Even More Reader Letters
Here is the latest batch right from Cyberspace. What is fascinating to me is the anger and frustration showing. I am sure that it has been around for some time but it is becoming more and more public.
If I were the Mayor and Councilllors, I would start worrying! And the media too.
1) Good blog on the University
2) Do you remember the Seinfeld episode that had Jerry Stiller (and ultimately Kramer, George, etc.) uttering the phrase “Serenity Now!”? It occurs to me, the cure for negativity (even if it is accurate) is “Serenity Now! for Windsor” – Maybe Eddie can put together a campaign, embed the phrase with all good, loyal media types, and get retailers to sell t-shirts proclaiming “Serenity Now! for Windsor”.
3) Keep up the great 5th estate work.
4) I subscribe to a magazine for railroad enthusiasts called, no surprise, Trains. They have a website with weekly news updates available to subscribers.
A short article in this week's update caught my attention. Of particular interest is the line that reads, "Fifteen gateways, including Chicago, Minneapolis, Calgary, Superior, Wis., and several southern Ontario locations, will see lesser volumes of interchange." The article doesn't mention which southern Ontario cities are going to see less interchange, but sense it says "several".
I'm guessing that means all that have interchange points - Windsor, Sarnia and Fort Erie - are included. (My understanding is that the railway deck on the Whirlpool Rapids bridge in Niagara Falls is passenger only.) I thought the grand plans for Schwartz (trans-shipping freight on vacant airport lands) and DRTP (bigger, better railway tunnel) included more trains and less trucks? But apparently that's not in the cards either.
Aren't these people, and our politicians, talking to the railroad companies? Why, I would have expected to read an article saying, "Rail interchange in Windsor to increase with new and improved gateway infrastructure." Anyhow, thought you might find this interesting. Maybe the railroads' websites have some press releases or more detailed information.
5) [Part of a Letter to the Editor of the Star] It is interesting that the editors of the Windsor Star would choose to paint the U of W as a villain because they decided that downtown was not the best place to locate their new engineering school.
Just because the Star says the university is wrongheaded in its decision not to build downtown does not make it true. And, just because the U of W is funded by taxpayers does not mean we can bully them to do our bidding. The needs of students must be the primary factor when colleges and universities make decisions on how to spend their budgets. Apparently the University of Windsor decided that it was in the best interests of its students not to build downtown.
6) The Ratepayer’s Lament
Bought in a sub-division at 150K,
forever and ever shall I rue the day
With real estate markets on fire,
when it reaches a million, will be time to retire.
But Council after Council and Mayor after Mayor,
the life in Windsor moved from hope to despair.
When Mr. Lewenza became the Master of WUC,
a signal from God, I am out of Luck!
The Holy Water is priced out of sight,
like a famine in Revelations, where day becomes night!
When our baby Jenny turned 16, we could not afford any birthday candles
‘Cause our taxes are still paying for the Candarel.
No money to party in a restaurant,
our riches in Windsor have turned to want.
As I muttered aloud this is a crock,
I collapsed on my bed and remember the Keg
So we went to look, and parked on the neighbours dime
But the prices on the menu required the Proceeds of Crime!!
My job in auto is a job no more, and the banker did a repo on my unpaid wheels
Now my bicycle is the way I will ride,
start with the trails in Riverside
A wonderful life I try to think,
the future will bring me the Mayor’s Greenlink
But at each overpass it is near my last gasp,
the jet fans blast me with second hand gas.
Twill soon be the night before Christmas and all through the house
The hunger and freezing will scare off the mouse
If we can fast till past New Years Day we'll save enough
For next year’s taxes to make a down pay!
7) True Story.
I have been trying to get one of my machines repaired due to a computor cable glitch. It has taken six months and then some. The company is in the TO area.
I found out why they don't want to come down here.
My message left on their phone to get action, literally was "I am in talks with legal assistance since you are the contracted to repair my machinery by ***** and I will put their name on the petition since I have lost considerable amounts of time and work. If I am not satisfied this week I will start the process, rather quickly."
They did call back and schedule an appointment for today, however the very cold response was... "I have over 500 customers and we don't give a s**t about Windsor".
This is typical of attitudes outside of our area. I am encountering more and more of this attitude.
