Something For You To Read

I have to admit that I find municipal elections this time around a bit strange to be direct about it.

There just seem to be so many pre-election days where voting can take place now. It seems that on election day very few people will come to their voting booths to cast a ballot because they will have voted already. I have to admit that I don't like this process. I much prefer that voting only takes place on one day.

For those who don't trust the system now, I wonder what they are thinking. Just consider what they think the "bad guys" can do with the votes already cast on the election machines. How about "changing" them through their illegal techniques to make sure that their candidate gets most of the votes in order to be elected.

Oh I know that this cannot possibly happen... However...

I will let others think about all of this as I tell you about some stories that I have seen recently.

ARE WE ABOUT TO HAVE AN ECONOMIC MESS

Obviously, we may have a mess based on what I read recently. We just needed another scare to make us feel horrible. Our economy is going to be in big trouble according to these people:

“The world economy is at risk of another financial meltdown, following the failure of governments and regulators to push through all the reforms needed to protect the system from reckless behaviour, the International Monetary Fund has warned.

With global debt levels well above those at the time of the last crash in 2008, the risk remains that unregulated parts of the financial system could trigger a global panic, the Washington-based lender of last resort said.” (Phillip Inman, The Guardian, October 7, 2018) 

Everything must be very horrible now:

“The former UK prime minister Gordon Brown said last month that the world economy was “sleepwalking into a future crisis,” 

Here are some numbers that are very scary:

“IMF’s boss, Christine Lagarde, said she was concerned that the total value of global debt – in both the public and private sectors – has rocketed by 60% in the decade since the financial crisis to reach an all-time high of $182tn (£139tn).”

I have no idea whether this article is correct in what it is telling us whether something tragic can happen. All I know is that one must be very careful in dealing with one's money in order to be protected in case of a financial emergency.

Just remember the stock market crash we just experienced recently!

GORDIE HOWE BRIDGE ALREADY BUILT

Oh no, didn't any the Canadian Government people know this already? If they did, then why is the bridge in our area going to have the same name? If they did not, then what other things are they missing in the border file in Windsor/Detroit:

“The total cost to build the Gordie Howe Bridge and connecting roadways was higher — close to $300 million...

The Gordie Howe Bridge opened in 2013 as part of a $300-million project. Gordie Howe is Saskatoon’s longest bridge at 440 metres” (Phil Tank, Saskatoon Star Phoenix, October 1, 2018) 

Oh, just so you know, and perhaps it is going to tell us what happens with the bridge that is supposed to be built here, the bridge built in Saskatchewan was supposed to be opened on September 30, 2012. It wasn't. That took longer to be completed and did not happen until July 31, 2013.

GORD’S ELECTION PREDICTIONS

You should go and read his column in the October 13 edition of the Windsor Star to see which people he has said will be elected or re-elected in the next election in Windsor and why. That’s right, he believes the people who are Dilkens supporters will get in.

I have to admit I don’t remember him doing a story on who will be elected as Mayor but this should be helpful to see whom he expects to win. He wrote this at the beginning of the column:

“An alliance of convenience among area Liberals, New Democrats, labour and assorted lefties is making a concerted bid to neuter Mayor Drew Dilkens by snatching control of council a week from Monday.” (Gord Henderson, Windsor Star, October 13, 2018)

I guess he does not need to tell us who will be his choice to be the Mayor. 

Oh, just so you understand this, here is the person, according to Gord, who is going to be Windsor’s next Mayor and who his relative is:

“Fred Francis is proof the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Smart, erudite and a quick study like his older brother Eddie, Francis performed in his rookie term like a seasoned veteran. He’s a pugnacious defender of holding the line on taxes and is clearly a potential future mayor.”

BORDER CROSSINGS

You may not have the faintest idea why the issue involving the border crossing between Windsor and Detroit plays such a big role. Let me help to clarify that for you.

The crossing between Canada and the United States located in our area is something that is quite spectacular. If you want to read more about it, then take a look at this article in the Washington Examiner (Anna Giaritelli, Washington Examiner, October 9, 2018) 

If one wants to know about the extent of the duties involved, then take a look at this:

“Fourteen inspection lanes are all that stand between 6,200 tractor-trailer trucks moving goods from Canada into the United States at the northern border’s busiest crossing point. If just one inspection lane at Detroit’s Ambassador Bridge closes, it can cost the private sector millions of dollars for every hour it’s shut down.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stationed at the port enforce 500 trade laws and regulations on behalf of 49 agencies.”

The import/export business is a huge one for this part of the US Government. Here are some statistics covering Governmental crossings that you may find amazing:

“Last year, CBP inspected 33.2 million vehicles and 28.5 million cargo containers coming into the U.S. for a total of nearly $2.4 trillion in imports. The agency raked in more than $40 billion in duties, taxes, and other fees, making it the second-highest revenue creator in the federal government after the Internal Revenue Service.”

You may understand now why the Governments on both sides of the river play such a big role in the Customs business.