I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry.
There have just been so many BLOGs to write about the goings on here that I have not had a chance to post letters from my readers.
Here's the first batch today of the backlog. More to come very soon.
It is a letter like the first one that I am quoting below that makes writing this BLOG worthwhile.
It is a good feeling to be blunt about it to be told that what you're doing has some value rather than seeing a ridiculous headline in the Star saying "There's no room in this city for small minds."
It is a good feeling to be blunt about it to be told that what you're doing has some value rather than seeing a ridiculous headline in the Star saying "There's no room in this city for small minds."
1) Good afternoon,
I wanted to drop you a line to let you know I IMMENSELY enjoy your daily blog about the municipal political scene in Windsor.
After having spent a good part of my college education in the field of journalism (and leaving the field completely after seeing what price would have be paid to make a living in it), I would say that your work epitomizes to me what journalism was originally intended to be (and rarely is)-- the systematic exposition of the incredible corruption and incompetence involved in the governing of men's minds and posessions.
I feel your unique ability to cut through the endless seas of B.S. emanating from the mouths of ... councillors, and your ability to actually READ contracts and minutes of meetings and take away meaningful information from them, is what sets you apart from most hacks who write about ANY type of politics in this country, let alone municipal politics.
I only wish you would open the comments section of your blog for discussion in the hopes that I might see some like-minded Windsorites express similar feelings as my own-- so I would not have to feel as utterly hopeless as I so often do after reading your daily musings.
In admiration
[NOTE: I post most notes received from readers but not all of them. I stopped allowing unmoderated comments when it appeared to me early on in the writing of this BLOG that certain people were trying to destroy it by trying to post materials that I considered to be libelous]
2) [RE: Has the Province said no] Wise deduction... they are certainly wasting no time generating the exit strategy
3) If the province turned the city down (and I believe that they were supposed to have made a decision by now) then that should be may public and the reasons why they were denied be made known.
4) While Windsor dithers! Is Francis a Mr. Dithers or a Dagwood Bunstead? Inquiring and intelligent minds want to know!
5) Ed, you are right, we poor mortals have no idea what is really going on!
6) Good morning Ed.
With Detroit council under the microscope you would think that they had better have everything on the table for everyone to see. This could be interesting politics.
The fly that could stop everything cold is Homeland Security. They have final say over EVERYTHING.The whole deal could go through and they could take over if they felt unsecure with thedeal.
Let's face it, when it comes to border crossings into the states, I can't see them
letting another country take over a major access route, can you?
7) Don't ya just love guerilla marketing! The Windsor Star advertises the fact
that in their Saturday print issue there is a Canada Day flag for everyone
to tape to their windows....Open it up and there is a two page spread from
the Ambassador Bridge Company on and about the Windsor Essex Ambassador
Bridge Gateway! Those sly, smart people of ABC did more than Eddie and
wrapped themselves in the Canadian Flag! Brilliant! And if you tape it up in
your window, ya got the Ambassador Bridge spread staring ya in the face to
read for several days!!
8) "Councillors bitter over mayor's blog"
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=a31ade6b-7e15-4a02-8556-d4f116740822&k=81407
Don't wish that there was any kind of discontent between councillors and our mayor in this city.
9) just imagine knowing every city and county's employees salaries, combined with Ottawa's new approach to budget information.
From Houston, Houston public employee salaries in 2007. Look up salaries of civil servants in Houston and Harris County to see if your tax dollars are being spent wisely. Find the total pay, base, overtime, bonus and car allowance for more than 80,000 public employees http://www.chron.com/databases/publicemployeepay.html
I wanted to drop you a line to let you know I IMMENSELY enjoy your daily blog about the municipal political scene in Windsor.
After having spent a good part of my college education in the field of journalism (and leaving the field completely after seeing what price would have be paid to make a living in it), I would say that your work epitomizes to me what journalism was originally intended to be (and rarely is)-- the systematic exposition of the incredible corruption and incompetence involved in the governing of men's minds and posessions.
I feel your unique ability to cut through the endless seas of B.S. emanating from the mouths of ... councillors, and your ability to actually READ contracts and minutes of meetings and take away meaningful information from them, is what sets you apart from most hacks who write about ANY type of politics in this country, let alone municipal politics.
I only wish you would open the comments section of your blog for discussion in the hopes that I might see some like-minded Windsorites express similar feelings as my own-- so I would not have to feel as utterly hopeless as I so often do after reading your daily musings.
In admiration
[NOTE: I post most notes received from readers but not all of them. I stopped allowing unmoderated comments when it appeared to me early on in the writing of this BLOG that certain people were trying to destroy it by trying to post materials that I considered to be libelous]
2) [RE: Has the Province said no] Wise deduction... they are certainly wasting no time generating the exit strategy
3) If the province turned the city down (and I believe that they were supposed to have made a decision by now) then that should be may public and the reasons why they were denied be made known.
4) While Windsor dithers! Is Francis a Mr. Dithers or a Dagwood Bunstead? Inquiring and intelligent minds want to know!
