If you were Sheriff

[Pete]

Although this doesn't answer the specific question I would not be appointed Sheriff nor would I want to work for one. I admire them and believe they do an outstanding job but I'll be darned if I want to see death, destruction and criminals each day I'm on duty. Just reading about it daily is more than enough for me. More in response to the question though if Henry Ford, Olds and a couple of others hadn't invented cars we'd all be a lot safer riding horses and buggys. Just think of all the positives with that thought. No more bikers wave, instead a buggy wave. If you had to give the finger to someone it could last for five miles unless his horse was much faster than yours. No emissions tests, although there would be some emissions but they quickly disappear. Mom & Pop stores would still be on the corner eliminating malls the size of NYC 27 miles away. Someone pulls out in front of you, a simple whoa prevents a $2000 plastic bumper repair. OPEC sets the price of gas at 25 cents a barrel because there is not much need for it. Dual lanes aren't necessary no more. We could do away with the county roads department and just hire foreigners to operate pooper scoopers. Rich people could have covered wagons and some others could still put spinners on their wheels and tinted windows to protect them from the sun. All farmers could just grow hay now that they aren't allowed to grow tobacco no more. I think I'd still flick my cigarette butt out of the wagon though so don't follow me to close.

Oldman for Sheriff!

 

[Pandora]

@ Oldman

I actually thought that was an excellent idea. And it gave me a much needed laugh.

 

[aps45819]

- especially stoplights like those on 235 which are designed to maximize the wait time - is they appear to serve no purpose other than being an impediment. .

You've got to wonder why the light will change for a side street with NO traffic waiting

 

[Sadysue]

There are two roads that run from the north to the south, and both of them are so clogged up and frustrating to drive on, that by the time I get home, I need a stiff drink to unwind from the trip.

They need to pass stricter laws and actually enforce them. No passing on the right, no weaving through traffic, no running red lights, and all the other laws we already have in place. I should be seeing at least 2 cop cars patroling on my way to and from work, (down 235 from chancellors run to willows.)

 

[desertrat]

You've got to wonder why the light will change for a side street with NO traffic waiting

Happened to me three times on the way to work this morning. At 4:30 a. m.!

 

[willie]

I guess my point with that was how little the Sheriff actually has to do with locking up criminals and reducing crime rates.

Cops can catch speeders/road ragers/drunk drivers all day long, but if they appear before a judge and get no punishment, that's not the Sheriff's fault.

There is probably just a handful of judges in the entire U.S. that have the guts to actually penalize offenders. This is not a police/sheriff problem.

The question should be, why are the prosecutors and judges overwhelmingly lenient??

 

[vraiblonde]

The question should be, why are the prosecutors and judges overwhelmingly lenient??

Good question.

Judges, I don't know about, but prosecutors probably just get battle fatigued. It's like all their work is for nothing and they start to not give a crap anymore.

Cops probably feel the same way: "Why am I risking my safety trying to arrest these punks when some judge is just going to let them go with a slap and they'll be back at it within a few days?"

At least prosecutors are trying to put these guys away. Defense attorneys are actively trying to get their lowlife scumbag client off so they can have another notch in their record.

 

[Tonio]

Lobby ST Mary's judges to stop the practice of allowing community service in lieu of points.

I heard that it was the state's attorney's office that began the practice and the judges went along with it. Apparently, it began in the '70s or '80s as a political patronage system, a way to reward friends and supporters of the incumbent state's attorney. At one time, St. Mary's had 15 percent of traffic charges placed on inactive status because of community service, the highest percentage in the state.

 

[Tonio]

The road system around here looks like my three year old scribbled on a map. There is no sense of purpose or efficiency to any of them. There are two roads that run from the north to the south, and both of them are so clogged up and frustrating to drive on, that by the time I get home, I need a stiff drink to unwind from the trip. The rest of the roads are meandering winding lines through the woods, that may or may not meet other roads. It's a complete mess.

I agree. At the risk of sounding like JPC, the road system's basic design hasn't changed much since before Pax NAS was built. Before 235 was widened, I thought a workable solution would be to divide the road like I-270 in MoCo, with local lanes and thru lanes, along with overpasses for the connecting roads.

 

[Bronwyn]

The only thing I can think of is not a popular idea. More red light cameras, and then more speed traps until they can get "speed cameras" like those being used in D.C. installed everywhere.

I have to agree with this one. I wonder what that has done to the statistics in DC?

