2012

Does the SFPD have a department of internal affairs?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLsg0EvZozI[/youtube]

One wonders after watching this public input tonight (FF: 8:35) I guess this is something I have been suspicious about for awhile, and after my day, I came to the conclusion that city government uses the SFPD to do their dirty work because if they mistreat people, there are no consequences. The day started with me taking Sodapop to the vet for some shots and his city license (I don’t have a problem with licensing him) but they force you to buy a 3 year license. Does that mean if Soda passes away in the next 3 years, do I get a refund? I know this has little to do with the SFPD, but it is an enforcement issue. I had lunch with someone considering running for city council, but he has his reservations. Of course family approval was mentioned, but I think he fears working with some of the current councilors and the way they manipulate their powers for their benefit. I would have to agree. Also not a SFPD issue, but an issue of abuse of power. Later on in the afternoon I met with a wonderful gentleman who has a ‘little’ project going on, he is rebuilding/remodeling his house (on his schedule) and he has been harassed not only by his neighbors, code enforcement and even police officers. Apparently they have a problem with a home owner working on their own home on their own schedule. After watching the above video, it got me thinking. Does the Sioux Falls police department have too much power, since, it seems they can do whatever they want to without anyone investigating complaints. Every major city has a department of internal affairs. We don’t. I’ve been told it is Human Resources, that is hardly an investigative body. I will say our police force does an amazing job keeping us safe, but when they make mistakes or abuse their powers, which they do, there should be recourse for citizens.

Ironic Johnny Thune-Bag is really in a state of denial when it comes to his endorsement of Romney

Thune labels Romney as a ‘job creator’

Protesters interrupted a Mitt Romney campaign stop outside Des Moines, Iowa last night, chanting that the former Massachusetts governor is “of the corporate one percent” and admonishing him to “stop the war on the poor.” The protestors were quickly shouted down by Romney supporters.

ThinkProgress spoke with Sen. John Thune (R-SD), a prominent Romney endorser, after the event to get his take on the dust-up. Thune disagreed with the protesters, saying there is “no” merit to the idea that Romney, whose net worth is estimated at $250 million, is part of the corporate 1 percent.

KEYES: Do you think there is any merit, they’re charging that he’s of the corporate 1 percent?

THUNE: No. I think that this is somebody, if I’m somebody in this country who is worried about my job or is looking for a job, I want somebody out there who knows how to create jobs. […] Obviously tonight these are people who are going to protest, that’s fine. That’s a democracy, we welcome that. I thought he handled it well.

KEYES: The charges are off-base though?

THUNE: They are. I think it’s all what you’d expect from a campaign like this. The other side’s got their people out there. I’m very happy with where his campaign is, with how he’s addressing the issues, and what I think he can do to get people back to work.

A good Christian teaming up with a Morman; Trouble every time.

 

Let’s build a new Events Center for more conventions . . uh . . What conventions.

This was a fantastic WSJ article about the dying convention business (H/T – Traub);

Take Illinois, an industry leader,where officials have invested heavily to keep Chicago’s McCormick Place, long one of the three most-used centers in the nation, on top. They spent $1 billion in the early 1990s to build a 840,000-square foot expansion financed by fees on auto rentals, a hotel tax and a surcharge on restaurant meals in downtown Chicago. In 2007 they opened a new building, McCormick West, at a cost of an additional $900 million. The result? According to the Chicago Tribune, the center operates at 55% capacity.

Sorry, I can’t post the entire article, because of WSJ’s subscriber policies, but you get the jist.