Good thing I'm moving
8) CIBC Metro Monitor is obviously influenced by your scandalous blogs and the other “yellow journalists” that have obscured the truth that everything’s coming up roses in Windsor…
That is scary in reality. And sad that elected leaders fail to acknowledge & address some of the problems to the extent they can locally. Instead ... attack anyone who questions the economic strategy. Heck, its only a matter of time until even the gazelles migrate – or starve…
9) Maybe the Gazelle feeders would have had some money had they not let people go, and because of such, had severences to pay.
10) I couldn't help notice on the DRIC website the amount of homes and businesses that will need to be purchased for the completion of the 401. It also states that these will be purchased at present market values, when the time comes. Do you think that keeping this area economically depressed has anything to do with the millions of dollars that will be saved when these purchases take place. These homes and businesses will certainly be worth thousands of dollars less than if we had a vibrant economy. The more bad news for Windsor the cheaper it gets for the province or city. Just a thought.
11) I'm going to assume that....if you can't afford $400k for crossing guards, you can't affort $75 million for a tunnel? Or am I wrong on that?
12) Can you believe this council taking a motherhood issue like school crossing guards and throwing it out to the masses like blood before sharks.
How stupid do they think we are? Apparently really stupid!
Wait for the uproar from parents and teachers who will tell us how many of our children have to die for the sake of tax cuts.
Why not deal with the real issues like garbage collection, meter maids, parks maintenance and privatizing marinas and golf courses.
Give me a break - this City continually shows its colours - yellow.
13) What a way to get people to accept tax increases.
They should be ashamed just for even trying it.
Cut the f****** lawyer's fees, there's literally millions there.
Sorry for my language, that is not like me but there are times.
14) If a child is hurt due to lack of crossing guards (like that will happen), culpability will rest personally
on all of the councillors and the "budget" challenged Mayor.
I wouldn't hesitate to sue.
It's amazing how short memories can be when selective.
15) The bridge is almost ready to start building.
The Michigan Gov seems today to back the twin bridge.
The Canadian Government is still planning a proposal.
The Mayor of Windsor's shorts must be in a knot.
16) Mr. Arditti
All I can say is THANK YOU. I was just pointed in the area of your blog today, and I have to say that I think you have almost single handedly restored my faith in humanity. The behaviour of the mayor and council have long been making me ill, and from all the press info I have seen on it, I might as well have been the only one... Local news is unbelievably biased - I won't even purchase the Windsor Star these days, let alone subscribe to the rag... And it seems like anyone brave enough to speak against City Hall is quickly silenced by unknown sources - or is attacked due to their brazen audacity to dare question.
Thank you, Mr. Arditti - I will certainly be reading your blog now that I have found it!
Hope you and your family have wonderful holidays!!!!!
17) Well, I just watched the 6 o clock news and can't believe it!!!
The City dropped their membership at the Chamber of Commerce... how dumb is that!!! Yep, just another example from Mr. Charm that if you don't go along with his ideas you get slapped.
The trouble is... the Chamber is the "heartbeat of business" in Windsor and Essex County.
He also keeps "harping" about Greenlink yet, the way I see it, the deal is "done" regarding the bridge. It will be a twinned Ambassador Bridge, no if's and's or but's about it!
Is there anyway we can legally recall (as in impeach) this Mayor for the betterment of the community?
18) $75m for the tunnel
$80m for arena
$10m for Greenlink/Schwartz/DRTP (so far)
$1m for NFL/Wrestlemania/Detroit GrandPrix sponsorships
$166m and counting. Hmmm. I hope Tory hasn't got Eddie penciled in for Minister of Finance.
19) Haven't talked to you since I moved. What a different world. Even without the manufacturing meltdown, there actually is a future for the GTA. Windsor - No Hope and this comment comes from a optimistic person. I read the bloggers daily write-ups and keep up with the Windsor Star's misinformation or information management program and have concluded that until unemployment is 15% in Windsor and the last few people have turned the lights off, there is no future.
