upper Peninsula Upventure series.
One suggested remedy is to turn over the prison to the feds, and use it as a replacement facility for the Guantanamo Bay terrorist detention center. You know, the one that President Obama promised to close by January. That deadline will be missed.
Yesterday evening, in a bit of a surprise, the Standish City Council delayed a vote on a resolution that would have expressed to the Obama administration that their town was open to housing enemy combatants in their prison. Despite the devastation of the recession, many Standish residents prefer to tough it out and have another else shelter the terrorists.
Yes, Standish has a prison, but it doesn't not have the health care facilities that Gitmo has, and its relative isolation makes a successful escape attempts or a rescue missions--very unlikely. Gitmo has first-rate health care facilities within its confines. Just like other traditional prisons, Standish doesn't have that.
Where would an ill Standish-incarcerated terrorist be treated? Saginaw? Detroit?
Meanwhile, many miles from Standish in Washington, the Democrats scored a minor victory yesterday afternoon by narrowing voting down a Republican measure to block the transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to American soil.
We already know Obama's January Gitmo shut-down goal will be missed. But will a suitable replacement for the Guantanamo Bay facility exist a year from now?
As for Standish? Tough times are coming.
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