Thoughts and Opinions On Today's Important Issues

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

More Mail


Here are some more interesting notes I have received:

1) Good morning Ed

I hope Senator Cropsey of Michigan has this report [State's already poorly maintained roads will crumble further as money dries up] in hand when MDOT and U.S. DRIC appear in front of his investigation. I skimmed quickly this morning and there is no way the Michigan can afford now or in the future to build a downriver bridge! The 34 million that MDOT has already spent could go a long way for freeway repair work!

2) The work being done on the EC Row is bridge rehab work only, they are in terrible shape. Approximately 6 million for the south half of the bridges. The work on the roadways are to allow traffic to be shifted all to the north lanes. As far as the overtime [re the arena] is concerned, just hire more workers on a daily basis and their would be no need for overtime. It's not like we have a shortage of experienced workers that would love the work.

3) Just finished watching the A Channel 6 o clock news. They mentioned someting about an almost "secret" annual meeting of the [Development] Commission tonight which very few knew was to take place. A meeting which in the past has been open to the public. More to follow on the 11 pm news tonight.

You have got to do a blog on this BS !

.... why am I not surprised!!

4) Hhmmmmm – City money to Grand Prix, city money to Super Bowl, city money to Red Bull Air Race (did Red Bull really pay the full-up rental fees for all that waterfront, to say nothing of the time, which translates to our money, spent by Parks & Rec management and staff setting up and managing this thing, police overtime guarding the roads, and on and on).

Meanwhile, the only two “business” festivals (read: for-profit), Bluesfest and Epicure, get nothing but a hard time.

Hard economic times have revealed two things: Businesses forced to try to protect their turf, and government in businesses they shouldn’t be in.

5) Greenlink no added value over Parkway. What is the tax impact of Greenlink parks and trails on W-EC taxpayers? Adding cost w/o value makes the region less attractive to new investors while imposing a higher burden on existing companies struggling to compete in the global economy.

For a guy who pontificates about the importance of economic development, eddie's words and actions do more harm than good. He is a big liability to the region.

6) I'd just like to quickly point out how much I originally disliked Stockwell Day, and now reading in your blog at how he thinks that Nexus cards will solve all border crossing delays and problems, I have moved from dislike to pure derision.

I have a Nexus pass for commuting daily to and from work in Michigan. Most of the time, I cannot figure out why I even bothered with it. The processing time is never consistently quick, and most times is about as cumbersome as crossing through normal customs. The lines for Nexus are always long, so any gains you make in processing times are lost in waiting to be processed! Also, recently the card-readers on the American side were broken (and have since been fixed), so when you got up to the booth, they asked for your passport anyway and scanned that through their readers. Great big WTF.

Anyway, Stockwell Day doesn't know what he's talking about.

7) It looks like the conspiracy boys have it right again. That brand new military base [Fort Drum] has only been there in one form or another for about 199 years and a training base for 100 years. It is an army base. They train combat troops. Not Wal-Mart door greeters or Boy Scouts.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/fort-drum.htm

These are probably some of the same people who don't like the idea that our own JTF2 Special Forces are among the best in the world and that one of them has the world record sniper kill in action in Afghanistan.

8) I wonder how long that burned out house will sit in that condition? Considering how many houses in the poorer neighbourhoods that have caught fire in the past and still remain boarded up I would say a very long time.

I have to wonder though, would those houses have been torn down if they were in Eddie's neighbourhood?

Even though I have little love for former Mayor Hurst at least he had these houses demolished within a short time frame after they caught fire. Compare that to Eddie's term which has seen boarded up vacant houses sit for over 1.5 years! Eddie not only wants to be like Detroit (Grand Prix, Wrestlemania, "Two Nation" Destination...) he wants us to look like it too!