Working at the Taste of Chicago yesterday I thought to myself why do they do this free fest every year? I mean Milwaukee's Summerfest, which I have never been to, everyone tells me how much better it is, and you have to pay to get in.
Security is better, bands are better, people are better is what I keep hearing.
Suffice it to say, Rahm decided a scaled back Taste would be better than none at all, and he kept it free too! But just what is free? Let's take a lookie into my magic computer crystal ball and see what the budget is for the Taste.... really hard to find! There are articles on how it is scaled back this year. Also how it was originally budgeted for $150,000 under Jane Byrne and expected to draw 75,000 for it's one day fest, it drew 250,000 which is why we have it today.
Okay so it's scaled back but it's all profit right? There is a ton of food bought which is marked substantially up so someone is making money. Well free fests aren't doing all that well. In 2008 Lakefront fests lost $1.7 million, in 2009 they lost $3.7 million, and last year they lost $1.5 million. Well if the fests lost the money, and the city sponsors the fests who is paying for the losses?
EVERY TAX PAYER IN CHICAGO IS! That's right, walk in and out of the fest as much as you like free because in the end, if you live in the city, you are paying for it! Within that loss is the cost of securing the fest, we have all seen the chaos from a few years back, with shots being fired, people injured, property damaged and personal property stolen. This year Rahm has elected to not fork out the money for huge band names and will save some money from that, I guess. Then again maybe no one will come to the fest and spend money to hear Chief Danko and the Billie Bees on the main stage (I kid of course, this band is made up and probably would never get top billing over such strong acts that really are going to be there like Natalie McMaster and Los Horoscopos de Durango, yes they really are on main stage). If no one shows and spends though, the bill for security still needs to be paid...
Here is an idea, CHARGE FOR ENTRY! It doesn't have to be extravagant, let's start with $5.00 per person. Based on that if the usual fireworks show that brings upwards of 1.5 million people to the Taste on the 3rd, that day alone, just for entry would generate 7.5 million, plus you get to keep the big names on stage, and the fireworks.
What? No fireworks? That's right in an effort to crunch the budget there are no 3rd of July fireworks this year at the taste, don't bother packing the kids up and going, at best you might get that weird guy who lives in Grant Park and some bottle rockets he found as a show.
Another reason to charge is to keep away the riff raff. Whenever you have a ton of people, and free access to them the criminals come and they come in droves. Charging admission will keep away that element, at least at the fest, the additional money can go for extra police presence around the fest. I'm just thinking out loud though...
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Political Corruption in Chicago
Now with Blago finally going to go to jail corruption ends in our fair state right? Well at least it will put the local politicians on notice her in Chicago right? I mean Blago only did things the “Chicago way”.
The City Council of Chicago is quaking in fear right? Hello?
Let’s get down to bare bones facts here, I intend to allow those who wish to read to enjoy themselves a little at the history of our great city. One thing that has always bothered me is the terms used by some to describe the Chicago Police Department as “Out of control”. Aldermen sought to get put into public records the top 50 officers with the most complaints for all to see. This was such an outrageous thing to ask for and make names public for little or no reason other than political gain that even the spineless one, JFled refused to turn over the names to a judge.
You want to roll against me Chicago Politicians, let’s get started. The Chicago Police Department employs 13,500 officers, that number varies here and there depending on the year. Every so often you will hear about a scandal within the department, rogue officers. The news media loves this as is evident by the playing of a drunken officer beating a bartender every time any negative press comes down, even years after the case was settled that footage is dragged out. Now this writer is acknowledging that there have been bad seeds within that same department, but if CPD is out of control, what is the City Council?
You see, every year a couple of officers get brought in for their own stupidity, it happens. Every three years or so a minor scandal hits the news, maybe involving one or more officers. Finally it seems from my experience about every 7 years or so a really bad scandal hits, this usually involved a team of rogue officers, either from a specialized unit, or a tactical team. I am acknowledging this fact because I wish to compare numbers. We all know the latest two big government indictments from the news, the SOS scandal where Jerome Finnegan and crew were taking money from drug dealers for themselves, and William Cozzi, who I mentioned in a prior thread, who got completely railroaded by JFled, Jody Weis. Also of note is an ongoing investigation into CPD officers using tow companies and getting money for it. To my knowledge a couple of officers have been indicted for these charges. So federal indictments over the past couple of years? Let’s go with a high number and say 20, no let’s be safe and say 40. 40 out of 13,500 officers that is .29% of the department, yes under 1 %
Now let’s look at that city council that wants to have oversight over those “out of control” cops. With a very little digging around the web I found this juicy tidbit, over the past 36 years, 31 Chicago Aldermen have been indicted and convicted for federal charges, an additional 3 others have been indicted but either died or were judged too sick to stand trial. That’s just federal charges, not local. Over the past 35 years the Feds have launched Operations: Safebet, Gambat, Incubator, Greylord, Haunted Hall, and Silver Shovel to name just a few. That seems to be a lot of manpower to watch over 50 aldermen!
Want a list of names? Oh snap here we go!
