Tim Nickens presentation

It's amazing what I've been able to learn in such short period of time. The amount of knowledge that can be obtained by any individual about someone through public records is mind boggling. Many things Tim Nickens went over will be very helpful in future classes and assignments. Him being with the St. Petersburg Times gives him a great deal of integrity.
When I found out that you could search the value of properties on zylo.com, I immediately started searching for anywhere I 've ever lived. I soon found out many apartment complexes I've lived in are making a ton of money off it's residents.
The best part of Tim's presentation was the explanation of politifact.com. I favored this part because it calls politicians out for making outlandish statements while on the campaign trail. The candidate now has to say what they feel, rather than promising what he or she actually plans on doing. It creates a sense of accountability to politicians who have to stand behind what they promise while on their platform.
The story about Ray Sampson was interesting. I hadn't heard about it until Tim told us. It was a prime example of using public records to expose someone abusing their power. The fact that Mr. Sampson got a building built with people's tax dollars for his own personal airport hanger make me disappointed in the system we live in. Nobody should be aloud to manipulate tax dollars for personal use. This happening during the Recession, when there's not a lot of expendable many out there. Many people are struggling just to pay their mortgages.
Speaking of sneaky politicians. It was funny knowing how both politicians and reporters play a cat and mouse game with public meetings and records. Like texting or emailing each other things instead of meeting in person. I didn't know council members had to inform the public about any meetings of two or more in person.
This presentation is definitely beneficial to the students. If the opportunity arises to have him come back next semester, I would jump at the chance of having him speak to the class. With such an awkward and uncomfortable feeling right now, never using or being familiar with public records, it's nice to have someone teach so much about it. The eleven question hand-out was helpful as well. It gave me a sense of where I'm at knowing what you can and can't do when obtaining public records.