The Oklahoma Department Of Corrections Contracts &Amp: Fill & Download for Free

Mike Bloomberg used prison labor to make 2020 presidential campaign phone calls.His campaign contracted ProCom to run call centers, but at least one of those call centers used state prisoners.The calls must of went something like this…Operator's voice: [Would you like to receive a collect call from “Debbie” at the Oklahoma Correctional Facility?]Debbie: “Hi, this is Debbie calling on behalf of the Bloomberg campaign. We’d like to talk to you today about…”Operator's voice: [You have 60 seconds left.]The Bloomberg campaign confirmed the use of prison labor in a statement to The Intercept,“We didn’t know about this and we never would have allowed it if we had. We don’t believe in this practice and we’ve now ended our relationship with the subcontractor in question.” — Julie Wood, Bloomberg spokespersonThe managing editor of Prison Legal News offered his input into the matter,“The use of prison labor is the continued exploitation of people who are locked up, who really have virtually no other opportunities to have employment or make money other than the opportunities given to them by prison officials.” — Alex FriedmannBut John Scallan, a ProCom co-founder, said his company paid a minimum wage of $7.25 to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, which then pays the incarcerated people working in the call centers.Despite some misconceptions, federal law requires contractors to pay prisoners at least a minimum wage, but the state can garnish those wages to help offset the cost of incarceration.The Bloomberg campaign also isn’t the first campaign to recruit the help of inmates: in 1994, Congressman Metcalf used prisoners to make campaign calls.Michael Bloomberg was wrong, but he was wrong to apologize because I think prison labor is an acceptable practice when done right…For one, the U.S. Constitution allows for it so it wasn’t illegal, but of course, the greater question is was it ethical?Former inmate and prison activist Chanra Bozelko had this to say on the matter…“My prison job made me feel like I was fulfilling my existential duty to society: I was contributing. It doesn’t surprise me that prison work assignments are credited with reducing recidivism. Any change for good that happened within me while I was incarcerated grew out of my job.”But there needs to be appropriate protections otherwise it can turn into a form of slave labor.The first protection is that an inmate should get at least minimum wage, which is already mandated by law, but 100% of the money should go to the inmate and not the state. The prison also shouldn’t make a dime off of the prisoner’s labor.Whole Foods used to sell cheese produced on a prison farm. A company spokesman said,“We felt supporting suppliers who found a way to be part of paid, rehabilitative work being done by inmates would help people get back on their feet and eventually become contributing members of society.”But after consumer protests in 2015, Whole Foods ended the partnership.And so just as it would be illegal for the state to prevent someone on House Arrest from being able to work (asking Quora questions, perhaps?) we shouldn’t prevent someone in prison from being able to work.Prisoners have a hard enough time being able to find work once they come out of prison and preventing them from working during the duration of their incarceration would only make their eventual transition that much harder.Our prison system should focus on rehabilitation and contribution where work is seen not just as a responsibility, but a right.

