Sheriff Clarke for Mayor
The idiots on the County Board are mad at Sheriff Clarke because he is focusing on fighting crime and not writing speeding tickets.Here is the story.
They see us as a punch of dumb pinatas. Citizens complain about overly agressive enforcement of parking tickets, the alderman and supervisors scoff. They really see the police and sheriff's department as money generating enterprizes. It never occurs to them that they are here to serve the people, not rob us blind.
The taxes in this state (and city) are oppressive. One of the worst taxed states in the country. Whenever someone tries to reign in spending, the race card is thrown around, liberal special interest groups attack attack attack, and the media rolls over.
They are tearing down the major interstate that feeds Milwaukee, but putting up another one that is no bigger than the old one. Even though the freeway is already clogged at rush hour, they do not want to expand it to alleviate traffic headaches. Why? Because they think that if they make the freeway more difficult to use, more people will choose not to take jobs outside the city, and more people will use public transportation.
Wrong. More people will just choose to leave the city altogether.
They keep raising taxes, harrasing night club owners, ticketing cars for parking, nabbing drivers for going 10 over the speed limit, and they wonder why the population of the city is shrinking.
People are leaving, and I don't blame them. For the first time in my life, I thought of leaving the city (one trip to the suburbs cured me of that).
Most people expect Sheriff Clarke to run for Mayor. Here's why I hope he does:
He has stated explicitly that the Sheriff's department is a "crime fighting organization" not a "revenue source for the county board".
He deplors sending his men and women out to "hide under overpasses looking for a lone speeder."
Speeding tickets are down. Traffic accidents are up (a nationwide trend). But recovery of stolen vehicles is up 90%. Assistance given to motorists with disabled cars is up. Community contacts is up 900%. He created a program, GRIP, which removes guns from the streets. He wants to work with the idiot Police Chief on a gang squad to reduce inner city violence.
I like that he focuses on, y'know, crime fighting stuff.
I like his attitude, his outspokenness, his willingness to do the work other departments are too lazy to do. He's already got my vote.
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