Aldermen Date convicted Crimes
Fred Hubbard 1/6/1973 embezzlement
Joseph Jambrone 4/12/1973 bribery and income tax evasion
Joseph Potempa 10/30/1973 extortion, mail fraud, tax evasion
Casimir Staszcuk 6/25/1973 bribery for zoning changes
Thomas Keane 10/9/1974 mail fraud &conspiracy
Frank Kuta 9/4/1974 extortion, mail fraud, tax evasion
Paul Wigoda 10/10/1974 tax evasion and received zoning bribe
Edward Scholl 12/2/1975 extortion, bribery, tax evasion
Donald Swinarski 3/14/1975 tax fraud
Stanley Zydlo 10/22/1980 bribery attempt to fix fire dept test
William Carothers 8/23/1983 conspiracy and extortion
Louis Farina 12/7/1983 extortion conspiracy
Tyrone Kenner 5/24/1983 bribery, extortion and fraud
Chester Kuta 3/19/1987 fraud, income tax evasion, civil rights violation
Wallace Davis 10/131987 bribe taking and extortion
Clifford Kelley 4/23/1987 extortion, mail fraud, racketeering
Perry Hutchinson 9/28/1989 bribe taking, previous: insurance fraud
Marian Humes 5/1/1989 taking bribes
Fred Roti 1/15/1993 bribery, extortion, racketeering
Ambrosio Medrano 1/10/1996 extortion, bribery, ghost payrolling
Allan Streeter 4/17/1996 bribery and extortion
Jesse Evans 6/16/1997 extortion and racketeering
Joseph Martinez 1/23/1997 ghost pay rolling
Lawrence Bloom 12/4/1998 tax fraud and taking bribes
John Madrzyk 4/30/98 ghost pay rolling and kickbacks
Percy Giles 11/9/1999 taking bribes, tax evasion
Virgil Jones 1/28/1999 taking bribes
James Laski 6/13/2006 bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud
Arenda Troutman 8/6/2008 mail fraud and tax fraud
Edward Vrdolyak 11/3/2008 conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud
Isaac Carothers 2/1/2010 Tax evasion, Zoning fraud
Sources: Curing corruption in Illinois: Anti corruption report Number 1 Feb 3 2009, Sun Times, Chicago Tribune
That is not including the two who died before going to trial. Just as an example 1973, 74 or 83 there were 3 aldermen indicted and convicted, that’s 6% of the city council. You would have to indict and convict 810 police officers in a year to match that! In 1987 4 were indicted and convicted or 8% of the city council, again to compare that would be 1080 officers indicted and convicted in a year.
Yes, it really is the CPD that is out of control, pay no attention to the workings of the city council….
Monday, June 27, 2011
Blago guilty as hell...
Trial just concluding, Rod Blagojevich guilty on 17 of 20 counts, 1 not guilty, 2 deadlocked...
your thoughts welcome
your thoughts welcome
Them Presidential candidates!
So Michele Bachmann has declared her campaign, and I thought to myself, I should learn more about her, and so should all of you. That is another of my pet peeves of voters in my generation, and to a lesser extend the previous. We vote on character traits, pop culture, looks or party lines.
When Barak Obama was running for president I saw all the bumper stickers and the happy looks on the supporters faces. When I would ask them just what Obama was going to do differently I would get this answer "Change! He's going to change it all!" I would then ask "Change what?" The answer from there would differ depending on what the person was most concerned about, the economy, the war, the government, the treatment of green scaled turtles in Bora Bora, etc. Let's face it Obama ran an outstanding campaign, the "Change" motto was brilliant, it reached out to everyone and played to them. I was unconvinced, so I looked more at Obama, more at what he had done in his past political life. Or should I say the lack of his political life. See I really could care less if Barak had a white mother and a black father, it doesn't bother me that his preacher spouted off about America. The Bill Ayers thing did bother me slightly. What did bother me was his lack of seasoning as a legislator. Being a democrat in an Illinois senate isn't all that hard, it's like being a Mason and going to a Masonic lodge. His election to Illinois Senator could have given him some seasoning dealing with both parties and seeing different was of doing things. That didn't really happen as Mr. Obama was busy on the campaign trail for most of his Senatorial life. As a legislator in the Senate his sponsored bills continually failed. His first piece of legislative work of his that he was the primary sponsor of was the Democratic Republic of Congo relief, security and democracy act, which was signed into law by then President George Bush, who was known for his work in Africa, so this wasn't a hard hitting piece of political genius.
Still people flocked to the polls and voted for the "anointed one". The night of the election I heard joyful shouts from his side yelling things like "Obama is going to find me a job" to "Obama will get you people." to "Obama is going to get me a new pair of teeth!" Seriously this is what I heard, no not on television, but from rejoicers in the street.
Years into the Obama presidency, I find myself much in the same place I was before, there hasn't been all that much change. I also wonder if Obama personally found that person a job, or got that other person her new teeth. I certainly do not think I have been a target of President Obama, so if he's going to "get" me I will not see it coming. I remember telling people as a citizen of Chicago my biggest problem with Obama as president was the potential for bringing Chicago style politics to the world.
Look what happened to Blago after he brought Chicago Style politics to the State level, that didn't work out too well for him. Look what happened when Mayor Daley decided not to run, Obama's right hand man gets the nod, Chicago politics are alive on a nationwide scale, watch yourself Nebraska!
In a future thread I will be posting the particulars of candidates, I will attempt to be as neutral as I possibly can. I think that it is important that people can be informed with their selection and need the proper info they can get.
While I'm thinking of it, if you have even more free time head on over to http://2012.presidential-candidates.org/ for a look at the canditates as they stand right now.
