Someone Actually Wrote This

Even more emails from readers for you to savour

1) Here is a thought. Take a picture of the yard waste at the curb, that has been cancelled till Sept. Mine will not be picked up till Sept 24 if they are on time LOL

The phrase to be "Councillors can make this go away"
Why do they want the strike to drag on?

Why do they think giving overtime is a reward to the strikers who have lost approx $15,000. $500 is not a reward at this time.

Keep it up

2) Four years in the making and available in November!

3) You’ve probably already been given this figure but I thought I would pass it on just in case.

I was recently talking with a reliable source in [Name of Dept.] who told me the amount the city paid the contractor for the Mic Mac cleanup was in the ballpark of [several hundreds of thousands of dollars]. Keep in mind this was for one event.

Now would anyone believe the city actually made the Red Bull people or anyone else for that matter incur the costs of cleaning up city property during the strike. I think not.

Just another one of Eddie’s my way no matter what the cost decisions.

I can tell you on a personal note that I work in the [Name of Department]of the city and since I have been back and with all the people I have encountered I have only heard one negative comment. In fact most people I run into have a fair understanding of who was to blame for our unfortunate summer and are appreciative of the job we do. I, like the others here have found signs welcoming us back, I even had a person run out to greet me with a thank you card.

Thanks again for all you have done to keep our spirits up over the course of the last several months.

4) [RE CAW] Interesting article Ed. I can remember blogs by CAW members actually pitting themselves AGAINST CUPE, for their poor tactics, for struggling to keep PRB's in these harsh times, and not taking concessions. They were even openly declaring that they would cross the lines for Spits games, events, etc. I'm sure I'd find lots of examples if I searched back aways in the Windsor Star's strike articles.

Would we have come out ahead? Most definitely! We would have maintained public support and settled the strike much sooner. That's a win-win situation no matter what, reducing the losses. The CUPE leaders simply were not equipped to deal with the slick Mr Mayor. I think CAW would have had a better chance.

5) I can hardly wait until you tackle Eddie’s “fishbowl”. I had a good chuckle when I read that this morning.

6) How would the city manage if the non union walked out? Just fine if not better!

CUPE front line do a great job and most non union dump their duties onto us anyway.

7) Keep up the good work on your blogs. You are a great alternative to the Windsor Star.

8) [Re Bridge Company letter] I find your column today very interesting and I hope you can dig out that letter some how so that we can see how we are being buffaloed this time.

Living in the west end provides me constant access to Indian Road and the bull that keeps these eyesores from being torn down. I think everyone in the city should drive down this street once just to see what this street looks like and just to see for themselves that these homes don't meet any heritage designation. The sign should ready "Welcome to Indian Road where B.B.B."(Bullshit Baffles Brains) This was a deliberate child like manoeuvre to shop Moroun.

And, HELLO the Ambassador bridge already goes right through the west end. The city wouldn't give a damn about Old Sandwich Town if Moroun hadn't started his construction.

Until the CUPE strike I didn't realize that the Star only printed when they wanted you to ready. Last Tuesday morning my friend called me to say she couldn't find anything about Kenny Lewenza in the paper, surprise, surprise.

Last Monday two young lifeguards (CUPE members) pulled a lifeless child from the pool at Adie Knox arena, performed all the right moves and saved the childs life. Guess the CUPE designation keeps it from becoming news. Sad isn't it, they deserve a huge pat on the back. Wonder what else they choose not to print. Is that called manipulation of the press?

9) Lewenza spending $1 million for up to 400 workers to unionize which means
Eddie must have really pissed him off.
The CUPE unions are going to have to switch over now.

So much for the union crying poverty. That's a $2500 signing
bonus for each new member.

Recession, what recession?

10) ---I'm local 82 and we didn't get our check stub yet due to a
"malfunction with the printer". I'm wondering if they are going to
include the lost wages line as they did with the local 543.

----I finally got my cheque and the lost wages line was not included.
Surprise, surprise!

11) Just finished reading your latest on the Moroun-DRIC-Duncan discussions about the new bridge, if it's ever built.

I say let everyone have their cake and eat it too. As for the DRIC bridge, whether the US has agreed to build their half or not seems to depend on whom you talk to. Likewise Mr Moroun has started construction on the US section of his Ambassador Bridge and been opposed, I guess, by Canadian authorities for the section crossing into Canada. What to do?

A solution exists and please don't laugh. What I propose is possible in light of today's advanced engineering techniques. From the Canadian side, The DRIC bridge would be constructed to the halfway point on the Detroit River by the Canadian government. Mr Moroun's half bridge bridge does the same thing on the American side up to the imaginary boundary that runs down the middle of the river. A mile or so separates them. Both half bridges stop at the border and imaginative engineering takes over.

