Sandy Springs, Georgia: The City that Outsourced Everything

[ZENemy]

The Marxists aren't going to like this.



While cities across the country are cutting services, raising taxes and contemplating bankruptcy, something extraordinary is happening in a suburban community just north of Atlanta, Georgia.

Since incorporating in 2005, Sandy Springs has improved its services, invested tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure and kept taxes flat. And get this: Sandy Springs has no long-term liabilities.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8qFvo2qJOU

[TaftFan]

bump

[The Northbreather]

What about the roads...oh...oh yeah.

[Dianne]

I have to say, Georgia is just a disgusting state... The state is trailing behind North Carolina as the most corrupt state, but not by much.... and Texas closing in on a strong third.

Most corrupt states:

North Carolina
Georgia
Texas

That's my view ....

[Henry Rogue]

The Marxists aren't going to like this.






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8qFvo2qJOU
I almost started a thread on the same subject last night, but few ever view my started threads. Thanks for posting.

[ClydeCoulter]

I almost started a thread on the same subject last night, but few ever view my started threads. Thanks for posting.

Just keep doing it. I don't think many notice who posted a thread as much as what the thread title says. There are a lot of threads that fall off the pages.
Find something about sex and it will generate pages of posts :D

[Henry Rogue]

I have to say, Georgia is just a disgusting state... The state is trailing behind North Carolina as the most corrupt state, but not by much.... and Texas closing in on a strong third.

Most corrupt states:

North Carolina
Georgia
Texas

That's my view ....
What does that have to do with a small city? Large cities like Detroit and Chicago are really corrupt and it still has nothing to do with Sandy Springs.

[Henry Rogue]

Just keep doing it. I don't think many notice who posted a thread as much as what the thread title says. There are a lot of threads that fall off the pages.
Find something about sex and it will generate pages of posts :D You are the most gracious and decent person I never met.

[Henry Rogue]

Don't care for this idea much. Reminds me of "see something say something".

from "Sandy Spring Patch dot com"


Sandy Springs' Citizens on Patrol: Why They Do It
Citizens on Patrol is a component of the community policing initiated by former Police Chief and now Public Safety Director Terry Sult. The first Citizens on Patrol class graduated in 2011.
Posted by Adrianne Murchison (Editor) , July 29, 2013 at 09:22 AM
1 Comment 1 Recommend

Rick Stafford and Mark Thomas

An Amberidge neighbor waved from her driveway when she saw the Citzens on Patrol car pass by, last week. You may have occasionally noticed a Citizens on Patrol vehicle driving through your neighborhood too. They look similar to the Sandy Springs Police cars.

“It’s kind of nice to drive through and see if anything looks out of the ordinary,” said Mark Thomas, a Citizens on Patrol volunteer. “After a while you get a feel for what looks normal and what doesn’t. Like if you see a cargo van backed into a driveway.

With the August graduating class, Citizens on Patrol will have a total of 42 volunteer members. Thomas coordinates the program with Officer Jeff Holmes, who is in charge of the SSPD Volunteer Unit.

Citizens on Patrol is a component of the community policing initiated by former Police Chief and now Public Safety Director Terry Sult. The first Citizens on Patrol class graduated in 2011.

“We have to be very careful about what we actively do because we are not the police,” said Rick Stafford, who trains members. “We are looking at something and reporting it and being what we call situationally aware. If you are aware of what’s going on around you, you would be amazed at what you see.”

Thomas recalled a suspicious man walking through the Amberidge neighborhood when there was a spike in break-ins. The man had a clipboard and appeared to be a solicitor, Thomas said.

“Something just didn’t look right. We didn’t see him going down any driveways and knocking on doors. So we circled around and looked at him again. We got a description and radioed it in and the officers descended on him. He didn’t have a license to solicit. The officers suggested that he might not want to do that in this area,” Thomas said.

Volunteers patrol at their convenience during day or night hours. They do residence and business checks and sometimes relieve police directing traffic following an accident or detained by down trees.

