Stories, Stories Everywhere

Lots of them all around. In fact so many, that one does not have to look very hard to find a new one.

NO CENSURING POLITICIANS IN WINDSOR

Did one Councillor have the nerve to introduce such a Motion at Council to show his/her disgust at the actions of Councillor Bigshot? Hardly. Here is what they did in Wayne County:

“Wayne County commissioners censure Ficano
(Steve Pardo and Joel Kurth Detroit News May 25, 2012)

Detroit — Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano was publicly censured by commissioners Thursday and privately chastised by top county officials frustrated with his leadership and constant controversies.

In a symbolic, but unprecedented, move, commissioners voted 13-2 to repudiate Ficano. They also moved forward with plans to ask voters in November to change the county charter to give them power to remove officials accused of wrongdoing.”

Even if it is merely symbolic, our Councillors demonstrated again how weak they all are.

AMALGAMATION

Don’t you find it silly that we have so many municipal governments in this area for so relatively few people. There really is no reason for this. One of my readers sent me this note:

“It irks me, Ed, that they keep saying that they are holding the line on Windsor property taxes, the highest in the land.

There is a huge elephant in the council chambers of Windsor that has been there for well over 60 years.

It is the outlying municipalities of Tecumseh, LaSalle and Lakeshore.

These towns and townships have harboured the tax shelters of thousands of people who work in Windsor and live in their suburban bliss, sapping the money and services of the City for all they’re worth and laughing all the way to the bank.

Even many of those who work at Windsor City Hall and the Police and Fire Departments.

No one wants to deal with it, and it will eventually ruin this region.”

One good thing to come from Amalgamation. Gary McNamara would be the Mayor of the area.

ANOTHER NAIL IN THE DRIC COFFIN

And in that of the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel too:

“The Detroit Grand Prix is returning to Belle Isle next month, and so is ferry service to the city’s island park.

An enclosed passenger boat capable of carrying 75 to 100 passengers at a time will leave from the new Port of Detroit public terminal every hour during race days, according to Wayne County Port Authority Director John Jamian…

Port officials are working on long-term plans to develop an international ferry route between Detroit and Windsor, and Jamian said the service planned for the race weekend is a first step in that direction.” (Jonathan Oosting mLive.com May 22, 2012)

DETROIT GRAND PRIX

I see that the City of Windsor is a 2012 Race Partner. I wonder how much that Sponsorship cost and who paid for it. Back in 2007, it cost the City of Windsor US $80,000.

I am not sure what we’re getting for whatever amount of money we put in. I assume that there are some tickets made available but I don’t know who gets those.

Maybe we will provide some hotel rooms for visitors except when I look on that Grand Prix Website, I see this:

“For information – including hotels, attractions and restaurants – about visiting Detroit during Grand Prix weekend or throughout the year, please visit www.visitdetroit.com”

HOSTING DRIC

I actually thought this was so funny that it is sad. No, pathetic.

Here is what the big booster of DRIC wants for her constituents:

“As it happens, Tlaib has reservations about the NITC. While Gov. Rick Snyder and most significant business organizations think it’s a grand idea, she’s concerned that Delray residents aren’t getting anything in return for hosting a massive span and the diesel fumes that come with it.” (Neal Rubin Detroit News May 22, 2012)

If it is as bad as she says it is, then why would the Representative want a bridge like that in her constituents’ back yards? I would have thought that she would be opposing its location as strongly possible.

Her logic makes about as much sense as this. Obviously, she must believe in the People. Yet she does not since she opposes the Bridge Company Referendum:

“They’re trying to taint any kind of democratic process we have in Michigan,” Tlaib says.”

I wonder then if she favours the Governerd endrunning the Legislature or the People themselves. If she does, then I am not in favour of her kind of democratic process.

WHERE’S THE MONEY FOR A NEW BRIDGE

I still do not believe that any traditional media outlet in the region has reported that there is no US Federal Government money for northern border crossings. I do not believe that anybody has reported on what has happened at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo as an example.

If anyone thinks that there is going to be federal money for a new project, think again:

“there’s little prospect for more infrastructure investment as a divided Congress battles about how to cut the $1.3 trillion federal deficit, and state and local governments face their own budget shortfalls. Government investment in highways, bridges, water systems, schools and other projects has fallen each year since 2008. IHS Global Insight expects such outlays to drop 4.4% this year and 3% in 2013.

The U.S. Is spending about half of the $2.2 trillion that it should over a five-year period to repair and expand overburdened infrastructure, says Andrew Herrmann, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers.” (Paul Davidson, USA TODAY May 20, 2012)

So far, no one has come up with the money to replace the US federal money for the DRIC project. That sum is over a quarter of a billion dollars. Even Canada has not said that it would pay for that.

Interestingly, I have not heard anyone say that the Bridge Company cannot pay for their project.

Accordingly, if a new bridge is so important to the region, then why isn’t the second Ambassador Bridge being built today!

BLACKSHIRTS

I saw this apology from mini-Gord:

“A correction to my last column. The mayor’s father, Farid Francis, 68, is still  very much alive, contrary to my erroneous, Mark Twainian assumption. My  apologies.”

When  is  he going to  apologize  over  his “Blackshirts” comment.

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