So let's give it all to more police, prisons, private developers, etc? OK to throw money at the problem in those cases? Funding for public education is down across the country, which is part of why our country gets less and less competitive on the world stage every year. Redoing these buildings will create good jobs in the trades, then URI itself will create more jobs in these buildings, and the research and training that comes out of the buildings will be invaluable for years. This is how you invest in actually creating a thriving state and country.