Smile! You're On Candid Camera! Or Are You?

Just when you thought my fellow Philadelphians couldn't get any dumber, I see this little gem from Philadelphia Weekly:

Last fall, five security cameras were installed along the 54th Street corridor. Hooray, everyone said. Government surveillance in the name of protection! But it wasn't exactly government surveillance, as the cameras were run by the Philadelphia Commercial Development Corp. And it also wasn't exactly government surveillance because the cameras don't really work.

Well, they work, but only sometimes. But the cameras are only checked every two weeks to make sure they're working, so it's sort of a pointless exercise even if the cameras are working. Naturally, the former head of the PCDC, Curtis Jones, is running for City Council (against Carol Campbell in the 4th District). And so, surprise!, here comes a story about Jones' PCDC, less than two months before election time.

Of course, Jones didn't do himself any favors by telling an old lady she was a liar on camera and later finding out that, no, the camera wasn't working. The link comes from the YouTube user DontVoteCuritsJones, who one can only assume is against Curtis Jones as well. (H/T - The Man)

For those of you out of the Philly loop, 54th Street in West Philadelphia is very similar to 1993 Mogadishu. If you want to get in or out, you better have a Humvee with a mounted .50 cal, or a trio of Black Hawks. This is arguably the one place in America where video surveillance is necessary to prevent our skyrocketing murder rate - which is currently at 92 bodies. That's right, New York, you're our beyotch! Of course, it would be helpful if the cameras would work, but what are you gonna do?

What is despicable is that the toad behind this fiasco will run for City Council, and - I guarantee - get elected, because the voters in this town aren't smart enough to overlook people like Curtis Jones.

Oh, and for the record, this town hasn't had a Republican mayor since 1948.