We have all witnessed the nightly videos of New York State Correctional guards on the picket lines over the last few weeks. We have also been told the "strike" is close to, or now settled, only to see more protests by the prison guards.

So, what’s it all about, Alfie? (old reference to a Burt Bacharach song)

Okay, back to the strike.

Back in February, corrections officers across New York went on strike over what they claim are unsafe working conditions inside state prisons.

The Reason?

New York Democrats seem to always side on the side of law-breakers/ inmates.

Democrats led the charge for doing away with local judges determining bail in almost all cases.

It has led to more work for police since a good number of "defendants" never show up for court and can be arrested time and again on Failure to Appear charges. Plus, some "defendants" continue breaking the law while out on no bail.

Democrats felt releasing ‘mug’ shots for any and all arrested is unfair since some may be innocent and unscrupulous social media pundits used the mug for a type of blackmail.

Democrats banned the NY State Police from releasing mug shots, even in the most serious cases. Luckily, most  other police agencies in the State bucked the trend and said no way, and continued releasing mugs.

By the way, those unscrupulous social media sites still exist, but now sell ads posting mug shots, instead of the ‘blackmail’ path with little, or no story about the actual crimes purported by the defendants.

Okay, back to the strike. Governor Kathy Hochul and her DEMMY buddies howled at the strikers proclaiming they were breaking the law that prohibits strikes of any kind

Workers on strike held signs referring to and condemning the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act, or HALT Act, a law that in 2022 restricted the use of segregated confinement in favor of therapeutic and rehabilitative confinement options. Meanwhile, the union also raised concerns about overworked officers and understaffed prisons in recent months. Corrections officers were required to work overtime, as much as 24 hours straight due to staffing shortages.

The media are engrossed in recent deaths, or injuries of inmates, often caught on body cams, or surveillance videos within the prisons.

Are the actions of these corrections officers bad? You bet they are. Some have been fired, some face murder charges and many have resigned. It is amazing what pressure and fatigue can  push the humane mind to do.

How many corrections officers have been injured over the past several years? Hardly news worthy. How many have called it quits due to the pressures of extreme overtime and threats?

There are two sides to the coin, and when Kathy Hochul came down with harsh threats of firings, cutting medical benefits against the strikers, she showed just how mean and inhumane Democrats can be.

Time and time again the strikers are threatened, pardoned, threatened again, told the Halt Act will be delayed for time being. The guards...they simply want the same protections granted to inmates

Meanwhile many of the NY State Republican politicians have stood up for the corrections officers, some even entering the picket lines.

Common sense should have been Hochul’s first priority, but that ship has sailed.

Yes, some guards will be fired, rehired, fired, but addressing the shortages and safety of officers should be the end goal.

Back to Bacharach...

What’s it all about, Alfie?

Is it just for the moment we live?

What’s it all about, when you 

sort it out, Alfie?

Are we meant to take more than 

we give

Or are we meant to be kind?