What I got a kick out of today is Eddie's ranting against the county for not wanting to spend another $400,000 for the Tourism Commission. Duh - Would anyone in there right mind want to tie into Eddie and his clowns now even, if there were any virtues in the new plan. It is clear that Gary McNamara and the others are fed up with Eddie. They gave him the benefit of the doubt initially, but see him as a significant detriment to the long-term viability of their communities, let alone Windsor. If Eddie had been smart, instead of just a whining kid, he would have got the county to buy into a new cost sharing concept and phased in the increase over a number of years. Instead, he assumes everyones' stupid and he can pull the wool over their eyes. Eddie needs to stop thinking he knows everything as the results of his "high level of intelligence" has cost Windsorites in so many ways. Unless he truly pulls a rabbit out of the hat, Eddie will go down in history as the worst mayor that Windsor has ever had.
I hated to leave Windsor, but thank God I did.
20) You missed the boat on odd stories… from the Windsor Star… Just when you thought we had tough, unrewarding jobs, how about the zoo keeper tasked with collecting samples from frustrated elephants… new meaning to “just in time” deliveries and the new cause of delays at the border: Elephant seed smuggling
21) It was a pleasure to meet you yesterday, and I enjoyed your perspective on the interaction between the media and the various authorities, and particularly how that translated into coverage.
The media aren't used to having the lens turned on themselves. Blogs are changing the game.
22) [Re Star story Maryvale overhaul in limbo; Bylaw blocks urgently needed construction;] And when a deferred item at Monday night's council meeting makes front page news on Thursday, the Windsor Star becomes irrelevant.
23) Good morning Ed.
I've been busy. Moving out of this area.
I will have to sit down and write about it.
One item I did notice is that Mr. Mayor tried to point out that this slowdown was cyclical.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
There have been slow downs but not to this degree.
I think it is just another method of pointing the finger of blame somewhere else.
Why else would he have a meeting with realtors?
Since when do realtors influence investment? If it was that easy wouldn't the government have hired them years ago instead of throwing money at them?
I cannot begin to tell you of the scuttlebutt about the Windsor area. When I cannot get a machine repairman in because of Windsor, it makes my blood boil.
24)...there are areas of the province who would resent the Windsor's (and Toronto's) of the world getting a disproportionate amount of funding just because they were negligent in keeping their own infrastructure in shape. Past practice in Windsor has been to neglect things hoping the provincial sugar daddy will ride into town and rescue council and mayor.
If I were the Mayor and Councilllors, I would start worrying! And the media too.
1) Good blog on the University
2) Do you remember the Seinfeld episode that had Jerry Stiller (and ultimately Kramer, George, etc.) uttering the phrase “Serenity Now!”? It occurs to me, the cure for negativity (even if it is accurate) is “Serenity Now! for Windsor” – Maybe Eddie can put together a campaign, embed the phrase with all good, loyal media types, and get retailers to sell t-shirts proclaiming “Serenity Now! for Windsor”.
3) Keep up the great 5th estate work.
4) I subscribe to a magazine for railroad enthusiasts called, no surprise, Trains. They have a website with weekly news updates available to subscribers.
A short article in this week's update caught my attention. Of particular interest is the line that reads, "Fifteen gateways, including Chicago, Minneapolis, Calgary, Superior, Wis., and several southern Ontario locations, will see lesser volumes of interchange." The article doesn't mention which southern Ontario cities are going to see less interchange, but sense it says "several".
I'm guessing that means all that have interchange points - Windsor, Sarnia and Fort Erie - are included. (My understanding is that the railway deck on the Whirlpool Rapids bridge in Niagara Falls is passenger only.) I thought the grand plans for Schwartz (trans-shipping freight on vacant airport lands) and DRTP (bigger, better railway tunnel) included more trains and less trucks? But apparently that's not in the cards either.
Aren't these people, and our politicians, talking to the railroad companies? Why, I would have expected to read an article saying, "Rail interchange in Windsor to increase with new and improved gateway infrastructure." Anyhow, thought you might find this interesting. Maybe the railroads' websites have some press releases or more detailed information.
5) [Part of a Letter to the Editor of the Star] It is interesting that the editors of the Windsor Star would choose to paint the U of W as a villain because they decided that downtown was not the best place to locate their new engineering school.
Just because the Star says the university is wrongheaded in its decision not to build downtown does not make it true. And, just because the U of W is funded by taxpayers does not mean we can bully them to do our bidding. The needs of students must be the primary factor when colleges and universities make decisions on how to spend their budgets. Apparently the University of Windsor decided that it was in the best interests of its students not to build downtown.