 

[Tonio]

I hate intersections like the one at Shangri-La Drive and Great Mills Road, where drivers making left turns onto GM Road have to yield to oncoming traffic from the other direction. Not only does this back up traffic unnecessarily, it results in accidents because the left-turners try unsuccessfuly to turn before the oncoming traffic arrives. I think intersections like this should be made one-way green on the crossing road.

 

[Kyle]

Although this doesn't answer the specific question I would not be appointed Sheriff nor would I want to work for one. I admire them and believe they do an outstanding job but I'll be darned if I want to see death, destruction and criminals each day I'm on duty. Just reading about it daily is more than enough for me. More in response to the question though if Henry Ford, Olds and a couple of others hadn't invented cars we'd all be a lot safer riding horses and buggys. Just think of all the positives with that thought. No more bikers wave, instead a buggy wave. If you had to give the finger to someone it could last for five miles unless his horse was much faster than yours. No emissions tests, although there would be some emissions but they quickly disappear. Mom & Pop stores would still be on the corner eliminating malls the size of NYC 27 miles away. Someone pulls out in front of you, a simple whoa prevents a $2000 plastic bumper repair. OPEC sets the price of gas at 25 cents a barrel because there is not much need for it. Dual lanes aren't necessary no more. We could do away with the county roads department and just hire foreigners to operate pooper scoopers. Rich people could have covered wagons and some others could still put spinners on their wheels and tinted windows to protect them from the sun. All farmers could just grow hay now that they aren't allowed to grow tobacco no more. I think I'd still flick my cigarette butt out of the wagon though so don't follow me to close.

NoCanDo!

I'm already sick of my 1-1/2 hour commute to work followed by a 2-hour commute home... Be damned if I want to see that turn into a day and a half each way.

 

[itsbob]

I agree. At the risk of sounding like JPC, the road system's basic design hasn't changed much since before Pax NAS was built. Before 235 was widened, I thought a workable solution would be to divide the road like I-270 in MoCo, with local lanes and thru lanes, along with overpasses for the connecting roads.

$$$$$ who's going to pay fot THAT??

 

[Tonio]

$$$$$ who's going to pay fot THAT??

In my view, the money spent in widening 235 a few years ago was mostly wasted. Instead of fixing issues, the widening only postponed the need for a long-term solution. It seems like congestion on 235 is no better than it was when the road was two lanes.

 

[itsbob]

Actually I don't see a congestion problem on 235 except for two areas.. 235 and 4 when the bridge backs up.. so that's not 235's problem, that's the bridges problem..

and at gate 1 & 2 during rush hour in the AM.. but I can drive straight through to Webster withoug problem.. just stick to the right and wave at everyone as I go by.. During the week-end and at nights, the traffic on 235 is nothing more then a nuisance other then the dip#### drivers that weave in and out of traffic.

 

[Tonio]

Actually I don't see a congestion problem on 235 except for two areas.. 235 and 4 when the bridge backs up.. so that's not 235's problem, that's the bridges problem..

Some afternoons I see congestion on southbound 235 past the 4 intersection. But you're right about the bridge backing up.

I would push for a traffic light at 235 and Loveville Road, except that the light would probably promote growth in that area. That's a bad intersection for some reason -- people get impatient to cross the highway. 235 and 6 at Korner Karryout and Capt. Leonard's was bad, but the state angered a lot of people when they redesigned the intersection to prevent people coming north from Morganza-Turner Road from crossing or turning left. Another bad one is in front of the Bean Center.

 

[Tonio]

Non-traffic issue if I was Sheriff - redo the Detention Center so all the cells are solitary. There wouldn't be so much violence and gang problems in prisons if the prisoners weren't allowed to associate or communicate with one another.

 

[itsbob]

Of course even better. now I live South of the base.. and never have to worry about ANY traffic congestion.. 6 mile commute for me, and I do it in less then 10 minutes, I'm on 235 all of a 1/10th of a mile. And even when I commuted from here PAX the commute was nothing, other then a short wait at gate 3. Other then the random tractor or school bus, never have to worry about traffic tie ups.

 

[vraiblonde]

Non-traffic issue if I was Sheriff - redo the Detention Center so all the cells are solitary. There wouldn't be so much violence and gang problems in prisons if the prisoners weren't allowed to associate or communicate with one another.

I say put all the prisoners in a single cell, give 'em shanks and let the best man win. Cut down on prison overcrowding

 

[Tonio]

I say put all the prisoners in a single cell, give 'em shanks and let the best man win. Cut down on prison overcrowding

Have you ever seen "Escape From New York" with Kurt Russell?