In Detroit, they use the homeless riding stationary bikes to generate electricity. In Arizona, they use prisoners.
Joe Arpaio, self-styled as "America's Toughest Sheriff," has decided that if his inmates want the privilege of watching TV, they have to pedal for it.
This clever idea came about when Arpaio realized half of the inmate population at the Tent City Jail in Phoenix, Ariz. is overweight and needed some exercise.
The sheriff's staff customized a stationary bike so that when inmates pedal it, it generates 12 volts of electricity - enough to run a 19-inch TV. An hour of pedaling equals about an hour of TV time.
Arpaio explains, "If an inmate slows down and fails to pedal fast enough, an audible noise sounds off to warn inmates that the TV is shutting down." He says, "Peer pressure will have them pedaling, at least right up to the commercial breaks."
Of course, people should be able to see the difference between using prisoners to pay their own way vs. taking advantage of the homeless.
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