PORTLAND - Should your tax dollars go to buying Oregon inmates soda pop? One watchdog group says absolutely not.
Common Sense For Oregon has awarded the Oregon Department of Corrections its first ever "Golden Fleece Award". The award was issued after CSFO discovered a $773,000 soda pop purchase in the department's 2007-2009 budget.
CSFO founder Ross Day said, "That same amount of money would fund three state troopers for a full biennium."
Day believes the inmates should be given water instead of soda. Day, an attorney by profession, argues the Constitution only requires water as nourishment. In a time of financial hardship, soda in Day's opinion is a logical cut.
For its part, the Oregon Department of Corrections acknowledges soda pop spending is an issue.
In a memo dated March 6, 2009, DOC director Max Williams states, "For the last year the department has been developing strategies to reduce the amount of soda consumed by inmates for both health and financial reasons."
During the six months leading up to that memo, soda consumption was down 17%. The department points out, 30-million meals will be served during the current biennium budget. When broken down, the $773,000 purchase equates to $.03 per meal.