When Barak Obama was running for president I saw all the bumper stickers and the happy looks on the supporters faces. When I would ask them just what Obama was going to do differently I would get this answer "Change! He's going to change it all!" I would then ask "Change what?" The answer from there would differ depending on what the person was most concerned about, the economy, the war, the government, the treatment of green scaled turtles in Bora Bora, etc. Let's face it Obama ran an outstanding campaign, the "Change" motto was brilliant, it reached out to everyone and played to them. I was unconvinced, so I looked more at Obama, more at what he had done in his past political life. Or should I say the lack of his political life. See I really could care less if Barak had a white mother and a black father, it doesn't bother me that his preacher spouted off about America. The Bill Ayers thing did bother me slightly. What did bother me was his lack of seasoning as a legislator. Being a democrat in an Illinois senate isn't all that hard, it's like being a Mason and going to a Masonic lodge. His election to Illinois Senator could have given him some seasoning dealing with both parties and seeing different was of doing things. That didn't really happen as Mr. Obama was busy on the campaign trail for most of his Senatorial life. As a legislator in the Senate his sponsored bills continually failed. His first piece of legislative work of his that he was the primary sponsor of was the Democratic Republic of Congo relief, security and democracy act, which was signed into law by then President George Bush, who was known for his work in Africa, so this wasn't a hard hitting piece of political genius.
Still people flocked to the polls and voted for the "anointed one". The night of the election I heard joyful shouts from his side yelling things like "Obama is going to find me a job" to "Obama will get you people." to "Obama is going to get me a new pair of teeth!" Seriously this is what I heard, no not on television, but from rejoicers in the street.
Years into the Obama presidency, I find myself much in the same place I was before, there hasn't been all that much change. I also wonder if Obama personally found that person a job, or got that other person her new teeth. I certainly do not think I have been a target of President Obama, so if he's going to "get" me I will not see it coming. I remember telling people as a citizen of Chicago my biggest problem with Obama as president was the potential for bringing Chicago style politics to the world.
Look what happened to Blago after he brought Chicago Style politics to the State level, that didn't work out too well for him. Look what happened when Mayor Daley decided not to run, Obama's right hand man gets the nod, Chicago politics are alive on a nationwide scale, watch yourself Nebraska!
In a future thread I will be posting the particulars of candidates, I will attempt to be as neutral as I possibly can. I think that it is important that people can be informed with their selection and need the proper info they can get.
While I'm thinking of it, if you have even more free time head on over to http://2012.presidential-candidates.org/ for a look at the canditates as they stand right now.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Mongo Want Choo-Choo?
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/25/high-speed-rail-routed-around-environmental-site-affects-new-group-farms/?test=latestnews
What is wrong with America? I have a list but let's start with the little news story above. Yes I am linking you to the evil Fox news empire so if you can't bear to read the story I'll summarize. Californians want a train to go really fast from Frisco to Diego. It will cost the tax payers 45 Billion to do this. Some people not happy about that, but ignore them and press on. Choo-Choo must go into a bird sanctuary...
Hold on a darn minute! In a move very similar to the plot of Blazing Saddles the tracks have hit their quicksand and that quicksand is in the form of a bird. Or several birds.
Mongo! What should we do?
What is wrong with America? I have a list but let's start with the little news story above. Yes I am linking you to the evil Fox news empire so if you can't bear to read the story I'll summarize. Californians want a train to go really fast from Frisco to Diego. It will cost the tax payers 45 Billion to do this. Some people not happy about that, but ignore them and press on. Choo-Choo must go into a bird sanctuary...
Hold on a darn minute! In a move very similar to the plot of Blazing Saddles the tracks have hit their quicksand and that quicksand is in the form of a bird. Or several birds.
Mongo! What should we do?
Um... Make Choo-Choo go around?
Of course! Mongo you are a genius! And where will we go around? The village of Rock Ridge.. er no, those farms over there! We will run the trains straight through their property lines the cattle grazing there are not going to be affected by a bullet train flying through every so often! Thise farmers have to come to the realization that their business and family income are in no way more important than the safety of grebes, fulvous whistling ducks and black crowned night herons. The birds are much much more important.
This is what is wrong in this country we start enormously expensive projects without planning them out first, no one thought ahead and realized the sanctuary was in the way? No one planned that there might be a protest for the poor birds? Then once the cat gets let out of the bag that this bird sanctuary (which by the way a little birdy told me used to be the largest fresh water lake west of the Great Lakes until we humans drained it for irregation) is in danger we plow ahead and tell farmers they must suffer for the betterment of the train riders. Why not just not build the train and pocket 45 Billion in a cash strapped state? Just a thought...
Friday, June 24, 2011
Why do a blog?
Why go to the trouble to write a blog that no one will probably ever look at? Well I decided to dedicate some of my time to writing my thoughts. This is where I decided on the name "Diary of a mad but proud American." You see, I am a tad bit opinionated. I like things done my way. Don't we all? But from what I have seen of this country lately I have begun to get a little bit mad at the way things are headed.
Huge entitlement programs, welfare running out of control, government bailouts, and my biggest concern a media who is in the pocket for whomever is in power. For those who do not know me who may have just drifted upon my page and have so much time on their hands to read the random thoughts of yours truly let me tell you about myself.
