A couple of months ago, George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer in Britain (roughly equivalent to the U.S. Treasury Secretary), asked the British public to come up with ideas for slashing government services to reduce the country's deficit. The results have now been published at the Spending Challenge website.

Tens of thousands of ideas have been submitted across the pond. But at least one might have a future in the States. It was submitted by "Mercian":

In Victorian times, prisoners had to walk a treadmill or turn a hand crank before they were fed.  Nowadays these devices could be made to generate electricity.  This would save money by saving electricity bills for the prisons, and possibly even selling someback to the Natioanl [sic] grid.  It would also make prison more of a deterrent, thus making criminals less likely to offend.

Prison treadmills are nothing new. They were invented by Sir William Cubit in 1817. Forty-four British prisons adopted them, sometimes grinding grain or pumping water. For the prisoner, it was like climbing stairs without stopping, 8 to 10 hours a day. At least one treadmill was attached to a huge fan that increased the resistance as prisoners kept up the pace, having no choice. Some of these operations continued well into the 20th Century.

Mercian's idea is not likely to get past the culling of submissions in Britain. But here in America? Wow. A way for Republicans to prove they are both tough on crime and, contrary to every bit of evidence available over the past few decades, environmentally conscious. The GOP can present this as their alternative to passing a green energy bill. Of course, the legislation will require that these treadmills only be installed in private prisons since the whole concept of public power is anathema to the Party of No.