Droopyz's Blog

I was out near Astatula yesterday, when I saw an Orange County Code Enforcement truck drive by.  I am pretty sure Astatula is in Lake county. 

I was outraged when I saw this, as I was pretty sure it was someone driving home (around 530PM)  Why should we as taxpayers pay to allow these county employees to drive back and forth from home... especially if the don't live in te county?  How much money in gas, tolls, and vehicle maintenance is wasted each year for this perk?

I think Fox should look into this!!!!!!

PHILADELPHIA —  Two narcotics officers were demoted from an elite strike force and suspended without pay because of racially offensive stickers found inside a police department locker.

Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey this week punished officers Scott Schweizer and Eric Dial, transferring the pair out of the Narcotics Strike Force to routine patrol in districts where they started as rookies. The officers were also each suspended for 20 days without pay and prohibited from using vacation days toward the unpaid leave.

Two racist stickers were found inside Schweizer's locker. One sticker read: "White Power." The other depicted a cartoon of a man, half as an officer in uniform and half as a Klansman, with the words "Blue By Day — White By Night."

Ramsey described the discipline as harsh but just, and said he stopped short of firing the officers because they "had no histories that would indicate that they engaged in any racist type of activities."

Schweizer's attorney, Allan J. Sagot, maintained that his client was the victim of a practical joke played by another officer, who affixed the stickers to the outside of Schweizer's locker. Once he saw the stickers, Schweizer pulled them off his locker and stuck them inside, Sagot said.

From Foxnews.com:

EVERETT, Wash. —  An 18-year-old Granite Falls man is dead and a Snohomish County sheriff's deputy will be placed on administrative leave following a fatal police chase.

Police say the chase began shortly after 8 p.m. on Friday when the sheriff's deputy observed a vehicle speeding on a road east of Highway 2.

The sheriff's deputy attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the driver fled and the deputy pursued. It was snowing and raining in the area at the time and the roads were slick and dangerous. The fleeing vehicle left the roadway and hit a tree.

The driver of the vehicle was taken to Providence Hospital Colby Campus, where he was pronounced dead.

The deputy has been with the sheriff's office for more than 25 years.

An investigation has been launched into the fatal accident.

From Foxnews.com

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island  —  Linking the presence of undocumented workers to Rhode Island's financial woes, Gov. Don Carcieri signed an executive order that includes a series of steps to combat illegal immigration.

The order signed Thursday requires state agencies and companies that do business with the state to verify the legal status of employees. It also directs the Rhode Island State Police and prison and parole officials to more aggressively find and deport illegal immigrants.

The Republican governor said he understands that illegal immigrants face hardships — but he does not want them in Rhode Island, America's smallest state. "If you're here illegally, you shouldn't be here illegally. You shouldn't be here," Carcieri said.

Immigrant advocate Juan Garcia feared Carcieri's proposals would drive a vulnerable community underground. He said illegal immigrants who are victims of crime will fear approaching police, and that children could suffer if parents lose their jobs.

"These people are not criminals," he said. "This is affecting the poor people."

Carcieri's popularity has plummeted in recent months as Rhode Island faces an estimated $550 million (euro348.41 million) budget deficit, its worst financial crisis since a series of bank and credit union collapses in the early 1990s. He has proposed cutting school funding, reducing welfare and health care benefits and even letting prisoners out of jail early.

Carcieri was testy when taking questions after signing the order. When a reporter asked if his order might embolden xenophobes, Carcieri blamed the media for inflaming the immigration debate.

Under his order, state police will enter an agreement with federal immigration authorities permitting them access to specialized immigration databases. That information would allow police to identify and detain immigration violators.

State police could investigate the legal status of anyone they suspect is an immigration violator, including crime victims, witnesses and people supplying police with confidential tips, state police Maj. Steven O'Donnell said.

Department of Corrections Director A.T. Wall said the prison system will negotiate a similar agreement so it too can identify illegal immigrants in state custody as well as legal immigrants who are subject to deportation if convicted of crimes.

Carcieri said he supported legislation that would force all companies in Rhode Island to do the same. He said he did not know how much his initiatives would cost, although he assumed they would save money in the long run.

From the Times:

"Anucha Browne Sanders emerged from Federal Court in Manhattan last week with an award for $11.6 million in punitive damages after a jury concluded that she had been sexually harassed by Madison Square Garden and Knicks Coach Isiah Thomas

Ms. Browne Sanders, a former senior marketing executive for the Knicks, said the verdict was more about sending a message to corporate America than the money."

More about sending a message than the money?  Gimme a break.  I wish for once someone would come out and say.. "I did it for the money"  because, if it is to send a message:

1) You woulda stopped it much earlier

2) You wouldn't ask for 10 million dollars.

How can some one deserve 100 times there yearly salary for feeling uncomfortable at work, and then, not doing anything about for almost 2 years? 

Laywers are the death of common sense and decency!!!!!

About 10 days ago, there was a news story about the Seminole Tribe of Florida working with the state government, especially Charlie Crist, to allow Vegas-style (class III) gambling in the Seminole Casinos.  With this deal, the state would finally benefit from the monies earned in those casinos. 

I haven't heard any news of an agreement yet.  According to the news reports, since there are class III slots in Broward county, federal law requires the state to allow the indian tribe to have them as well.  

Any updates on this?  Anyone have an opinion on this? 

Personally, If the gambling is going to happen anyway, might as well get some state benefit out of it.