I love America, I believe in our place in the world, and believe that our people are some of the most charitable, giving and concerned people in the world.
I believe in a smaller government, one that can balance a budget, and one that does not infringe upon the rights of it's people under the guise of "helping" them. Sadly this is where I feel like our country is going in the wrong direction, even sadder to me, and what makes me mad is those very same people I love for their hearts and souls seem to be okay with this.
All too often we see my generation and the next expecting the government to help them out, like it is the government's job to bail everyone out. In my world it does not. A proud person looks for work doggedly, if they don't like their job, they look for better work while working. A proud person doesn't sit on their behind getting high and drunk and then blaming their situation on everyone else. A proud person doesn't indiscriminately have bunches of children and expect others to raise them and the government to pay for them so they can still go out and have fun. I guess what I am saying is I am mad at the current lack of personal responsibility going around. I am also mad at the media, and especially the irresponsibility of the editors of these rags at pushing this agenda.
Look to your newspapers, how often do you see stories of a person being shot while out with a crew of their friends at 2:30 A.M. and the newspaper bends over backwards to paint a pretty picture of the person shot as a potential brain surgeon or the inventor for the cure to cancer. In most cases people who hang out at 2:30 A.M. have a criminal history, and yes not everyone is guilty but isn't it the job of a reporter to find out the facts of everything they are writing about? If the person was coming home from work, was a legitimate honors student and had never been in trouble with the law, write that. But if the person dropped out of school, has been arrested for selling drugs and carrying weapons WRITE THAT don't paint them as misunderstood youth who were just about to turn their lives around and become pillars of the community. I remember last year the papers writing a story about a guy who the wrote had 6 children with 5 different girlfriends, was 19 and had been looking into possibly getting a GED at some point. Gone from the story was his facebook page with his gang buddies flashing gang signs, holding guns and stacks of cash and threatening to wipe out rival factions. Why wasn't that included?
Our media needs to wake up, go back to the way reporting needs to be: research the story before you report it. In today's ubercompetative world everyone wants to be the first to break a story, but if I were and editor I would much rather want to be known for reporting SOLID and TRUTHFUL stories that didn't have to be retracted because the original wasn't quite true.
It's a sad day when I can get a better story from Entertainment Weekly than from the Chicago Sun-Times or New York Post.
My future articles will focus on responsibility of the people, government corruption and sometime whimsical things that bring a smile to this mad guy. My hope is that other people may start liking what they are reading and start following this page and passing it on to others, maybe I can hit a nerve in someone and have them start asking the same questions, even if they find a different answer that works that is what true democracy is.
Huge entitlement programs, welfare running out of control, government bailouts, and my biggest concern a media who is in the pocket for whomever is in power. For those who do not know me who may have just drifted upon my page and have so much time on their hands to read the random thoughts of yours truly let me tell you about myself.
I love America, I believe in our place in the world, and believe that our people are some of the most charitable, giving and concerned people in the world.
I believe in a smaller government, one that can balance a budget, and one that does not infringe upon the rights of it's people under the guise of "helping" them. Sadly this is where I feel like our country is going in the wrong direction, even sadder to me, and what makes me mad is those very same people I love for their hearts and souls seem to be okay with this.
All too often we see my generation and the next expecting the government to help them out, like it is the government's job to bail everyone out. In my world it does not. A proud person looks for work doggedly, if they don't like their job, they look for better work while working. A proud person doesn't sit on their behind getting high and drunk and then blaming their situation on everyone else. A proud person doesn't indiscriminately have bunches of children and expect others to raise them and the government to pay for them so they can still go out and have fun. I guess what I am saying is I am mad at the current lack of personal responsibility going around. I am also mad at the media, and especially the irresponsibility of the editors of these rags at pushing this agenda.
Look to your newspapers, how often do you see stories of a person being shot while out with a crew of their friends at 2:30 A.M. and the newspaper bends over backwards to paint a pretty picture of the person shot as a potential brain surgeon or the inventor for the cure to cancer. In most cases people who hang out at 2:30 A.M. have a criminal history, and yes not everyone is guilty but isn't it the job of a reporter to find out the facts of everything they are writing about? If the person was coming home from work, was a legitimate honors student and had never been in trouble with the law, write that. But if the person dropped out of school, has been arrested for selling drugs and carrying weapons WRITE THAT don't paint them as misunderstood youth who were just about to turn their lives around and become pillars of the community. I remember last year the papers writing a story about a guy who the wrote had 6 children with 5 different girlfriends, was 19 and had been looking into possibly getting a GED at some point. Gone from the story was his facebook page with his gang buddies flashing gang signs, holding guns and stacks of cash and threatening to wipe out rival factions. Why wasn't that included?
Our media needs to wake up, go back to the way reporting needs to be: research the story before you report it. In today's ubercompetative world everyone wants to be the first to break a story, but if I were and editor I would much rather want to be known for reporting SOLID and TRUTHFUL stories that didn't have to be retracted because the original wasn't quite true.
It's a sad day when I can get a better story from Entertainment Weekly than from the Chicago Sun-Times or New York Post.
