BRIDGING THE CHASM letter to the Editor by John Milnes
Cornwall ON – Our Member of Parliament, Guy Lauzon, and his Conservative play-pals must soon get their act together. Are they still studying how to construct a low level bridge? Someone should mutter in their ears many low level bridges have been built throughout the history of the human race and surely it would not take even a Harper amount of thought to modify plans that have existed so long ago, right back to Roman times.
It sure did not take this long from the time the Conservative government assured us we would never go into a deficit and then find the country was in a massive deficit situation.
Whilst we sit out this stupid waiting game perhaps Mr. Lauzon should, before he gets his pension, try crossing the international bridge that has been a land mark of our area for so many years. Perhaps he should invite the Prime Minister to join him. Just one piece of advice. Before going on to the bridge be sure to visit the toilet, pack a bottle of water and have a lunch pail handy. Lauzon should maybe petition for a Tim Hortons on the bridge for surely they could be there for a few more years as we await an alternative crossing delivered at Conservative speed.
To demonstrate why all this may be necessary I will recount my latest experience. I needed to visit that foreign land across the mighty St. Lawrence River. My business took me a little under thirty minutes to conduct. Returning back from that foreign place, via Lauzon’s folly, it took me just short of an hour.
To account for the extra time spent at Lauzon’s folly I was first faced with a repair crew doing even more temporary repairs [wasting more taxpayers dollars] on the surface of the now defunct bridge. After a more than reasonable wait I then faced a further delay because there was only one wicket open for business at the entry gateway into Cornwall and Canada. The second wicket space, in typical Lauzon fashion, was blocked off. It was taken up with a parked Customs vehicle, a bald-headed official walking around pointing and looking important accompanied by one other offical and two fellows in hard hats trying to look as if they understood what was being signified by the arm waving official.
It mattered not there was a massive line-up of traffic on the bridge, causing an excessive load constriction on the already weakened structure; it mattered not that irate motorists were honking their horns; it mattered not people were wasting their lives on a long out-dated bridge. Life must go on, at Lauzon/Conservative government speed, slow, slow, stop, slow, slow, stop.
The length of time it has taken to remedy the problems brought about by a few first nation folk of Akwesasne – who do not suffer, because they have a lane all to themselves [and were breezing past me as I waited] – is quite pitiful. It is shameful, too, because it brings such discredit to our nation when foreigners experience the tardy Canadian lack-lustre manner of dealing with entry into our country after passing through a splendid USA facility.
One can only wonder why the Conservative government cannot face down the native people with RCMP, or military, personnel and put back into use the old entry point on Cornwall Island. The government of Canada is clearly showing its appalling weakness when it allows a few natives to dictate what will be done.
John E. Milnes – South Stormont Ontario
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It is not only the Conservative federal government who cannot face down the Native People, McGuinty has not done a very good job either. As well as previous governments. We all complain but do not organize and demand changes the same way we see special interest groups do.
A low level bridge is what we called skidoo tracks on the ice to the Dundee hotel years ago, not many ships getting in the way that time of year.
Minority governments have three speeds, slow, dead slow, and stop. Majority governments have three speeds also, fast, faster, and fastest! We cannot expect miracles from a minority when everyone passes their time criticizing their every movement. Do yourself a favor and vote-in a majority Conservative government and see how fast things will get done!
Stan it was your Mr. Harper that tried to put a coalition together before winning his minority.
It’s easy! All we need to do is shoot a couple of Natives, scoundrels that they are, and move back onto their land. Is there nothing violence can’t handle? It worked at Oka. How about Ipperwash? Do we need another Dudley George?
Stan, you know why they didn’t get a Majority in what, 2 or 3 elections now? Because the people DON’T TRUST THEM!!!