tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post7759463227893330241..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: TYC "State of the Agency" BriefingsGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-42177575554176306262007-07-08T15:37:00.000-05:002007-07-08T15:37:00.000-05:00to 10:15 am, No one speaks up because many leaders...to 10:15 am, <BR/><BR/>No one speaks up because many leaders are fearful of being questioned and will retaliate. And this current "leader" (Pope) has fired people & shuffled people around, seemingly on a whim. She is likely the type to retaliate. <BR/><BR/>Now, another approach is to remain completely silent during her song and dance. In fact, everyone should stare at the floor while she gives her presentation. Don't laugh at any of her jokes and never show her that she has "broken the ice" with her audience. Don't start asking a bunch of questions that would lead her to believe you are "on the bus." And certainly don't start actively kissing ass.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-83120301946874828252007-07-06T10:15:00.000-05:002007-07-06T10:15:00.000-05:00Has anyone at these meetings ever stood up and ask...Has anyone at these meetings ever stood up and asked Dimitra Pope why they are hiring all of these TDCJ without posting the jobs or having to interview for the positions? Just another "good old boy" TDCJ way of doing things. Looks like another mess in the making.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-28654659276493197452007-07-06T06:34:00.000-05:002007-07-06T06:34:00.000-05:00"State of the Agency"? That can be summed up in o..."State of the Agency"? That can be summed up in one word...chaos! How long is it going to take for the government and the public to realize the terrible mistake that has been made by putting these TDCJ people in charge of TYC? The reorganization plan was supposed to be in place in April. Here it is July and there is still no plan. Could that be because they have no clue about how to run a juvenile corrections program and are completely out of their element? In the meantime, the ones who continue to suffer are the kids and staff (especially at Marlin and John Shero). Wake up, it's almost time to close and nothing seems to be in place to accomplish this monumental task. At the rate TYC is being mismanaged, we're not going to have to wait for Sunset to tell us we're screwed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-82870311808474856612007-07-04T13:27:00.000-05:002007-07-04T13:27:00.000-05:00Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the most gullibl...Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the most gullible of them all? Why...I do believe it's you anon, 10:42 AM from VFCA. <BR/><BR/>Don't call me a child abuser just because I am more of a realist than you are. The ONLY reason I am still there is to help the kids...not to shine my star for appearances sake for central office. You believe what you want to, and I'll do the same...in the meantime absorb this:<BR/><BR/>Casting judgement upon others who chose not engulf the B.S. that surrounds us, makes you the look like the shiniest butt-kisser of all. <BR/><BR/>Calling people child abusers....<BR/>That's taking it WAY too far!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-35576601500465169022007-07-04T10:42:00.000-05:002007-07-04T10:42:00.000-05:00I also work at Victory Field and heard very positi...I also work at Victory Field and heard very positive comments from those who attended the Richardson meeting. I think at this point it would better our facilities to quit running around screaming the sky is falling, which discourages potentially good employees from applying for jobs. These same potential employees could be the ones we need to show that our facility accomplishes things needed for the kids and should be kept open.<BR/>As long you continue to accept your paycheck from the state of Texas you are obligated to ensure that these CHILDREN-yes by law they are children-are kept safe, have food, clothing and educated, just as the judges require of us until we can return them to their parents.<BR/>Whether you like it or not, if you do not do your best to see this happen, you also are a child abuser.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-12841774196673779312007-07-03T20:04:00.000-05:002007-07-03T20:04:00.000-05:00Please, these state of the agency meetings are jus...Please, these state of the agency meetings are just a smoke screen. The good old boy system hasn't changed, it is just under new management. If they are all into open disclosure then why is the new Inspector General able to hire former TDCJ IG's without the new positiong being posted within TYC?