My future articles will focus on responsibility of the people, government corruption and sometime whimsical things that bring a smile to this mad guy. My hope is that other people may start liking what they are reading and start following this page and passing it on to others, maybe I can hit a nerve in someone and have them start asking the same questions, even if they find a different answer that works that is what true democracy is.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
A view from the inside out... the story of JFled
Yesterday a friend of mine asked me "What do you think about what Jody did?" Of course to me that could only mean Jody P. Weis former superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. You see only a few days ago this story surfaced
http://www.suntimes.com/news/6068951-418/jody-weis-received-76308-in-unused-vacation-when-he-resigned.html
Yes folks the former superintendent of Chicago cashed in his unused vacation days to a tune of $76,308! This is after working for only three years on the job. Oh yes that contract also paid him $310,000 per year. Prior to the Jody's tenure at CPD the salary for the Superintendant was I believe, somewhere in the neighborhood of $185,000 per year or an increase of about 67.5% to that salary. Now after taking that money from the hands of the tax payers of the city he hits them up again for another $76,308!
The uninformed public out there probably are asking why the hate? According to published stats Chicago underwent historic reductions in crime under Jody's tenure, maybe he was worth $1,006,308 for his 3 years. Let's give you all some insight from the inside looking out (Hey that matches my title pretty cool how that works!)
The CPD was scandal "ridden" at the end of Phil Cline's time as superintendent these scandals included the well published video of a drunken copper that pretty much had no friends on the job due to the fact he was an idiot beating a bartender. There was also the SOS scandal, a rogue group of police officers charged with taking money from drug dealers and pocketing it themselves, it was a story very close to the plot lines of the television show "The Shield". Cline stepped down and Mayor Shortshanks, er Daley brought in an outsider to police the police, he hired a Fed.
Welcome to the era of "Jfed" as he was intially dubbed from the inside. His first few months in the spot were riddled with questionable moves, a lot of muscle poses from the Jodster to look tough, a lot of meeting with south and west side "reverends" to gain him street cred. Jody brought in a friend of his from the Fed side to help him out and then did the unthinkable, he put on our uniform without ever, attending the academy, walking a beat, making a traffic stop, facing any kind of danger. It was an insult to anyone on the job, for the most part though we took it, looking for a fresh start.
The Cozzi incident came next. William Cozzi was made famous in the news for hitting a handcuffed man in a wheelchair which was caught on security tape. Jfed saw this tape and immediately sent the video to his Fed buddies looking for possible prosecution on civil rights violations. He said he was "horrified" by what he saw. Here is where a view from the inside provides a little clarity to you on the outside. William Cozzi was working alone that day, all alone. Now I'm not sure if he was there to do a report, or possibly as the officer guarding that man in a wheelchair who was handcuffed, I don't know that part of the story. The guy in the wheelchair was drunk, out of control and security for the hospital couldn't handle him, Cozzi helped. Now understand a person handcuffed is decidedly less of a threat to a person's safety but not completely safe, you can still be kicked, scratched, spat upon, bitten, headbutted, etc. The actions Cozzi chose that day, I may not have chosen, but then again I may have I can't speculate that fact because I wasn't there and in that situation. The big part of what stank from Jfed's prosecution of Cozzi was that Cozzi ALREADY had been prosecuted, in state court he pled guilty to a misdemeanor battery, recieved his sentence, served it out, went to all the court appointed anger management session and a settlement was given out to a life long criminal, or in this case the "victim" in the wheelchair. Cozzi went somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 months in a no pay status with the police but then got his job back after serving his sentence. It was after all of this Jody came in, and prosecuted Cozzi to set an example. Cozzi to this day still sits in a Federal Prison in Oakdale Louisiana, away from his family, all for defending himself when he felt threatened. That sent a message to the rank and file "Step ever so slightly out of line and I will prosecute you to the max."
Interestingly Jody was made a statement after the sentencing of Cozzi that he didn't intend for such a long sentence to be given to Cozzi he just was asking his Fed buddies for "guidance" on the issue and they took the investigation themselves. Jody already learning to lie? Jody spent the next couple of months touting "Integrity" to all of us, and that he "had our backs" we all thought of Cozzi. What if we had to put our hands on someone to protect ourselves and there was a video that maybe didn't show the whole incident? Would my wife have to visit me in federal prison too? My son? Is it worth it to put myself in that position? Most working coppers, stopped working, or slowed down to a crawl.
The ever evolving of Jody P Weis evolved into his last CPD nickname on a morning after a shooting on the southside. Jfed giving a news conference in the area, gun shots ring out in the background from a few blocks away. Jody looks stupidly into the camera blinking his beady eyes, one of his aide whispers in his ears shots had just been fired in the area, Jfed looks at the reporter and mutters the fateful words "Gotta run!" gets in his car, complete with police driver and returns to headquarters. He later says because he was doing a camera shoot he didn't have his police gear and was returning to headquarters to get it, then the story changes several other times. The era of JFled begins.
Just to be clear to everyone unfamiliar to the police department, if that were me and I didn't have my "gear" while working, I would face discipline up to a suspension. If that were me, hearing gunshots and driving away from the scene, with video footage to support that fact I could potentially be stripped of my police powers, and could definately be fired for "cowirdace". A retired police sergeant alertly files a complaint with the Independant Police Review Authority, a civilian review board for cowardice and cites the video proof. You guessed it, Mr. Integrity himself is untouched by an investigation as it is swept under the rug.