Joan Pressman is one of 12 women in Citizens on Patrol. She goes on patrol about once per week. One of her riding partners is Mary Paulson, wife of City Councilman John Paulson. “I fell in love with the police when I took the [Citizens Police Academy] class,” she said. “All that they do for us; I thought what can I do. We are giving back to them to make their job easier.”

[Origanalist]

Don't care for this idea much. Reminds me of "see something say something".

from "Sandy Spring Patch dot com"

“We are looking at something and reporting it and being what we call situationally aware. ...."

That sounds pretty close to me. As AF says, exercising petty control over their fellows.

[Henry Rogue]

“We are looking at something and reporting it and being what we call situationally aware. ...."

That sounds pretty close to me. As AF says, exercising petty control over their fellows.
Yeah, the cops are turning the sheep into Judas goats.

[Origanalist]

Yeah, the cops are turning the sheep into Judas goats.

Ugh, everywhere. But it sounds like they are doing a world class job there.

[Henry Rogue]

I actually hoped this would be a positive thread. Sandy Springs has five city employees and operates in the black.

[Origanalist]

I actually hoped this would be a positive thread. Sandy Springs has five city employees and operates in the black.

Maybe it should be, I just picked up on the citizens watch. :o

I'll check out the OP......

[Origanalist]

A lot of what they are doing is obviously correct, and working. ZENemy is right, the marxists aren't going to like it. If the whole country would just move in this direction there might be cause for some hope. And if citizens want to "patrol" their own communities and are alright with that more power to them. It's not my cup of tea though.

[Brian4Liberty]

So far so good. They are doing a lot of things right.

In the long run though, this model can fail just like anything else. It is reminiscent of an HOA. It is not some panacea.

The model is dependent on a Mayor and whoever does the negotiating to be top notch and honest. What happens when the Mayor is a socialist nincompoop? What happens when a Mayor re-negotiates and does allow Unionization and pensions? What happens when a contractor backs a shill candidate for Mayor that then colludes to rip the city off? What happens when the Primary contractor Unionizes and a Mayor signs a contract which puts all of the unfunded Union liabilities (pensions, etc.) onto the City? What happens when a State or Federal law overrides everything they are doing?

There is no perfect system.

[ClydeCoulter]

So far so good. They are doing a lot of things right.

In the long run though, this model can fail just like anything else. It is reminiscent of an HOA. It is not some panacea.

The model is dependent on a Mayor, and whoever does the negotiating to be top notch amd honest. What happens when the Mayor is a socialist nincompoop? What happens when a Mayor re-negotiates and does allow Unionization and pensions? What happens when a contractor backs a shill candidate for Mayor that then colludes to rip the city off? What happens when the Primary contractor Unionizes and a Mayor signs a contract which puts all of the unfunded Union liabilities (pensions, etc.) onto the City? What happens when a State or Federal law overrides everything they are doing?

There is no perfect system.

That's the bottom line, unfortunately. So long as there are those that will scheme to take what is not theirs, it's going to be a hard road for everyone else. :(

edit: Perhaps that why Thomas and few others believed that the tree would need watering from time to time. But, even that is not something to look forward to, even if it is reality.

[Brian4Liberty]

That's the bottom line, unfortunately. So long as there are those that will scheme to take what is not theirs, it's going to be a hard road for everyone else. :(

edit: Perhaps that why Thomas and few others believed that the tree would need watering from time to time. But, even that is not something to look forward to, even if it is reality.


Eternal vigilance. But even that doesn't work.

[TheGrinch]

Meh, if you want to get outraged, take a look at the youth police state we had across the bridge (literally, we used to shop in Sandy Springs, which at one time wasn't every nice either, but things changed quickly as I grew up). Not one of us teenagers who had any sort of fun got out without an arrest before he hit 18. All because there really is little crime in the burbs, and they had nothing better to do than harass teenagers and make revenue off their discretions. I wish I'd known my rights better, but don't tell me I don't sympathize with minorities, that's for sure.