<BR/>When are they going to learn that there is a big diffrence between Adult and juvenile corrections.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-72516991797905175352007-07-03T18:32:00.000-05:002007-07-03T18:32:00.000-05:00As we await impending doom...a new policy manual i...As we await impending doom...a new policy manual is being created for the TYC agency. This new "rule-book" will surely be structured just like the last one...rules created on an "as needed" basis...rules that suit the needs of the powers that be, and that doesn't include you or me...stay tuned. This ought to be a great re-run!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-42665531603126762172007-07-03T09:46:00.000-05:002007-07-03T09:46:00.000-05:00I haven't been to one of these briefings yet, but ...I haven't been to one of these briefings yet, but have they said anything about positive changes at the campuses that will remain open? What about raises for caseworkers? I saw something about a Caseworker salary increase written in one of the budget plans, but what is the actual amount of the raise, anybody know?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-40066437086841329012007-06-30T21:35:00.000-05:002007-06-30T21:35:00.000-05:00I won't be there on Monday, so I'll just wait unti...I won't be there on Monday, so I'll just wait until Tuesday. I think the key words in your last blog was "if you believe those people"...you already know my answer to that one, so it can wait. Have a good weekend.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-2835452206125866732007-06-30T19:21:00.000-05:002007-06-30T19:21:00.000-05:00Call me my fellow vfca person or I'll tell you on ...Call me my fellow vfca person or I'll tell you on Monday. _____ and I were planning on letting ya'll know then. If it is too much then call me. Only one possibly good bit of news if you believe those people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-34319222770513907752007-06-30T17:08:00.000-05:002007-06-30T17:08:00.000-05:00Hey ...to anyone who attended the TYC Agency brief...Hey ...to anyone who attended the TYC Agency briefing in Richardson yesterday? How was it? I am dying to know!!!!!<BR/><BR/>with love from VICTORYAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-44024920228170538132007-06-30T16:05:00.000-05:002007-06-30T16:05:00.000-05:00Chap lipped Rita is poster 9:19.Chap lipped Rita is poster 9:19.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-57613560107343611812007-06-30T15:39:00.000-05:002007-06-30T15:39:00.000-05:00Oh, she's lovely. She's a meter maid by trade, I t...Oh, she's lovely. She's a meter maid by trade, I think.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-77495733600264031142007-06-30T15:22:00.000-05:002007-06-30T15:22:00.000-05:00Okay...I give up....who the hell is RITA????????Okay...I give up....who the hell is RITA????????Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-88650262740416353902007-06-30T11:18:00.000-05:002007-06-30T11:18:00.000-05:00Rita, my subservient and loyal Orc,Please do not f...Rita, my subservient and loyal Orc,<BR/><BR/>Please do not fear the wrath of men, elves or dwarves!<BR/><BR/>I, Pope Sauron, shall vanquish them with my Nazgul. <BR/><BR/>Because there are only 9 rings of power I must first devour 5 of the kings and eat the flesh of their loyal soldiers as a Hobbit devours Elvin bread. This shall return all the power to myself, with great lords of men in shadowy power to rule as my minions or superintendents. <BR/><BR/>Two of these bothersome kings have already fallen and I am encircling 3 more as we speak. <BR/><BR/>SHHH, do not tell them of my plans. <BR/><BR/>They are simple plans! <BR/><BR/>I shall leak to them that I am going to devour them. Then not. Then so. Then not. Then so, until they are so confused and distraught they fight among themselves and bring about their own destruction. <BR/><BR/>Some of the elves and men will sail away but a few will stay to fight. These creatures shall feel the anguish of step 2 and 3 of my plan. <BR/><BR/>I shall invite those that are still of strength and mind of suspicion to far off lands, (“State of TYC Earth” briefings) to gaze upon them and cast my strongest spell. I shall bring with me my minions of deceit and loyal Orcs to salt their legions with those that will bow to the one true ring. <BR/><BR/>I shall blame them that were of no knowledge for what has happened and what will happen. The ring of power shall make them submit.