Thoughts and Opinions On Today's Important Issues

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Building Our Real Truck Border Road


Be honest, I did a very effective job the other day tearing down in advance what Gridlock Sam is going to propose for the City's new dream didn't I. And it was so easy to do as well. The concept is just too expensive for Windsorites.

Take a look at what other Bloggers have said so far. They have done a good job too:
  1. Chris Schnurr on his Website also did a very nice job too from his perspective http://chrisschnurr.wordpress.com/2007/07/08/citys-border-stance-the-theatre-of-the-absurd/

  2. Windsor Municipal Shadow has contributed his comments on http://windsormunicipal.blogspot.com/2007/07/border-bumpf.html

  3. Why even Councillor Halberstadt is continuing to show how ridiculous the City's approach is and risking the wrath of Junior http://www.alanhalberstadt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&Itemid=103&id=4272

  4. DRIC was so concerned that they leaked in advance what they were going to do in an ad in the Star.

If you believe that any of this stuff that we are being fed from City Hall via the Star is what this is all about, then, congratulations, it is really true:

A SUCKER IS BORN EVERY MINUTE

Don't you find it so surprising that so much has been revealed in advance? I sure do. And it is NOT to build up support for the Mayor's position. This is totally out of character of the Mayor! It is so public already with so much discussion.

Last time around there was hardly anything about Sam until the big presentation, certainly nothing when Sam first visited with Government many months before the public presentation. We never knew that Jeff Watson was right in his press releases and that Eddie's approach had been rejected by the Senior Levels early on in the game.

Now we are getting news reports of everything including how horrible the Senior Levels are in wanting a "cheap" solution. We are getting information in advance about what Sam wants including the comparisons that he will make between NYC, Toronto, and Windsor. We continue to be "deserving" of the better things in life because we are Windsor.

Of course the big problem is that Sam's approach may be violating the City's Motion on tunnelling so that I expect that Council will have difficulty approving it in a Public session without a Motion for Reconsideration. Who on Council will have the nerve to be anti-tunnelling in this City and introduce such a Motion.

It is being made so easy to attack Sam in advance, to discredit what he says. Why, it is being served to us on a silver platter by Sam and the Mayor. And we are reacting accordingly aren't we, denouncing Sam! We are totally predictable BLOGGERS. Someone has decided to play to our egos as we blindly go down the garden path taking you, dear reader, along with us.

So let's play along with the Eminence Grise's ploy and play stupid:

  • "Oh my goodness. What can be done to solve this dilemma?"

And here is the genius of the REAL PLAN that Eddie dreamed up. Remember the key line in Marrra's Motion, the one that Eddie introduced in the last minute many months ago. Eddie is a plotter remember who moves in small steps months in advance. The line gives it all away:

  • "THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Windsor advise DRIC that they must have a tunnelled solution as the design of the highway through the corridor determined by the final DRIC process"

If there is NO DRIC road, then there is NO need for a tunnel is there? Why else would Eddie say in his State of the City speech "We are continuing to work with the DRIC on a new border crossing solution" and never once mention the word "tunnel" in his speech! Guess what he is working on and what he and Donna Cansfield discussed over lunch.

The simple "out" for the Mayor is to have DRIC adopt what he, I mean the City (since Eddie never puts HIS name on the line) wants as the final corridor. In that way, the Motion can be completely ignored and Council can save face too. Even Bill Marra has an excuse.

Oh and the Star told us that this approach is ok too when they used the C-word in their Editorial. They were telling us that we are not getting a tunnel. That is how the Star and Gord Henderson can stop looking like fools too.

  • "This proud community has a backbone too... This community is prepared to compromise on some points but it also stands ready to fight like hell and flex its electoral muscle."

So we will have months more of charges and counter-charges using Sam's Road as the basis. It is designed to stall off a DRIC road while Eddie as CEO of the new Company at the Airport gets taxpayer money from Council with the backing and justification from the Gazelle feeders to develop "shovel ready" lands at the airport.

And if we have a big transportation hub there, how will trucks get to the border. There is only one route isn't there:

E C ROW

That is what this silliness with Sam is all about.

It is all a game to get us to do what the powers-that-be want us to do in the first place. It is nothing more than a small-scale DRIC-type exercise which was designed to put the Bridge Co. out of business not to build a bridge costing billions a mile down the road. It is all an exercise to justify the use of E C Row as the road to the border and to allow Eddie to reverse what he said before about using E C Row for international trucks---just as he did with a public/private partnership on a new arena.

All this time and effort over nothing. What a shame to play citizens in such a fashion

And if you do not think that the Senior Levels are involved in this, then I have a profitable Tunnel to sell you in Windsor because that is what they wanted as the Cansult Report should remind us! It gives Dalton and Dwight the opportunity to look like real leaders before the provincial election too as they and not DRIC make the final decision. You see, no DRIC final corridor so NO tunnel needed! The Province is off the hook too before the election.

Of course, the seal of approval came when the Star reported that at Sandra's nomination metting "Ward 3 Coun. Fulvio Valentinis was also in attendance, and Mayor Eddie Francis sent in a letter of support." That was Eddie's side of the bargain that he made with Dalton's office now wasn't it!

In passing, Buzz Hargrove's attendance has also increased the rumours that Brian Masse is ready to jump the sinking NDP ship to join the Liberals. No wonder Councillor Jones is not running against Sandra as well. He would have had no CAW support. If the Federal Liberals win, will it be Senator Hargrove, the king-maker?

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together! Now you know what they are really dreaming up too.