Sandy Springs has probably succeeded primarily due to everything blowing up around (and in their case inside) the Atlanta perimeter, but have done much better than most at managing that, so I see no reason this isn't a positive story. It shows that less interference only helps. Is a good example, as other cities falter.

[RonPaulMall]

Yeah, I think this is really more an example of the virtues of secession than the virtues of "public private" partnerships.

[compromise]

I have to say, Georgia is just a disgusting state... The state is trailing behind North Carolina as the most corrupt state, but not by much.... and Texas closing in on a strong third.

Most corrupt states:

North Carolina
Georgia
Texas

That's my view ....

California, Illinois and Michigan are much more corrupt.

[Anti Federalist]

Just keep doing it. I don't think many notice who posted a thread as much as what the thread title says. There are a lot of threads that fall off the pages.
Find something about sex and it will generate pages of posts :D

Agreed, get that info out there.

Want a "hot" RPF thread?

1 - Homosexuality is _______.

2 - Rand Paul is ________.

3 - Alex Jones is ________.

4 - Abortion is _______.

[Anti Federalist]

“We are looking at something and reporting it and being what we call situationally aware. ...."

That sounds pretty close to me. As AF says, exercising petty control over their fellows.

Yah, things like this make me wary.


“Something just didn’t look right. We didn’t see him going down any driveways and knocking on doors. So we circled around and looked at him again. We got a description and radioed it in and the officers descended on him. He didn’t have a license to solicit. The officers suggested that he might not want to do that in this area,” Thomas said.

While I'm all for anything that reduces the number of badges hut hutting around, I'm not so sure just replacing those badges with a bunch of Mrs. Kravitizes and Zimmermans is the answer.

[nobody's_hero]

So far so good. They are doing a lot of things right.

In the long run though, this model can fail just like anything else. It is reminiscent of an HOA. It is not some panacea.

The model is dependent on a Mayor and whoever does the negotiating to be top notch and honest. What happens when the Mayor is a socialist nincompoop? What happens when a Mayor re-negotiates and does allow Unionization and pensions? What happens when a contractor backs a shill candidate for Mayor that then colludes to rip the city off? What happens when the Primary contractor Unionizes and a Mayor signs a contract which puts all of the unfunded Union liabilities (pensions, etc.) onto the City? What happens when a State or Federal law overrides everything they are doing?

There is no perfect system.

What typically happens is that you create a thriving community of wealth and then socialists come in and eat away at it like locusts.

If you're well-off, keep it to yourself. The mob is gonna go after the guy living in the mansion, not the guy living in a dump with $100,000 buried in his backyard.

[Origanalist]

"What typically happens is that you create a thriving community of wealth and then socialists come in and eat away at it like locusts."

Bingo. And how to stop it is the age old problem. The &%%&^78er's come in and ruin it EVERY TIME. The Constitution didn't work to stop it, what will? What sort of mechanism can be put in place?

[liberty2897]

What sort of mechanism can be put in place?

“It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds”
-Samuel Adams

[Origanalist]

“It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds”
-Samuel Adams

I would like to hope you're correct. That was before tv, unemployment, food stamps...........

[ClydeCoulter]

"What typically happens is that you create a thriving community of wealth and then socialists come in and eat away at it like locusts."

Bingo. And how to stop it is the age old problem. The &%%&^78er's come in and ruin it EVERY TIME. The Constitution didn't work to stop it, what will? What sort of mechanism can be put in place?

That is a good question.

What is the root of that? What is it that causes people to try to take from others? It is profitable, for one thing. Why is it that a person's conscience allows them to steal, but not to ask for, and accept, charity? I am not talking about the welfare receivers, but those that climb to positions that seem significant but are for the purpose of stealing from others for their living.

I understand that there are only so many of the best resources. Let's take coffee as an example. There are coffee's that are so good that the best that you can find anywhere as a mundane cannot compare. Only the rich taste those. I have tasted some of the chaff that has fallen from their table, and it is "to die for". The average person will never taste these things. The more exposure to these things the more the temptation to be in that club that at least gets the scraps from the table.

But, the beginning of the road to become an overlord-thief does not start with the tasting of the fine things.

