Olbermann's wrong about Amish Country...

Run time: 02:58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6QvE3kM-O0   Posted on YouTube: June 25, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: June 25, 2009 By DU Member: seraphicx Views on DU: 1182

 
Keith Olbermann recently featured Lancaster County, Pa. as one of his "Worst Persons" this past Monday. The city here has recently installed 165 public cameras, making it the "most-watched" small cities in the country.

Problem is that the city is facing an enormous budget crunch. Salaries and benefits for police and firemen make up the vast majority of the city budget and the city is facing a deficit. The cameras are a cheap alternative, but critics have rightly criticized the possible invasion of privacy.

Read the original Los Angeles Times article on Lancaster here:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-spycam-city21-2009jun21,0,3641451.story

Watch Keith's Worst Persons from June 22 here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqorZkUBh-8]

I kept waiting for Gil to say, "Just kidding!'

You putz you.

Jedidiah Yoder gets a ticket in the mail for running a red light. You don't want to see a pissed off Amish dude.

I find it all oppressive, backward, absurd and just plain stupid.

As for cameras, they may witness the crime but no one is there to stop it.

I have Amish relatives. My father was an excommunicated Mennonite. If you knew me, you'd realize that that explains a lot.

If as Gil says, this is the camera eyes instead of the cop eyes, then is it not like living with a cop under every bush?

Am very ambivalent here.
They tore down 100+ year old center city buildings (one of which was the first department store in the US) during the 70's- and put up modern crap- and now they have just opened a big convention center in the downtown central square to try to "bring back" the city. I grew up listening to mom tell me how the Republican's were so popular there because they never raised taxes to build roads. Well the roads there are now much improved and I am sure the city is facing a deficit.
And now my 80+ year old mom and dad live within a block or two of any one of the street signs in Gil's piece. Has it come to this?

Very ambivalent about this.

thanks for the post

My problem is the fact there is not legislation how the footage could be used.

He mentions making government more efficient but it's not government doing this! Once again, an idea which MAY provide fruitful or efficient results for ALL of us is taken away before it ever got started.

Some of the biggest perpetrators of puppy mills out there.

It's too bad then all the Amish live in the very rural parts of this area where there are no cameras. The city is the only one with the cameras...