I always appreciate Sam Morningstar’s perspectives. Nice to be reminded of John Trudell as Jimmy Looks Twice.There are approximately 6,600,000 Native Americans in the United States. Approximately 2.2.% of the US population.There are 567 Federal Recognized Indian Tribes. List of federally recognized tribes - Wikipedia The Navajo Nation has over 300,000 members; other tribes might only have a few dozen members. Many Native Americans are not officially registered with a tribe. Many Native Americans live on tribal reservations. Many Native Americans do not live on Reservations but have left for towns and cities. Some leave and never go back. So come and go over time. Some never live on Reservations.The Federal Government controls native Indians by controlling a massive trust fund administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs - Wikipedia.The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the U.S. Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of 55,700,000 acres (225,000 km2) of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American Tribes and Alaska Natives.The BIA is one of two bureaus under the jurisdiction of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs: the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education, which provides education services to approximately 48,000 Native Americans.The BIA’s responsibilities include providing health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives. In 1954 that function was transferred to the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (now known as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), and it is now known as the Indian Health Service.The BIA oversees 567 federally recognized tribes through 4 offices:Office of Indian Services: operates the BIA’s general assistance, disaster relief, Indian child welfare, tribal government, Indian Self-Determination, and Indian Reservation Roads Program.Office of Justice Services (OJS): directly operates or funds law enforcement, tribal courts, and detention facilities on federal Indian lands. OJS funded 208 law enforcement agencies, consisting of 43 BIA-operated police agencies, and 165 tribally operated agencies under contract, or compact with the OJS. The office has seven areas of activity: Criminal Investigations and Police Services, Detention/Corrections, Inspection/Internal Affairs, Tribal Law Enforcement and Special Initiatives, the Indian Police Academy, Tribal Justice Support, and Program Management. The OJS also provides oversight and technical assistance to tribal law enforcement programs when and where requested. It operates four divisions: Corrections, Drug Enforcement, the Indian Police Academy, and Law Enforcement.[2]Office of Trust Services: works with tribes and individual American Indians and Alaska Natives in the management of their trust lands, assets, and resources.The Office of Field Operations: oversees 12 regional offices; Alaska, Great Plains, Northwest, Southern Plains, Eastern, Navajo, Pacific, Southwest, Eastern Oklahoma, Midwest, Rocky Mountain, and Western; and 83 agencies, which carry out the mission of the Bureau at the tribal level.The Federal Government recognizes the Tribes as Sovereign entities and allows the tribes some ability to govern themselves. Larger tribes will have tribal law enforcement. The tribes I am familiar with elect tribal councils and tribal chairpersons.The BIA has a history of mismanaging the Indian Trust Funds.Trust assets[edit]Cobell vs. Salazar, a major class action case related to trust lands, was settled in December 2009. The suit was filed against the U.S. Department of Interior, of which the BIA is a part. A major responsibility has been the management of the Indian trust accounts. This was a class-action lawsuit regarding the federal government's management and accounting of more than 300,000 individual American Indian and Alaska Native trust accounts. A settlement fund totaling $3.4 billion is to be distributed to class members. This is to compensate for claims that prior U.S. officials had mismanaged the administration of Indian trust assets. In addition, the settlement establishes a $2 billion fund enabling federally recognized tribes to voluntarily buy back and consolidate fractionated land interests.[19]Native Americans have a long history of mistreatment by the US Government and US settlers. Within the last 40 to 50 years they have started to experience many of the rights that other US Citizens enjoy. Many Native Americans on Reservations have hard and difficult lives. Some don’t.If you would like a native Indian perspective on how the Federal Government has controlled the native Indians, I recommend Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West: Dee Brown, Hampton Sides: 9780805086843: Amazon.com: Books Or maybe watch Cherokee word for Water. Live StreamSet in the early 1980s, The Cherokee Word For Water begins with the return of Wilma Mankiller to her rural Oklahoma Cherokee community where many houses lack running water and others are little more than shacks. After centuries of being dehumanized and dispossessed of their land and identity, the people no longer feel they have power or control over their lives or future. {emphasis added].Based on the true story of the Bell Waterline Project, the movie is about a community coming together to improve its life condition.

Not only did I walk out, but I also will never buy a car from these guys. EVER! I was in the market for a Toyota Tundra. I had been driving a 4X4 Tacoma since 06 and was looking to upgrade. My truck had 189,000 miles on it but had been very well maintained and I had just had about $5000 worth of work done to it. Wheel bearings, brake rotors, pads, shoes, drums, u joints, cv shafts, ball joints, steering rack, tires, etc. I had receipts for $5000 in parts and labor and had documentation for all the required service going back to the first oil change when I bought it in 06. I had an offer from Carmax for $16,000 for my truck in my hand when I walked into the local Toyota dealership. They had a 2-year-old Tundra (2013) on the lot, and the new body styles (2015) were out. It was a limited, but it was in the light silver, which I didn’t want. Other than the color, it was the truck I wanted. 4X4, 5.7, crew cab. Back up camera. I had found it online and had to show it to the salesman when I got there because they didn’t know they had it. This was a BRAND NEW TRUCK, not a used one. It had just been sitting on the lot for 2 years. At the time, Tundras had $2850 in rebates, and I had a $500 military rebate. Since it is technically 2 years old, I talk them into giving me $4000 off on the truck. They tell me they are going to match Carmax’s offer on my truck and blah, blah, blah. They have me trapped in one of those little cubicles and the salesman is doing the back and forth with the Sales Manager and I am getting frustrated. At the time, my father worked for a Toyota dealership in Oklahoma, and the only reason I didn’t buy from him is that he didn’t have the truck I wanted on his lot, and I didn’t have time to drive to Oklahoma and get it. I told the salesman all this when I walked on the lot. I also told him that if I caught him in a lie, I was going to walk out. Well, I go to finance and nothing on the deal paperwork is correct. They only gave me $14,000 for my truck, not $16,000. They added a bunch of fluff to the deal. $1500 “desert preparation fee”. (I live in Las Vegas). $499 paint protection (this is a bottle of wax you can get in the parts department for like $10.) $799 in documentation fees. (This pays for the finance people to print out the deal and pays their salary. I understand what it is for, but $800?? Are you kidding me???) They had left off the rebates completely. They want me to pay full sticker on the truck, they want to screw me out of $2000 on my trade-in, AND they want to keep the $3350 in rebates on a 2-year-old truck? ARE YOU SERIOUS????!!! So, I lose my temper. I rip the deal in half, drop it on the desk, and walk out of finance. I find the salesman at the Sales Manager’s desk. I get my keys, and I walk out. All the way to the door, the salesman is telling me “I sure would like to do a deal today.” Nah, if you are going to screw me out of that much money, I will find another dealership. And I did, on the other side of town. Thanks anyway.