Incarcerated individuals being punished; shouldn't have country club conditions

This is in response to the Feb. 21 story “Holding out for a hot breakfast” in the Cheney Free Press.

Inmates and Gov. Jay Inslee don’t seem to get it. Incarcerated individuals are being punished, not sent to an all-expenses paid country club. They shouldn’t eat any better than the minimum wage workers of America and they definitely shouldn’t be catered to.

I think what the state has provided is better than most grade school kids get who eat at home before school. I know my high school sons decided sleeping an extra 20 minutes was more important than a hot breakfast, so they lived on things they could eat while driving to school — Pop Tarts, breakfast bars, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and if I wasn’t watching, a handful of cookies might have done it.

We should go a step further and only serve sandwiches, soup or salad with a piece of fruit for lunch. Soup is hot, but it isn’t labor intensive. Dinner can be a little more elaborate, but shouldn’t be steak.

I am glad to know they (inmates) are taking classes and learning to be employed. They also need counseling and group therapy, which I think is also there.

However, no one needs extra TVs and scrambled (reconstituted) eggs every morning.

Serve breakfast for dinner once a week, it worked for our family, it can work for the state.

Carol Campbell

Cheney