6) The Ratepayer’s Lament
Bought in a sub-division at 150K,
forever and ever shall I rue the day
With real estate markets on fire,
when it reaches a million, will be time to retire.
But Council after Council and Mayor after Mayor,
the life in Windsor moved from hope to despair.
When Mr. Lewenza became the Master of WUC,
a signal from God, I am out of Luck!
The Holy Water is priced out of sight,
like a famine in Revelations, where day becomes night!
When our baby Jenny turned 16, we could not afford any birthday candles
‘Cause our taxes are still paying for the Candarel.
No money to party in a restaurant,
our riches in Windsor have turned to want.
As I muttered aloud this is a crock,
I collapsed on my bed and remember the Keg
So we went to look, and parked on the neighbours dime
But the prices on the menu required the Proceeds of Crime!!
My job in auto is a job no more, and the banker did a repo on my unpaid wheels
Now my bicycle is the way I will ride,
start with the trails in Riverside
A wonderful life I try to think,
the future will bring me the Mayor’s Greenlink
But at each overpass it is near my last gasp,
the jet fans blast me with second hand gas.
Twill soon be the night before Christmas and all through the house
The hunger and freezing will scare off the mouse
If we can fast till past New Years Day we'll save enough
For next year’s taxes to make a down pay!
7) True Story.
I have been trying to get one of my machines repaired due to a computor cable glitch. It has taken six months and then some. The company is in the TO area.
I found out why they don't want to come down here.
My message left on their phone to get action, literally was "I am in talks with legal assistance since you are the contracted to repair my machinery by ***** and I will put their name on the petition since I have lost considerable amounts of time and work. If I am not satisfied this week I will start the process, rather quickly."
They did call back and schedule an appointment for today, however the very cold response was... "I have over 500 customers and we don't give a s**t about Windsor".
This is typical of attitudes outside of our area. I am encountering more and more of this attitude.
Good thing I'm moving
8) CIBC Metro Monitor is obviously influenced by your scandalous blogs and the other “yellow journalists” that have obscured the truth that everything’s coming up roses in Windsor…
That is scary in reality. And sad that elected leaders fail to acknowledge & address some of the problems to the extent they can locally. Instead ... attack anyone who questions the economic strategy. Heck, its only a matter of time until even the gazelles migrate – or starve…
9) Maybe the Gazelle feeders would have had some money had they not let people go, and because of such, had severences to pay.
10) I couldn't help notice on the DRIC website the amount of homes and businesses that will need to be purchased for the completion of the 401. It also states that these will be purchased at present market values, when the time comes. Do you think that keeping this area economically depressed has anything to do with the millions of dollars that will be saved when these purchases take place. These homes and businesses will certainly be worth thousands of dollars less than if we had a vibrant economy. The more bad news for Windsor the cheaper it gets for the province or city. Just a thought.
11) I'm going to assume that....if you can't afford $400k for crossing guards, you can't affort $75 million for a tunnel? Or am I wrong on that?
12) Can you believe this council taking a motherhood issue like school crossing guards and throwing it out to the masses like blood before sharks.
How stupid do they think we are? Apparently really stupid!
Wait for the uproar from parents and teachers who will tell us how many of our children have to die for the sake of tax cuts.
Why not deal with the real issues like garbage collection, meter maids, parks maintenance and privatizing marinas and golf courses.
Give me a break - this City continually shows its colours - yellow.
13) What a way to get people to accept tax increases.
They should be ashamed just for even trying it.
Cut the f****** lawyer's fees, there's literally millions there.
Sorry for my language, that is not like me but there are times.
14) If a child is hurt due to lack of crossing guards (like that will happen), culpability will rest personally
on all of the councillors and the "budget" challenged Mayor.
I wouldn't hesitate to sue.
It's amazing how short memories can be when selective.
15) The bridge is almost ready to start building.
The Michigan Gov seems today to back the twin bridge.
The Canadian Government is still planning a proposal.
The Mayor of Windsor's shorts must be in a knot.