Finally getting back to those low crime stat numbers, a policy was unofficially started with CPD, it was nothing really new, just refined under JFled. If you have a dead body and no offender classify it as a "death investigation" not a "Homicide". See homicides are tracked, the more your city has the worse you look. Death investigations are not followed because they are not criminal in nature. Have a person shot 6 times and no one "saw nothin'"? Death investigation not homicide. Husband stabbed 10 times and wife says "I dunno?" Death investigation not homicide. You see we can always arrest a person later and charge them with murder if the investigation reveals it to have been a homicide so why sully our cities reputation by adding to the homicide stats? Chicago underwent a monumental reduction in the Homicide rate due to this policy. Meanwhile the South and West sides became more and more violent everyday because proactive policing had stopped because working coppers had slowed down. Read the breaking news sights every morning and see how many are shot nightly and start adding up the numbers... go ahead I'll wait....
Yep they don't work with the reported numbers from the police department. This is known even by Jfled's fed buddies because they will not use CPD's numbers in their crime stats they publish because they know our numbers are B.S. The same can be said with reclassifying robberies as the lower class, a theft. The numbers are being cooked folks!
So Jody basically comes to the end of his contract and says he'd like to stay. The new mayor Rahm, in a move I actually like, tells him to go pack his bags. Jody puts his mega condo on the market, pets his pet cats and broods as his contract runs out. Now he is trying to get a head job at that same Independent Police Review Authority, you know the one that swept his investigation under the rug, and fill it with his brand of "Integrity" while hitting all of us taxpayers with a new $76,308 bill for his vacation days. Oh yeah, read the article, he was the one to change the policy to allow him to carry over those vacation days, was never done before, but Mr. "Integrity" obviously had an exit strategy and knew he was going to be cashing in those days and hitting us with that bill.
IN THIS WRITERS OPINION WHAT JFLED HAS DONE AMOUNTS TO CRIMINAL CONDUCT! If this is the kind of integrity that the FBI (Jody's old job) teaches they can have their integrity, we were better off the old way with hard working coppers doing their job and a few bad apple doing their thing that eventually they will get caught doing and punished for.
Jfled go away and pet your pussy, Chicago will be better without you!
http://www.suntimes.com/news/6068951-418/jody-weis-received-76308-in-unused-vacation-when-he-resigned.html
Yes folks the former superintendent of Chicago cashed in his unused vacation days to a tune of $76,308! This is after working for only three years on the job. Oh yes that contract also paid him $310,000 per year. Prior to the Jody's tenure at CPD the salary for the Superintendant was I believe, somewhere in the neighborhood of $185,000 per year or an increase of about 67.5% to that salary. Now after taking that money from the hands of the tax payers of the city he hits them up again for another $76,308!
The uninformed public out there probably are asking why the hate? According to published stats Chicago underwent historic reductions in crime under Jody's tenure, maybe he was worth $1,006,308 for his 3 years. Let's give you all some insight from the inside looking out (Hey that matches my title pretty cool how that works!)
The CPD was scandal "ridden" at the end of Phil Cline's time as superintendent these scandals included the well published video of a drunken copper that pretty much had no friends on the job due to the fact he was an idiot beating a bartender. There was also the SOS scandal, a rogue group of police officers charged with taking money from drug dealers and pocketing it themselves, it was a story very close to the plot lines of the television show "The Shield". Cline stepped down and Mayor Shortshanks, er Daley brought in an outsider to police the police, he hired a Fed.
Welcome to the era of "Jfed" as he was intially dubbed from the inside. His first few months in the spot were riddled with questionable moves, a lot of muscle poses from the Jodster to look tough, a lot of meeting with south and west side "reverends" to gain him street cred. Jody brought in a friend of his from the Fed side to help him out and then did the unthinkable, he put on our uniform without ever, attending the academy, walking a beat, making a traffic stop, facing any kind of danger. It was an insult to anyone on the job, for the most part though we took it, looking for a fresh start.
The Cozzi incident came next. William Cozzi was made famous in the news for hitting a handcuffed man in a wheelchair which was caught on security tape. Jfed saw this tape and immediately sent the video to his Fed buddies looking for possible prosecution on civil rights violations. He said he was "horrified" by what he saw. Here is where a view from the inside provides a little clarity to you on the outside. William Cozzi was working alone that day, all alone. Now I'm not sure if he was there to do a report, or possibly as the officer guarding that man in a wheelchair who was handcuffed, I don't know that part of the story. The guy in the wheelchair was drunk, out of control and security for the hospital couldn't handle him, Cozzi helped. Now understand a person handcuffed is decidedly less of a threat to a person's safety but not completely safe, you can still be kicked, scratched, spat upon, bitten, headbutted, etc. The actions Cozzi chose that day, I may not have chosen, but then again I may have I can't speculate that fact because I wasn't there and in that situation. The big part of what stank from Jfed's prosecution of Cozzi was that Cozzi ALREADY had been prosecuted, in state court he pled guilty to a misdemeanor battery, recieved his sentence, served it out, went to all the court appointed anger management session and a settlement was given out to a life long criminal, or in this case the "victim" in the wheelchair. Cozzi went somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 months in a no pay status with the police but then got his job back after serving his sentence. It was after all of this Jody came in, and prosecuted Cozzi to set an example. Cozzi to this day still sits in a Federal Prison in Oakdale Louisiana, away from his family, all for defending himself when he felt threatened. That sent a message to the rank and file "Step ever so slightly out of line and I will prosecute you to the max."
