Posted on 11/20/2005 7:33:35 AM PST by SmithL
Prince Charles certainly got the royal treatment on his recent visit to the Bay Area -- and judging by the security bills, the trip came at a royal cost for taxpayers as well.
The San Francisco Police Department says it paid officers $105,000 in regular and overtime pay to provide escort and dignitary protection to the prince and his bride, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, during their four-day visit earlier this month.
And department insiders tell us they don't expect the feds or British government to reimburse them for their work.
Protecting the royals comes with all the headaches of a visit by a president or any other head of state. In addition to the Secret Service, State Department and princely pair's own British security, San Francisco police pitched in with dozens of officers to provide motorcycle escorts, hotel security and bomb sweeps. They also posted snipers on rooftops.
On Nov. 7 -- the day Charles and Camilla crossed the bay from Oakland to the Ferry Building on a Coast Guard cutter -- 16 officers from Southern Station were deployed to the waterfront to help with crowd control. Another four officers had to be pulled from elsewhere to handle routine service calls.
And as many as two dozen motorcycle cops were on hand to escort Charles and Camilla back to their hotel on Nob Hill, before the couple were again whisked off in a motorcade to a dinner at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Who would want to cap this guy anyways?
Should have had a homeless honor guard taking a group dump on Market Street for the Royals and Local officials.
"And department insiders tell us they don't expect the feds or British government to reimburse them for their work."
We better be. They aren't OUR royals.
"I've nothing against tourists, but didn't we fight a war so we didn't have to bow to the likes of these?"
Yes. We also fought to be free from oppressive taxation, but such are life's ironies considering how much we pay now.
I thought al Qaeda was providing his security.
"I thought al Qaeda was providing his security."
Oops, I didn't read that Camilla was with him....no need for security. Camilla would scare the maggots off of a buzzard.
On the next article, about the censure of a community college trustee, I have to say, it sounds as though it would be hard to find a better citizen than that woman. I can only imagine how much better government would be if we had a few more people like that.
I need a hint, please. I couldn't find the story you mentioned.
You just need to scroll down past the article on Prince Charles--it begins with the line "School fallout." It's one of those three-in-one articles.
They hold a lot of our debt.
I'm sure there are taxpayers from every country who moan and complain during and after all such good-will trips, but in the end, it's all probably a wash between countries.
It would be as horrible for the future King or his bride to be assassinated here as it would be for our President or Laura to be blown to bits somewhere abroad.
Anyway, it's probably worth the .00000000000000000000001 percent of a penny each of us had to pay for the visit so that the royals-haters had an opportunity to viciously and snidely pick them apart on contemporaneous threads here.
Leni
Does this leftist rag detail the amount of taxpayers funds expended to coddle, house, feed and medicate the sidewalk-urinators, the perpetually-homeless, the homos and AIDS carriers, the public-street fornicators, the sidewalk-vomiters, the agitators and rioters, the maggoty strolling pan-handlers...have I left anyone out?
When the STFU....oops, the SFC begins listing the cost of the dregs the city government lets loose on SF society-at-large, then I may listen to its bitching about the cost of the royal visit.
Leni
When our elected officials and dignitaries from the President and First Lady on down visit other countries, they receive similar security and special treatment as do similar notables when they visit here.
Notable is the key. Charles is nothing but a prince in a figure head monarchy. Besides that he's ugly, stupid, and a liberal.
I have no problem with providing security for visiting dignitaries. Every country does that.
My problem is that security often involves not saying where these dignitaries are going in advance. That means that people who live in large cities are too often confronted with blocked streets and unable to go about their business.
When one of these dignitaries is in the Twin Cities, where I live, I plan not to be anywhere near them. I hate security closures of roads.
Have as nice a day as you are capable.
Leni
Diana's little brother, probably.
Sorry .. it wasn't "taxpayers" - it was politicians USING TAXPAYER DOLLARS to try to make some points with the ULTRA-LIBERAL King to be.
This reminds me that Mr. Clinton gets a similar treatment when traveling abroad.
similar notables
Prince Charles is not in the same league as George and Laura Bush. Would you want the same thing for one of the dozens of Saudi princes as Charles is getting? Hmmmmm?
Let me change the words "similar notables" to "similar well-known personages" so you can sleep tonight.
Leni
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