16) Mr. Arditti
All I can say is THANK YOU. I was just pointed in the area of your blog today, and I have to say that I think you have almost single handedly restored my faith in humanity. The behaviour of the mayor and council have long been making me ill, and from all the press info I have seen on it, I might as well have been the only one... Local news is unbelievably biased - I won't even purchase the Windsor Star these days, let alone subscribe to the rag... And it seems like anyone brave enough to speak against City Hall is quickly silenced by unknown sources - or is attacked due to their brazen audacity to dare question.
Thank you, Mr. Arditti - I will certainly be reading your blog now that I have found it!
Hope you and your family have wonderful holidays!!!!!
17) Well, I just watched the 6 o clock news and can't believe it!!!
The City dropped their membership at the Chamber of Commerce... how dumb is that!!! Yep, just another example from Mr. Charm that if you don't go along with his ideas you get slapped.
The trouble is... the Chamber is the "heartbeat of business" in Windsor and Essex County.
He also keeps "harping" about Greenlink yet, the way I see it, the deal is "done" regarding the bridge. It will be a twinned Ambassador Bridge, no if's and's or but's about it!
Is there anyway we can legally recall (as in impeach) this Mayor for the betterment of the community?
18) $75m for the tunnel
$80m for arena
$10m for Greenlink/Schwartz/DRTP (so far)
$1m for NFL/Wrestlemania/Detroit GrandPrix sponsorships
$166m and counting. Hmmm. I hope Tory hasn't got Eddie penciled in for Minister of Finance.
19) Haven't talked to you since I moved. What a different world. Even without the manufacturing meltdown, there actually is a future for the GTA. Windsor - No Hope and this comment comes from a optimistic person. I read the bloggers daily write-ups and keep up with the Windsor Star's misinformation or information management program and have concluded that until unemployment is 15% in Windsor and the last few people have turned the lights off, there is no future.
What I got a kick out of today is Eddie's ranting against the county for not wanting to spend another $400,000 for the Tourism Commission. Duh - Would anyone in there right mind want to tie into Eddie and his clowns now even, if there were any virtues in the new plan. It is clear that Gary McNamara and the others are fed up with Eddie. They gave him the benefit of the doubt initially, but see him as a significant detriment to the long-term viability of their communities, let alone Windsor. If Eddie had been smart, instead of just a whining kid, he would have got the county to buy into a new cost sharing concept and phased in the increase over a number of years. Instead, he assumes everyones' stupid and he can pull the wool over their eyes. Eddie needs to stop thinking he knows everything as the results of his "high level of intelligence" has cost Windsorites in so many ways. Unless he truly pulls a rabbit out of the hat, Eddie will go down in history as the worst mayor that Windsor has ever had.
I hated to leave Windsor, but thank God I did.
20) You missed the boat on odd stories… from the Windsor Star… Just when you thought we had tough, unrewarding jobs, how about the zoo keeper tasked with collecting samples from frustrated elephants… new meaning to “just in time” deliveries and the new cause of delays at the border: Elephant seed smuggling
21) It was a pleasure to meet you yesterday, and I enjoyed your perspective on the interaction between the media and the various authorities, and particularly how that translated into coverage.
The media aren't used to having the lens turned on themselves. Blogs are changing the game.
22) [Re Star story Maryvale overhaul in limbo; Bylaw blocks urgently needed construction;] And when a deferred item at Monday night's council meeting makes front page news on Thursday, the Windsor Star becomes irrelevant.
23) Good morning Ed.
I've been busy. Moving out of this area.
I will have to sit down and write about it.
One item I did notice is that Mr. Mayor tried to point out that this slowdown was cyclical.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
There have been slow downs but not to this degree.
I think it is just another method of pointing the finger of blame somewhere else.
Why else would he have a meeting with realtors?
Since when do realtors influence investment? If it was that easy wouldn't the government have hired them years ago instead of throwing money at them?
I cannot begin to tell you of the scuttlebutt about the Windsor area. When I cannot get a machine repairman in because of Windsor, it makes my blood boil.
24)...there are areas of the province who would resent the Windsor's (and Toronto's) of the world getting a disproportionate amount of funding just because they were negligent in keeping their own infrastructure in shape. Past practice in Windsor has been to neglect things hoping the provincial sugar daddy will ride into town and rescue council and mayor.
posted by JoeBlog at 6:10 a.m.
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