Interestingly Jody was made a statement after the sentencing of Cozzi that he didn't intend for such a long sentence to be given to Cozzi he just was asking his Fed buddies for "guidance" on the issue and they took the investigation themselves. Jody already learning to lie? Jody spent the next couple of months touting "Integrity" to all of us, and that he "had our backs" we all thought of Cozzi. What if we had to put our hands on someone to protect ourselves and there was a video that maybe didn't show the whole incident? Would my wife have to visit me in federal prison too? My son? Is it worth it to put myself in that position? Most working coppers, stopped working, or slowed down to a crawl.
The ever evolving of Jody P Weis evolved into his last CPD nickname on a morning after a shooting on the southside. Jfed giving a news conference in the area, gun shots ring out in the background from a few blocks away. Jody looks stupidly into the camera blinking his beady eyes, one of his aide whispers in his ears shots had just been fired in the area, Jfed looks at the reporter and mutters the fateful words "Gotta run!" gets in his car, complete with police driver and returns to headquarters. He later says because he was doing a camera shoot he didn't have his police gear and was returning to headquarters to get it, then the story changes several other times. The era of JFled begins.
Just to be clear to everyone unfamiliar to the police department, if that were me and I didn't have my "gear" while working, I would face discipline up to a suspension. If that were me, hearing gunshots and driving away from the scene, with video footage to support that fact I could potentially be stripped of my police powers, and could definately be fired for "cowirdace". A retired police sergeant alertly files a complaint with the Independant Police Review Authority, a civilian review board for cowardice and cites the video proof. You guessed it, Mr. Integrity himself is untouched by an investigation as it is swept under the rug.
Finally getting back to those low crime stat numbers, a policy was unofficially started with CPD, it was nothing really new, just refined under JFled. If you have a dead body and no offender classify it as a "death investigation" not a "Homicide". See homicides are tracked, the more your city has the worse you look. Death investigations are not followed because they are not criminal in nature. Have a person shot 6 times and no one "saw nothin'"? Death investigation not homicide. Husband stabbed 10 times and wife says "I dunno?" Death investigation not homicide. You see we can always arrest a person later and charge them with murder if the investigation reveals it to have been a homicide so why sully our cities reputation by adding to the homicide stats? Chicago underwent a monumental reduction in the Homicide rate due to this policy. Meanwhile the South and West sides became more and more violent everyday because proactive policing had stopped because working coppers had slowed down. Read the breaking news sights every morning and see how many are shot nightly and start adding up the numbers... go ahead I'll wait....
Yep they don't work with the reported numbers from the police department. This is known even by Jfled's fed buddies because they will not use CPD's numbers in their crime stats they publish because they know our numbers are B.S. The same can be said with reclassifying robberies as the lower class, a theft. The numbers are being cooked folks!
So Jody basically comes to the end of his contract and says he'd like to stay. The new mayor Rahm, in a move I actually like, tells him to go pack his bags. Jody puts his mega condo on the market, pets his pet cats and broods as his contract runs out. Now he is trying to get a head job at that same Independent Police Review Authority, you know the one that swept his investigation under the rug, and fill it with his brand of "Integrity" while hitting all of us taxpayers with a new $76,308 bill for his vacation days. Oh yeah, read the article, he was the one to change the policy to allow him to carry over those vacation days, was never done before, but Mr. "Integrity" obviously had an exit strategy and knew he was going to be cashing in those days and hitting us with that bill.
IN THIS WRITERS OPINION WHAT JFLED HAS DONE AMOUNTS TO CRIMINAL CONDUCT! If this is the kind of integrity that the FBI (Jody's old job) teaches they can have their integrity, we were better off the old way with hard working coppers doing their job and a few bad apple doing their thing that eventually they will get caught doing and punished for.
Jfled go away and pet your pussy, Chicago will be better without you!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Red vs. Blue, what does that mean to gas prices and you?
South Carolina, red state, average cost of a gallon of gas? $3.332
Connecticut, blue state, average cost of a gallon of gas? $3.959
Wait, $0.627 difference between a gallon of gas? Suspicious and yes of course this is a listing of extremes. But it did get me to thinking how does living in a "Blue", or Democratic state compare on gas prices with living in a "Red" or Republican state. Is there a difference?
Utilizing the prices listed at www.gasbuddy.com I compiled a list and compared it to the current listing of a states known color coding, including those crazy "Purple" states, you know the ones who can't seem to decide which side of the fence they are on (more on fence wars later).
Of the top ten cheapest averages for gas only one "Blue" state rated, New Mexico at $3.453. There were however three "Purple" states in the ten, Ohio $3.410, Arkansas $3.426, and Missouri $3.444. Notably Ohio and Missouri tend to lean slightly blue and Arkansas slightly red.
On the bottom ten states the trend reverses; only Alaska, bastion of Palinism, elk hunting and shootin' and a Red state, the average cost of gas is $4.070, every other state in the bottom ten is a blue as the sky, including my Dick Durbin represented state.
So what does this mean you ask me? What's up with those crazy purple states? Why don't we have yellow and teal states too? Great questions! Here are the numbers I have come up with.