<BR/><BR/>Finally, for those that have not submitted by this time, I shall invite them to my lair in Austin. Once in my strongest dominion, Mordor, I shall invite them in to view the committee fires of Mount Doom. <BR/><BR/>I shall ply them with smiles, bread, coffee and comfort, but no mileage or per diem, of course.<BR/><BR/>If they submit at this point, I shall torture them even more by anointing them into my continued employ. While in my employ they will be lulled into a false sense of security, and then and only then, I shall cast them into the pit of committee membership hell with the false promise of respect for their opinions and grandiose treatment. <BR/><BR/>The ones that have not submitted to me or awaken from my ring-induced trance shall be banished from the land of TYC Earth. <BR/><BR/>Forever, they will walk among and live with people that respect them. How I pity these fools. They will be free from the Nazgul, but I will be from them and shall reign over TYC Earth with impunity to pull policies and procedures from the Nether regions of my domain.<BR/><BR/>Do not fret my little orc Rita. You have the favorite traits of my most trusted minions. I shall protect and repay your loyalty with grants of power and a lifetime supply of Chap Stick. <BR/><BR/>Pick up the purchase order tomorrow. Remember, NO mileage or per diem will be paid. I need the money for my plane ticket to the next “State of TYC Earth” briefing.<BR/><BR/>You will be welcomed into the new kingdom of "Middle TDCJ" and placed at my side to rule the kingdom of "Rudi-ism".<BR/><BR/>I Pope Sauron have spoken.<BR/><BR/>P.S. I think I need to go to the store and get a morning after pill. I believe I’ve been pontificated. Yuuuuck!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-47422786616837898752007-06-30T08:27:00.000-05:002007-06-30T08:27:00.000-05:00Oh and folks, those that are worried about not see...Oh and folks, those that are worried about not seeing you facilities funded in FY08, they can always go back to the ledge and ask for emergency appropriations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-76712420042226304762007-06-30T08:23:00.000-05:002007-06-30T08:23:00.000-05:00Hang in there DG. If they want that 1:12 ratio, th...Hang in there DG. If they want that 1:12 ratio, they'll see how difficult it'll be and keep WTSS and Vernon alive as smaller facilities by fewer kids. The reason for all the uncertainty is the fact we don't know what the judges out there are going to do with these misdemeanors. Many counties out there in the West regions don't have the funds to take them on. I firmly believe WTSS and VFCA's status will be determined by their response. The Texas Juvenile Probation Commission asked for 57 million for this very issue. That's not going to cut it for as many kids that they used to send us. They needed around 73 million if you take a low ball estimate of 100.00 a day per kid. There's a big difference.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-19145953469085016452007-06-30T03:50:00.000-05:002007-06-30T03:50:00.000-05:00Dear amonymous @8:56...Believe me, those are only ...Dear amonymous @8:56...<BR/>Believe me, those are only a few of my tears shed...we don't really trust ANYONE anymore except ourselves...so don't even try to insinuate stupidity or gullibility on the part of West Texas Staff. We got the smarts real good out here! <BR/><BR/>I hate it when people, especially other TYC staff, tell us 'we know how you feel'. No you don't. You can never know how we feel unless you were here with us. It was insinuated by legislators, other TYC staff and media that we all knew what Brookins was doing and just sat back and did nothing while he was doing it...we are the 'infamous' WTSS. Well let me assure you, no one around here sat back and just let anything happen. No one would listen to us. So before you make fun of our tears, try thinking about their source. I can tell you that this fiasco with TYC and the Brookins/Hernandez 'scandal' has scarred me for life - I will never be the same. My trust for my fellow man is gone. I'm sad most of the time and if were not for the support of my friends and family and the people who work alongside me each day - I would not have made it this far...so go ahead and pass judgement on my tears - I'm used to it. Go ahead and blame WTSS staff if it makes you feel better - we're used to it. Just be thankful is wasn't you, because it could have been or scarier yet, could still be.