Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 20, 1995, Winnipeg, Manitoba Readers forum Winnipeg free press a 7 May the new Axworthy comes up Short Federal human re sources minister Lloyd a worthy seems to have lost both his political touch and his political he was unable to deliver on the evermore shaky and dubious Winnipeg jets Purchase and Arena Deal because he had control of the Issue taken away from him by prime minister Chretien the prime ministers political antennae were More acute than his Chretien saw the Poten tial for political and not just from Quebec the Issue gave even the Reform party the Opportunity to strut at the vision of hard pressed taxpayers building luxury boxes for millionaires to watch other millionaires Bat a hockey puck Axworthy own enthusiasm for the project apparently blinded him to the dangers of leaping feet first into an agreement with his Provin Frances Russell Cial tory political enemies before he knew whether he had their kind of Ottawa million was sufficient to keep it in the but in sufficient to retain Axworthy legendary status As the minister who could deliver the he fell million Short in contributing to the combined munificence of the City and the and he can expect to have the to Ries remind Manitoban of that fact at every when the fiscal and tax hangover from the emotional excess of the last two weeks sets in on Winnipeg and Axworthy and his fellow liberals perhaps will be a Little less vulnerable than pre Mier Gary Hilmons tories and Winnipeg City Council and mayor Susan each of whom lost All perspective and capitulated to mob it seems National hockey league franchises Are becoming too Rich for the blood even of cities like Paul Erst while bidders on the jets and Den ver the prospective Home of the Quebec Wiser politicians than Manitoba enjoys have said in both states that the Price is just too disappointed Winni Peg fans May use the Minneapolis Denver response As a cautionary tale showing Why the Deal Here has suddenly become a lot More com Winnipeg could Well wind up with the jets because nobody else wants while children were emptying their pensioners were donating portions of their rent Money and one woman was cashing in her registered retirement Sav Ings most of the people with the really deep pockets were keep ing their hands resolutely in the fans found out at a sobering news conference thursday eve Ning that the big Money boys Haven yet ponied up As much As is this is the kind of social class is sue that would have enraged the Lloyd Axworthy of sadly for it looks As though his social sensitivities Are already so dead ened that without the restraining hand of he would have jumped in As deep As Filmon and those social sensitivities started to die almost As soon As the Federal liberals were sworn into office in the fall of the Point Man for Canadian nationalists in the Battle against the Mulroney tories free Trade Axworthy bowed meekly to his governments imme Diate Signon to the North Ameri can free Trade history judgment on his portfolio will be even no one will Ever know what the Lloyd Axworthy of old would have proposed in his Green paper on social Reform last fall if he haunt already begun to lose his bearings and stayed around to be dictated to by the fed eral Liberal governments ascendant right what is known is that the Green paper Cost him his leadership of the Liberal left but want enough could it Ever have been to endear him to his enemies on the conserva Tive Hes in the Green paper was a neoconservative wish using language peppered with the catchphrases of the new the paper blamed the victim lower benefits for the seasonally a full use pay system for pos secondary Educa Tion and heralded the end of the postwar Liberal Era of Universal so Cial entitlements and the beginning of the free Market Era of survival oath fittest social today social Security system Doest adequately Foster self suf promote Independence and help people prepare for it it want Long ago that such Rheto Ric would have brought Axworthy out of his fighting he can author even Axworthy lost the social Reform initiative to finance minis Ter Paul this the minister had some of his principles foisted Back on him when an incipient caucus revolt by Atlantic can Ada maps jettisoned his idea for two tiered unemployment insure Manitoba leading minister is learning the hard Way that in poli you can Only lose your you can never win Over your ene what will Arena really Cost us on the front Page of the free press May Sheldon who was in attendance at a recent rally in support of the was quoted As this is about the future of our City and the future of our but the question re whose City and whose kids Winnipeg City Council has now approved a sum of million for a new of this is Only the several More millions will be needed to service the site and to realign roads and transit Corri not to mention the Multi Mil lion Dollar gift of prime real this is the Cost on but what will be the real Cost to the citizens of Winnipeg every year since the mayor and her supporters on Council have told us that the City is facing a Seri Ous financial in order to avoid further increases in Winnipeg Al ready oppressive property pub Lic services would need to be Sav aged libraries and swimming pools would have to be intercity recreation centres would have their funding severely numerous outdoor skating rinks have already been dismantled and drop in centres for intercity teen agers have been forced to shut their All this at a time when the citizens of Winnipeg have been showing unprecedented concern about teenage violence and the absence of positive alternatives for Winnipeg Young in other the first victims of our cites annual attempt to keep its finances in order have been our Chil How Many More pools and recreation centres will now have to be closed How Many More struggling parents will have to be Laid off in order to pay for this new luxury recreation Centre that is being planned for the Forks How Many More of the growing army of children who find them selves on the Street with nothing constructive to do will be Able to afford a or ticket even once a year to watch any hockey team play there the new Arena has become a sym Bol Par excellence of the chasm that is opening up Between citizens of our on one million Dollar hockey players and their Verdi finishing coterie of fans sit comfortably in luxury on the other a growing Multi tude of those who have no Hope of being Able to pay the Price of admission stand shivering in the brother Thomas Novak Manitoba oblate Justice and peace committee press will pay when fiscal reality sets in the save the jets rally and concert at the Forks Drew an estimated free concert carries a Cost Winnipeg free press photo i am appalled at