Letters — August 11

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/08/2014 (4069 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Candidates draw mixed reviews

The mantra of “pay less, get more” adopted by mayoral aspirant Gord Steeves sounds like the typical marketing blitz seen on TV so very often (Steeves chooses to go with Loch Ness Monster policy, Aug. 8).

Voters aren’t that naive. Steeves’ strategy will not fetch him the votes he’s so desperately after. His already-declared promise to sell off certain assets including golf courses would raise only a one-time windfall revenue. And then what?

In sharp contrast, Brian Bowman and Robert-Falcon Ouellette are daydreaming about PST-generated cash from the province. Greg Selinger’s NDP government has a grand plan to spend it the way they would like.

Judy Wasylycia-Leis has a plan to raise property taxes to keep the city coffers sustainable. But do the voters perceive it as a threat to their pocketbooks? It has the makings of a tax-and-spend philosophy.

And now we have a fresh face in the mayoral race, with David Sanders’ hat now in the ring. Sanders’ prime reason for entering the race, it would seem, is that the other seven candidates are incapable of reforming city hall.

 

Michael Muthmaarlo

Winnipeg

***

The dearth of new ideas by the mayoral candidates is more than disappointing.

Am I the only one who fondly remembers Glen Murray’s thinking outside the box with the New Deal? Whether you supported it or not, it was creative.

Is it too much to hope that in this group of mayoral wannabes we might get something original, too? So far, sadly, it seems not.

 

Ingrid Ostick

Winnipeg

***

Praise the dear Lord — finally, a proper candidate for mayor. This puts the other candidates in the exact right perspective: a field of also-rans clinging to straws.

Welcome to city hall, mayor Sanders. Boy, are we going to see some feathers fly now.

 

Ken Holt

Winnipeg

 

Monitoring the media

As a viewer of both RT America and Al Jazeera, I found Masha Gessen’s article Lying and finding sexier ways to do it (July 31) exactly what she is attempting to criticize.

Are parts of RT pro-Russian? You bet, they fund it. Are some off its programs critical of the United States? You bet, there is a lot to criticize. Most of the criticism comes from Americans, Brits and Europeans, including for her Ukrainian example.

Why has Gessen waited eight years to criticize RT? Is it because she has joined the right-wing Washington Post and the Volokh Conspiracy, with its anti-Putin rally, co-sponsored by the Obama government? Or is it to sell her own book? Timing is everything.

Is Gessen trying to suggest ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and, regrettably, PBS are not prone to spreading lies, deceit and U.S. propaganda? They are all owned by multinationals and millionaires (except PBS), much of whose revenues come directly from the U.S. government.

 

Don Halligan

Winnipeg

***

Masha Gessen correctly says that RT America is Russian-funded, but neglects to mention that the corporate-owned media are, well, corporate-owned.

Has she forgotten how these same corporate media became cheerleaders for George W. Bush’s illegal, brutal, costly and senseless invasion of Iraq?

When did Russia invade Ukraine? I must have missed that.

 

Glen Reid

Winnipeg

 

IGF ideal for losing clubs

The press has been raving about our new football stadium for the last year. Indeed, it is a beautiful, defining landmark, and as long as you are not a football fan, it is something in which to take great pride.

The key words, of course, are “football fan.” Form has won out over function. Maybe I’m still suffering after the devastating loss to the sodbusters from Saskatchewan, but when it takes 20 minutes to get from the gate to one’s seats because of the absolute mass of humanity in the concourse, something is amiss.

While there were adults complaining of the sense of claustrophobia, I can’t imagine what it was like for a child.

The stadium is perfectly designed for a team with a 3-15 record — one can make their way around with ease. But when the team is doing well (which is what we want to continue) and the stadium is at capacity, dreadfully lethargic people movement and interminable lineups detract from what should be a great game-day experience.

Come on, Bomber brass, get a flow plan that does not resemble Kenaston during rush hour.

 

Gary Hook

Winnipeg