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 Posted 5/16/2008 6:00:00 AM
I think we call it the ‘little guy syndrome’, we come to believe we are bigger than we are. It’s not really a disease, but more of a mind set, trying to prove a point. Excuse me, but being somewhat restricted in stature and having been there and done that I can speak from knowledge. It’s a stage which passes with time and reaching a point of maturity.Those of us who have passed through the phase have an understanding when we see other little people trying to make an impact, trying to show the world that we, too , can swagger into The Big and Tall Shop.But there comes a point when many of us just become too big for the britches we wear and as a charter member, I’d like to welcome Mayor Sammy into the club.There are signs he suffering through the ‘little guy syndrome’, he’s acting tough, he’s even being referred to as a “bully” as he wields the power of his position. He’s learned well how to use innuendo to push people around.He had the tough guy image front and centre about a month ago when he tried to push councilor Jenny Gerbasi around questioning the level...
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Posted 5/15/2008 6:00:00 AM
To those of you who may wonder if there is a need for more cops on the streets take a listen to what a slow night on the town in Winnipeg amounts to, and believe me, last night was almost typical of a weeknight with the weekend still to come.Robert Holland is here in the CJOB newsroom weeknights keeping his thumb on the pulse of the city right through some of the wee hours of the morning. His last act of the shift is to submit the turnover note summarizing the nefarious activities occurring overnight. This is Wednesday night-Thursday morning on the streets of Winnipeg according to Robert’s note.Report of a bus driver assaulted around 9:15.St. James at Dublin, intersection closed between 11:30 and midnight. One caller says it’s a vehicle-motorcycle collision and noted blanket over someone at the scene. Intersection closed from all directions until at least 8 a.m. One male reported critically injured. Another closure around the same time at Ellice-Maryland, not yet sure why.Stabbing incident reported near Arlington and Notre Dame around 12:55 a.m., possible female victim. Police investigating.Yellow tape up at Sergeant and Balmoral. Possible stabbing, male victim, condition unknown. Police investigating.Police investigating incident northbound on...
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Posted 5/14/2008 7:00:00 AM
Excuse me, but where are they? The workmen?Why aren’t they out there doing something, anything? What’s the holdup? This has become a two-year project heading no where.It has also become a distinct pain in the derriere and the expletive deletives flow freely during both the morning and afternoon rush hours.We’re talking about one of Winnipeg’s 20 bridges, those spans used to convey traffic up and over that which lays beneath. The specific reference here is the South Perimeter Bridge, that which has become an inconvenience which bears greater explanation. We refer to it as a city bridge but really it’s a provincial responsibility.This is the refurbished bridge they’ve been working on for at least two years now, first one side, and then the other side, and we lived with the traffic chaos while the engineers, the consultants and the contractors, did their thing and made the structure safe for all. But someone goofed, there’s a stop work citation in place while they figure out who screwed up and is responsible for a shoddy job. The already refurbished North Side of the Bridge lies dormant. It cannot be used and they keep fudging the reasons why. They used the new surface...
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Posted 5/13/2008 6:00:00 AM
Joy, Joy, Joy….. Please, please hold back on the press releases. They’re coming out the ying-yang and to tell you the truth they say nothing, absolutely nothing of importance.I get press releases, hundreds, maybe thousands, and most of them are simply a waste of paper and e-mail space, especially those coming from politicians who do little other than try to remind people they exist.This is Joy Smith, the esteemed Tory Member of Parliament representing the people of Kildonan-St. Paul and you can’t help but wonder if they got what they wished for when they sent Joy to Ottawa?Joy has averaged about a press release a day over the last week or so and not one of them is worth the paper it would be printed upon. When Joy Smith’s name pops up on the e-mail list it has become an automatic delete.If she’s trying to justify her presence as an MP down there in Ottawa she failing to impress.Pap, that’s all she sends out. Nothing of substance and she stands tall as an example of a politician trying to create an image out of nothing. Here’s an example of her latest press releases:Mp-Joy Smith announces Manitoba Winner of Canada Day...
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Posted 5/12/2008 6:00:00 AM
Well, now that the Manitoba Government has made school trustees useless, what’s the next move?You’re not alone if you’re still trying to figure why the government of the day put a moratorium on school closures. That’s a task best left to others, those who know better, those with the authority and the power to sanction the functioning of our schools.The government has long had the right to run the school system but traditionally that responsibility is off-loaded to school boards made up of democratically elected school trustees.So, Excuse me?, but why would the Minister of Education, he who is also democratically elected, suddenly decide to override those who are better positioned to make decision on whether or not to close schools?Why would a Minister of Education arbitrarily introduce legislation which runs roughshod over school superintendents and trustees?I’ll tell you why….it comes down to getting caught up in the emotion of parenthood, and the risk of alienating voters. It’s a government trying to curry favor in rural Manitoba, a government easily moved by the squeaky wheel.Ignoring fiscal sense, common sense, and the advice from those who know better, this NDP government of ours acted irrationally and without due diligence and preparation...
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