<BR/><BR/>Don't feel like you need to warn us about 'waking up'...we've been awake and preparing to fight the closing of this facility to the end. And if in the end, we close, then at least we put up the fight. <BR/><BR/>The regional map is not suprising to us...we expected something like that to come out. We are perfectly aware that Senators Whitmire and Hinojosa want us closed. But it doesn't change the fact that we will not just lay down and give up. Negativity is easy. Its the other one that's hard. We're not whiners - we just don't have the time to waste. <BR/><BR/>Just one more thing...if you haven't attended your meeting yet, I highly suggest you get there if you can - there is alot being said without actually being said. And folks, I don't think ANYONE is safe from closure - except maybe Brownwood and Giddings - MAYBE. You have to listen carefully or you'll miss information and I highly suggest you take good notes for later review. And on that note, I am done.<BR/><BR/>Integrity - inspiring others by the courage of your example. <BR/>D.G.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-48654745538151595492007-06-29T23:51:00.000-05:002007-06-29T23:51:00.000-05:00Your what inserted in your what? Isn't that the sa...Your what inserted in your what? Isn't that the same thing as cranial rectafusion? Sounds like it...is that another fixer for Rita?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-91411575147028537622007-06-29T21:00:00.000-05:002007-06-29T21:00:00.000-05:00Rita,How do you expect to hear anything with your ...Rita,<BR/><BR/>How do you expect to hear anything with your "Hotel" firmly inserted into your "Alpha"?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-55234391811072235242007-06-29T20:56:00.000-05:002007-06-29T20:56:00.000-05:00Dear Ms. Donna Garcia,You might want to save some ...Dear Ms. Donna Garcia,<BR/><BR/>You might want to save some of those tears for when Dimitria closes West Texas. You'll need them. If you look at the Northwest Region on the map in your handouts, doesn't it appear odd to you that both of the other regions have three less facilities than the NW? Close Sheffield, West Texas and Vernon and magically all the regions are equal. Wake up!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-39113333203289694462007-06-29T13:31:00.000-05:002007-06-29T13:31:00.000-05:00Oh geez, not another "get on the bus" propaganda c...Oh geez, not another "get on the bus" propaganda campaign! Aren't those "buses" in the junk yard yet?<BR/><BR/>Let's see, the bus going to the promise land or the one on the highway to hell?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-54210733044451693502007-06-29T10:19:00.000-05:002007-06-29T10:19:00.000-05:00FYI... Another TDCJ in a Director's Position!! Wha...FYI... Another TDCJ in a Director's Position!! What a Surprise.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Please join us in welcoming Mary Wood as the agency's new Director of Human Resource Management. <BR/><BR/>Mary brings years of valuable HR experience to our agency, <BR/><BR/>having been in human resources at TDCJ for nearly 23 years. <BR/><BR/>For the last eight years, Mary was Section Director of Employee Services and Staff Development at TDCJ. <BR/><BR/>She recently earned her MBA in Finance in 2006, after having raised her children and while working full time at TDCJ. <BR/><BR/>We are pleased to welcome her and look forward to her <BR/><BR/>fresh and knowledgeable <BR/><BR/><BR/>approach to human resources.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-61368990242953082282007-06-29T08:30:00.000-05:002007-06-29T08:30:00.000-05:00"Ms.Pope should visit the facilities and the distr..."Ms.Pope should visit the facilities and the district offices to see first hand the hostile working conditions that supervisors refuse to address."<BR/><BR/>Or just read all the comments on this blog over the last three months. It's all here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-81654515234986800642007-06-29T08:29:00.000-05:002007-06-29T08:29:00.000-05:00I know the person referring to himself as "Diogene...I know the person referring to himself as "Diogenes" must see the irony of being accused of having a "Polyanna" attitude. In his defense, (and I say 'his' because I'm pretty sure I know who it is.) He was simply trying to give some correct information. I appreciate Mr. Henson providing this forum for venting frustration, but none of the complaining is going to feed our families. Complain all you want, but ultimately everyone has to make it work, or go find a job elsewhere. And to that end, I wish everyone the best of luck.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com