5) Ed, you are right, we poor mortals have no idea what is really going on!
6) Good morning Ed.
With Detroit council under the microscope you would think that they had better have everything on the table for everyone to see. This could be interesting politics.
The fly that could stop everything cold is Homeland Security. They have final say over EVERYTHING.The whole deal could go through and they could take over if they felt unsecure with thedeal.
Let's face it, when it comes to border crossings into the states, I can't see them
letting another country take over a major access route, can you?
7) Don't ya just love guerilla marketing! The Windsor Star advertises the fact
that in their Saturday print issue there is a Canada Day flag for everyone
to tape to their windows....Open it up and there is a two page spread from
the Ambassador Bridge Company on and about the Windsor Essex Ambassador
Bridge Gateway! Those sly, smart people of ABC did more than Eddie and
wrapped themselves in the Canadian Flag! Brilliant! And if you tape it up in
your window, ya got the Ambassador Bridge spread staring ya in the face to
read for several days!!
8) "Councillors bitter over mayor's blog"
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=a31ade6b-7e15-4a02-8556-d4f116740822&k=81407
Don't wish that there was any kind of discontent between councillors and our mayor in this city.
9) just imagine knowing every city and county's employees salaries, combined with Ottawa's new approach to budget information.
From Houston, Houston public employee salaries in 2007. Look up salaries of civil servants in Houston and Harris County to see if your tax dollars are being spent wisely. Find the total pay, base, overtime, bonus and car allowance for more than 80,000 public employees http://www.chron.com/databases/publicemployeepay.html
10) This isn't the first time that Alan Halberstadt was, is, being cryptic...I think Alan is trying to tell us that the Windsor Star has it all wrong again and the tunnel deal is still on the table and a go, as far as Eddie is concerned!
11) I'm just so sick of what is going on in Windsor. And I don't even live there.
So much depends on how people view Windsor when it pertains to my business.
12) something is very weird. The other day it was reported that the deal was off the table - yet in the Star, it was said that the Mayor had to cancel his meeting with the leader of the provincial Conservatives as he was too busy working on the tunnel deal. Doesn't make sense - the deal is off yet he is still too busy (to even have a 30 minute meeting). Probally more like he did not want to be seen with a provicial opposition leader in case he p****s off McGuinty further and really stops the loan application
13) Tory is interesting. The auto industry wouldn't have lost 17 plants in a row for new investment if Ontario had had a program like the southern States when Mike Harris, was the premier.
14) It is nice to see that Eddie is still willing to give away $75 million so that he can control the tunnel as well. Since Eddie is in such a controlling mood I will gladly sell him my house for $500,000 so he can control that as well!
15) It is almost unfathomable that a survey like the link below would be carried
out in Windsor
Eye on Ottawa issues its first annual online survey results on Ottawa City
Council performance
Ottawa July 2, 2008 - With over 700 Ottawa residents rating Ottawa City
Council, most council members, including the Mayor don't measure up.
The Mayor received a 68.7% disapproval rating while council as a whole fared
worse with an 80.7% disapproval rating.
The Eye on Ottawa online survey ran from May 2nd, 2008 to May 30th, 2008.
The respondents answered some 47 questions on city council members'
performance.
http://eyeonottawa.ca/
16) "Follow the leader"
The image of the warrior leader lingers in modern times, but we must go beyond the 'big man' approach.
17) [Re Patterson/Eddie news conference] Does this mean Eddie will not be suing over Greenlink? Afterall, that "could cause more delays and hurt trade and commerce between the two countries."
18) "Towns to sell ELK shares for $12M"
http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=5ca44ed5-a4e3-484c-8378-c176da69e228&k=31138
Hi Ed
I know you've probably read this story and it doesn't really fit with your blog but what I find very disturbing in the article is the fact that the Windsor Star "The Star has filed a Freedom of Information request to see the four proposals and the consultant's report on them.."
Why isn't the Star going after the 400 building audit, WUC audit, Greenlink, the tunnel deal in the same manner?
It is really hypocritical of them and blatant favouritism and not to see their total one-sided reporting.
19) {Re Valentinis flip-flop re regional governance] how can you second a motion, speak in favour of it and then vote against it. He still got good press in the Star as if he was a supporter. Someone needs to call him on that.....it was just wrong.
20) Bluesfest and Epicure do get a hard time. From everyone from the Convention Bureau (tourist bureau) to the politicians –. They are snubbed because they are for profit
Those festivals do more good than the ads that are placed in the Windsor Star at a great expense to taxpayers! Why advertise Windsor in Windsor. Does the Star need the revenue that badly. Eddie is kicking it up with wasteful Greenlink ads..
...it’s not hard to bring people here. There has to be more reason than a carnival. (not knocking carnivals) The bureau and Gordie hardly mention the festivals. They should be getting rewards for waking the town up.
But, why capitalize on their success? They spend a fortune and they are successful. That’s the rub. Nothing more-nothing less.
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