Connect them! Sink large supports deep in the river bed for the two kilometres or so between the two spans. Install towers and a roadbed four or six lanes wide. (I can never figure out how many lanes a bridge is supposed to have.) The Moroun-Canada International Bridge lives!

Truckers will love it. They'll drive up the Canadian side, make a sharp right turn along the connector span and then a sharp left turn, down the new Ambassador Bridge to US Customs. Reverse route for Canada bound vehicles. Admit it, Ed. This proposal is pure genius. Can any bridge in the world boast that it runs along an international border?

Even the ships going up and down the river will have an excellent new landmark to guide them. People from all over the world will flock to Windsor to see this modern marvel. The mayor can put aside his dream of peddling air lifted fresh fruits and veggies from Germany and really have something to show off. Tourism will become Windsor's greatest asset.

Remember, all it takes is money, talent and the will to succeed. Our governments have all three in spades!

12) Governmentium (Gv)

Recent research has led to the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element, Governmentium (Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic Mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact.

A minute amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second to take from four days to four years to complete. Governmentium has a normal half-life of 5 years; it does not decay, but instead, undergoes a reorganisation in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium’s mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganisation will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.

This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass.

When catalysed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium, an element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.

13) SPANKED! And in public! He, Spanky, must be or could be smokin' from
this spanking!

14) [Re jobs plan of inaction] To cancel this scheduled meeting is absurd. This is why so many people are pissed off in this region and LEAVING.. There is nothing accomplished for the unemployed, no hope for progress by our so called leaders. There better be a damned good excuse for this but I suppose tomorrow the Star will have an incredible headline about some amazing feat of progress by the Mayor.

15) I know you've decided to cancel the Star, and who can blame you. But remember that you are the biggest pain in the sac-o-riliac that they face almost daily. I'll bet they're dancing in the streets, thinking that you will no longer call them up on their one sided reporting and mistruths.

If you don't want to pay for the paper, go to the library and read it for free. In any case, keep up your good work.

16) Eddie is directly responsible for some of the unemployment increase for July over June. He has quite a few CUPE employees on layoff with unknown dates for call back. Force a strike during harsh economic times and this is the "gift" you give to your municipality. Worse economic times.

Thanks Eddie! Next time just send regrets.

17) The first scenario would be that the Can gov’t will purchase land in Delray themselves so that both ends are in Canadian hands, much like Eddie wanted to do with the tunnel. Very costly considering they are bidding against themselves by paying so much for Brighton Beach.

The second scenario sees the Brighton Beach lands being used as a Canada Customs inspection site to replace the Ambassador and Goyeau facilities. As well as a US Customs pre-crossing inspection/clearance for continued travel to the US over the Ambassador Bridge twin. I don’t know if they need 200 acres for that, I’m not an engineer, but $34 million is still way too much to pay to bring that about if the 3rd crossing goes Moroun’s way.

As Toe Blake once said, “Predictions are for gypsies”.

18) Shoot! There goes the 26 dollar rebate from the strike. With the 800,000 shortfall at the Windsor Solid Waste Authority, the city may be on the hook for some of that money. Darn, I was looking forward to the check that costs about 18 dollars to send out. So I guess I won't even get the 8 dollars.

I wonder if the conservatives will bring out the big guns and get the bridge done when Santos goes up against Watson?

19) Ed good blog. Can't build a bridge to no where? Windsor Wyandotte east. It's beautiful. They should have fixed College Ave same money.

Windsor doesn't run the Tunnel well how can they think they know anything about the bridge. You are on the money Ed. The USA will back out and not double their plazas etc. Take care.

20) http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/679668

Where are the shovels, the jobs, the stimulus?

21) Thank you Mr. Arditti for the Whitehouse briefing.

It is true that our Provinces never signed on as they were always waivers. The states only have 37 states that have also signed on. With such an intergrated economy it should be resolved. The states are now hurting as many water projects are on hold because GE cannot bring in the water filters as they are made in Oakville and Toronto.

It is my understanding that Congress has even widened the net from water and waste water to hospitals and schools. Hopefully and new deal will come through to benefit both sides.

My comments about the President is the first time I have read that he acknowledged there is an issue at least publically in Canadian papers. The Chamber of Commerce of America, NY Times editorial have asked the President to come intervene.

Thanks again for the transcript.

22) http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/08/10/ottawa-insurance-sewer-flooding.html

if the twist and turns of sewer infrastructure isn't enough these days, now insurance companies are seeking larger sewers, full story above.