Red states (22 states) average price of gas $3.547
Blue states (21 states) average price of gas $3.726
Purple states (7 states) average price of gas $3.524
Wait, you mean it's actually cheaper to buy gas in those crazy purple states? Actually yes, however both Red and Blue states are saddled with Alaska and Hawaii where everything costs more. If you factor out Alaska for the red side the average drops to $3.522. I think this begs a question to be asked to the leaders of this country, why are states where welfare and entitlement programs a firm part of the economy also so high on gas prices?
Ooooh Oooooh I know the answer! Gas is taxed at a much higher rate in those blue states than in the red states to generate income for those programs. "But if we don't help those people who need it they will all die or something right?" Well, every state has some type of assistance program to people who need it, yes, and they should, people sometimes get down on their luck and need to be helped back on their feet. It should be noted that the absolute bottom of the gas price list states, factoring out Alaska and Hawaii, are all states known for their out of control spending and mismanagement of welfare and government budgets. New York, Illinois, and the left coast states. It also should be stated that in those hard core Red states there are people on welfare, that are recieving aid, and there are not reports of people dropping dead in biblical proportions because they aren't getting an extra 18.1 cents a gallon in gas sales. They are surviving, so could the people in Illinois and New York.
American people are known for their charity, in just about every instance where called upon to be charitable the American people bent over backwards to chip in. This is a fact, yes even people on welfare and aid have chipped in on those times of need too. This is why our government needs to scale back their programs of aid, they are too big and bloated and out of control. Scale them back and subsidize other private outreach programs, programs where individuals can choose to donate their money to help others. End the generations of families on welfare, the program was never meant to work like that and it can not sustain its current expenditures. Let those people who need help, get help and get back to work, yes work! Believe it or not there is work out there, it may not be the ideal job at the moment but it will still bring you in money until you can work your way up. I went straight to work after high school and have not spent one day without a job since, sure some of them didn't pay well but I needed the work and didn't expect the government to pay me for not working so I took the jobs that were open until others were open to me.
Gas prices are but one example of how failed programs this country funds effect each and every one of your pocketbooks, wouldn't it just be easier to pay less in taxes to the government and write a check to a charity instead?
Connecticut, blue state, average cost of a gallon of gas? $3.959
Wait, $0.627 difference between a gallon of gas? Suspicious and yes of course this is a listing of extremes. But it did get me to thinking how does living in a "Blue", or Democratic state compare on gas prices with living in a "Red" or Republican state. Is there a difference?
Utilizing the prices listed at www.gasbuddy.com I compiled a list and compared it to the current listing of a states known color coding, including those crazy "Purple" states, you know the ones who can't seem to decide which side of the fence they are on (more on fence wars later).
Of the top ten cheapest averages for gas only one "Blue" state rated, New Mexico at $3.453. There were however three "Purple" states in the ten, Ohio $3.410, Arkansas $3.426, and Missouri $3.444. Notably Ohio and Missouri tend to lean slightly blue and Arkansas slightly red.
On the bottom ten states the trend reverses; only Alaska, bastion of Palinism, elk hunting and shootin' and a Red state, the average cost of gas is $4.070, every other state in the bottom ten is a blue as the sky, including my Dick Durbin represented state.
So what does this mean you ask me? What's up with those crazy purple states? Why don't we have yellow and teal states too? Great questions! Here are the numbers I have come up with.
Red states (22 states) average price of gas $3.547
Blue states (21 states) average price of gas $3.726
Purple states (7 states) average price of gas $3.524
Wait, you mean it's actually cheaper to buy gas in those crazy purple states? Actually yes, however both Red and Blue states are saddled with Alaska and Hawaii where everything costs more. If you factor out Alaska for the red side the average drops to $3.522. I think this begs a question to be asked to the leaders of this country, why are states where welfare and entitlement programs a firm part of the economy also so high on gas prices?
Ooooh Oooooh I know the answer! Gas is taxed at a much higher rate in those blue states than in the red states to generate income for those programs. "But if we don't help those people who need it they will all die or something right?" Well, every state has some type of assistance program to people who need it, yes, and they should, people sometimes get down on their luck and need to be helped back on their feet. It should be noted that the absolute bottom of the gas price list states, factoring out Alaska and Hawaii, are all states known for their out of control spending and mismanagement of welfare and government budgets. New York, Illinois, and the left coast states. It also should be stated that in those hard core Red states there are people on welfare, that are recieving aid, and there are not reports of people dropping dead in biblical proportions because they aren't getting an extra 18.1 cents a gallon in gas sales. They are surviving, so could the people in Illinois and New York.
American people are known for their charity, in just about every instance where called upon to be charitable the American people bent over backwards to chip in. This is a fact, yes even people on welfare and aid have chipped in on those times of need too. This is why our government needs to scale back their programs of aid, they are too big and bloated and out of control. Scale them back and subsidize other private outreach programs, programs where individuals can choose to donate their money to help others. End the generations of families on welfare, the program was never meant to work like that and it can not sustain its current expenditures. Let those people who need help, get help and get back to work, yes work! Believe it or not there is work out there, it may not be the ideal job at the moment but it will still bring you in money until you can work your way up. I went straight to work after high school and have not spent one day without a job since, sure some of them didn't pay well but I needed the work and didn't expect the government to pay me for not working so I took the jobs that were open until others were open to me.
Gas prices are but one example of how failed programs this country funds effect each and every one of your pocketbooks, wouldn't it just be easier to pay less in taxes to the government and write a check to a charity instead?
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