the Way Public passions Are being whipped up by the free press and certain mobs May have cowed the councillors at City but there will come a Day when fiscal reality sets in and i Hope citizens will remember How they were railroaded and manipulated into Premier Gary Filmon did not show his support until after the provincial election and until there want any time to evaluate the fiscal situation Susan Thompson ran As the mayor who would balance the budget and she is going to spend million the City does not they both ran As fiscal conservatives who didst want to waste Public As a True fiscal i re Alize Money Doest grow on Trees and every Dollar that is sucked up into this unrealistic attempt to be a bigger City than we Are will come from taxpayers or from forgone spending on much More serious Rome May have had bread and circuses to keep its fools but even the politicians and Media didst go to the front of the Parade and Lead the crowds into the the most appalling aspect of All is the Way the crowds at City Hall shouted Down All the goons Are in the wings ready to swagger and threaten All just As hockey teaches this is not a proud Day and anyone who understands economics must realize there will be a Day of fiscal if not political this is undemocratic and fiscally Pau Nielson Winnipeg the free concert at the Forks was no free it was meant to give the false impression that there is huge Public support to use Large sums of tax Money to keep the although most Winni Eggers Are sorry to see the jets we Are not willing to sacrifice our Edu health sewers and All the other things that govern ments Are to supposed to use our tax Money to keep the the paper made a big Deal about the number of people sur prise who showed up at a free con the paper deduced that the num Ber of people who came showed that these people were willing to give until it hurts to save the the amount raised by All these people per person there would indicate that the people there were huge supporters of free con certs and not willing to give until it hurts to save the Winnipeg we did ourselves proud As a proud i would like to thank from All the children who brought in their Piggy Banks to Israel City mayor Susan Premier Gary Lloyd Axworthy of the Mec the people of can now truly show the world what a closely knit province we All know we the economic spinoff from the save the jets Campaign will be one of the major triumphs of our committed of the people who did not agree with saving our i for one have respected their sincere opinions but the people of Manitoba have spoken so i Hope they will respect the Many Manitoban who wanted the jets to in the coming months and let us keep our Manitoba Pride Dugald a Brave stand in a free death or any form of Are unacceptable and beneath con whether or not we Are in agreement with it behoves us to thank those individuals who have the courage and personal integrity to stand up for what they be Lieve to be i wish to express my re Spect and admiration to councillors Rick Glen Murray and lil Lian and to Carl Jim Silver and the thin ice whatever the outcome of the cur rent these individuals will emerge from it with Honor and in a debt of gratitude is owed to Helen Mccullough Winnipeg to the editor Quality of life in t a hockey game use Zeal to fight poverty As i write this it appears that the jets will stay in while i must admit i am very much opposed to using significant tax dollars to build an and still believe that some of the million or so that will go to build it would have been much better spent on a serious Effort to fight child i also know that it is time to move to All those people who made the noise necessary to push the Politi whether you want to admit it or you have a duty to the you in Good now say Well that finished and retire to the Comfort of your Homes until hockey season comes around once its just started because whether you want to face it or have another 1 am challenging each and every one of you to step Forward with the sane Zeal and deter nation to help the kids who cant help i know of places in Manitoba where there is not proper nutrition and medical i have seen children hungry and without sufficient i know that there Are children who Are not being properly others Are being beaten and these Chil Dren require you to stand up and and for Many tomorrows and push our politicians and to donate with the or greater Zeal than youve shown this and to the lets see the same kind of Green for the kids that youve shown for the Winnipeg is a special is it special enough to just save the or is it special enough to become the child health capital of Canada Mark Dokun Winnipeg the free press welcomes letters from letters must be signed and should include a clearly printed address and Telephone names will be published but not All letters May be edited for style and Short letters Are less Likely to be please address letters to letters to the Winnipeg free 1355 Mountain Winnipeg r2x letters can be sent to our fax number letters May be submitted through the internet at letters sent via the internet obviously cannot be but must include Home address and Telephone doonesbury the citizens of Winnipeg have gathered in Large num Bers to show concern Over the Prospect of the jets i have seen it reported that the citizens and the business Community have come together to raise while All this goes the the people and each level of government have been patting themselves on the Back for bringing Manitoban in the people and the governments should be truly there of several Rea sons for us All to be we can simply look Back to when it was announced that Manitoba is the child poverty capital of we should also be ashamed to see an eve increasing number of food Banks popping up All Over the prov we should be ashamed when we see the eve growing number of homeless on the we should be ashamed by the number of abused women and children forced to seek shelter from their where Are the Public outcry and financial support for these truly de serving causes the people of Winnipeg should be congratulated for coming together in masses to support a cause we certainly feel needs my concern conies when people state that the jets must be saved to protect Mani Toban Quality of i am sure that the Many thousands of people forced to Deal with Manito Bas social or who live in do not feel the i will be truly impressed when i see the people pouring Forth this kind of support to help their fellow its time we really started looking at what Quality of life Means to the masses of people who Haven time to worry about hockey night in i truly believe that we in Friendly 1 Only Hope that we can begin to see what makes us a better and stronger Eli Winnipeg by Garry Trudeau Homey of our Way Home Hou Juas your out ;