[Pericles]

Yah, things like this make me wary.



While I'm all for anything that reduces the number of badges hut hutting around, I'm not so sure just replacing those badges with a bunch of Mrs. Kravitizes and Zimmermans is the answer.

Agree. My solution for the see something, say something crowd is that when just about everybody carries a M16 or a M4, there isn't much to see.

[Origanalist]

This is in response to ClydeCoulter's post and liberty2897 if anybody was wondering.

I was at a birthday party this weekend and we stayed the night in a tent there. It was for a woman 50'th that we've known quit a while. Well her husband starts going on about his L&I money that he's been collecting for SEVEN YEARS at $2,800.00 a month. Seven years. I tried to be nice, I really did. It was their party. I say to him, don't you get bored? He replies hell no! I have a brand new big screen tv, all the cool gadgets I need and money to spend, what more do I need? So I say don't you think that you might get some training and start supporting yourself again? He replies no way, they just want to give me computer training, I don't want to do that.

Well, I couldn't let it go and eventually get down to the crux of the matter and ask him at what point does this becomes stealing from his fellow man because he just doesn't want to work. He has no dependents with life threatening medical conditions or any remotely reasonable justification. He simply felt that his injury kept him from his old occupation so he shouldn't have to work.

So he get's up and storms off telling me that I really pissed him off. Heaven forbid.......

[Henry Rogue]

Yeah, I think this is really more an example of the virtues of secession than the virtues of "public private" partnerships.
I think the secession story is important to note too.

[Henry Rogue]

Agreed, get that info out there.

Want a "hot" RPF thread?

1 - Homosexuality is _______.

2 - Rand Paul is ________.

3 - Alex Jones is ________.

4 - Abortion is _______.
How do I combine all those together, to make a super thread?

[Uriah]

My uncle lives in Sandy Springs. I'll see what he has to say about it.

[Origanalist]

How do I combine all those together, to make a super thread?

Claim you are Alex Jones love child that survived a abortion and you're having a homosexual relationship with Rand Paul.

[Nobexliberty]

Claim you are Alex Jones love child that survived a abortion and you're having a homosexual relationship with Rand Paul. Winner winner liberty dinner!

[Henry Rogue]

Claim you are Alex Jones love child that survived a abortion and you're having a homosexual relationship with Rand Paul.
I figured it would have to be something like that. I just couldn't connect all the dots.

[TaftFan]

Sandy Springs is an interesting model for the rest of the country in regards to public services. Just as Kennesaw, Georgia is an interesting model for guns/crime prevention.

In Kennesaw it is the law to own a gun, although they don't actually enforce it and have large exemption loopholes for those who don't want to own one. Still, the presence of the law makes crime there extremely low as criminals like to prey on the weak.

[ZENemy]

Claim you are Alex Jones love child that survived a abortion and you're having a homosexual relationship with Rand Paul.

hahah! nice

[Origanalist]

Winner winner liberty dinner!

Where's my roadkill roast?

[satchelmcqueen]

hey buddy!! i live here! ....

and you are 100% correct :)
I have to say, Georgia is just a disgusting state... The state is trailing behind North Carolina as the most corrupt state, but not by much.... and Texas closing in on a strong third.

Most corrupt states:

North Carolina
Georgia
Texas

That's my view ....

[Henry Rogue]

Agreed, get that info out there.

Want a "hot" RPF thread?

1 - Homosexuality is _______.

2 - Rand Paul is ________.

3 - Alex Jones is ________.

4 - Abortion is _______.
Man, were you right AF. I just came from a thread with 123 post and counting in one day.

[Keith and stuff]

California, Illinois and Michigan are much more corrupt.

I've heard bad thing about those states along with NJ, NY and RI. About MI, maybe it won't be as bad because of what happened to Detroit? To the poster mentioning Southern states. Yes, there is plenty of corruption in the South via good ol' boy networks, race politics, mega churches, police, big sports, government officials and so on. Unfortunately, from what I've seen, no region of the country escapes corruption.