Flutterby™! :

This is some shady ass shit, especially since contact with families is one of the things that helps reduce recidivism rates: Inside the Shadowy Business of Prison Phone Calls:

Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, wrote in a letter to the FCC dated Sept. 4, 2014, that, although his office supports making rates fair for families, “the enforcement community is understandably alarmed about how potential Inmate Calling System rate changes might affect revenues.” Warner notes that his Virginia district receives $13.5 million from prison telephones.

Sen. Patrick Toomey, R-Pa., similarly wrote on Dec. 11, 2014, that “it is not unreasonable to allow the use of [inmate calling service] monies to fund other general services needed at prisons.”

Fuckers.

Also in today's exploitive asshole politician news: Rick Perry stole my urbanist talking points. Too bad he doesn’t actually understand them.

While these cities have cheaper housing than San Francisco, much of that cost advantage disappears when you factor in the cost of transportation in car-dependent sprawl. As Derek Thompson noted in The Atlantic in 2012: “Housing in Houston isn’t so bad — it’s the 8th most affordable large city to own a home in. But … factor in transportation, and it’s the 8th least affordable large city to live. On the other hand, dense expensive cities like San Francisco, Boston and New York are considerably more affordable when you add in transportation costs because of their superior public transit.” ...