By Howard Fischer CAPITOL MEDIA SERVICES

PHOENIX - America's self-proclaimed toughest sheriff has decided to take the con out of condiments.

In his latest cost-cutting move, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio decreed the 8,300 inmates in the jail system will no longer have access to salt, mayonnaise and ketchup.

Arpaio said he sees no reason to give inmates those options to alter - or disguise - the taste of the bologna sandwiches that have become a daily staple.

He said those little packets cost the county about $200,000 a year.

But there's another reason.

"You should never eat better in jail than you do on the outside," he said.

Anyway, Arpaio said, salt causes high blood pressure, and mayo is filled with fat. He doesn't know of any adverse health effects from ketchup but said it's the most expensive condiment.

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003