Bridge Company is at It again.

[Richard]

Sometimes there are some that may be confused as to what country they are living and what that means past,present, and future.

[downtownguy]

At the end of the day the Feds still have to cut thier check ,even if the pres says yes the funds may not be advailable.Budget cuts and all.

They have already sidelined one bridge project upstate?

But the Canadians are fronting the money for this.

[downtownguy]

His son who, from my perspective, seems to be as big a POS as Manny. People have brought up the prospect that he is just toeing the family line until Manny dies and goes to hell then will change how things operate.

We can hope but I think he is Manny part two.

And a wife who is a couple of decades younger than Manny.

[downtownguy]

OK, I think Maroun is a greedy fool -- but this isn't private competition. This is public competition. 99% of things, government should stay out. Transportation and trade is appropriate for government. If you invest in those areas, you cannot expect government to stay away.

Let's not forget that national security issue, too.

[Richard]

But the Canadians are fronting the money for this.

Not for the U.S. costom side , that is how the other bridge got sidelined , there were no funds advailable in that budget.

[Richard]

OK, I think Maroun is a greedy fool -- but this isn't private competition. This is public competition. 99% of things, government should stay out. Transportation and trade is appropriate for government. If you invest in those areas, you cannot expect government to stay away.

If this was building a shopping mall, I'd be 100% behind Mr. Maroun fighting government intrusion into private business.

All you are doing is trading one private company for another,but with all of the anger I guess it will be a sigh of relief IF the bridge gets built,you guys will have spanked public enemy number one then everybody can sit back in satisfaction as the rest of the commence gets sucked out of the city during phase 2.

I guess if one really hates the city and wants to see it crushed once and for all then this is perfect.Revenge at its best.

Thonking they are going to put a cute little bridge there? Lots of nice pretty greenfields just ripe for devolopment along that path outside of the city,perfect for warehouses,factories,hotels cheap to build and fund .

Meh no worry the city does not really need none of that tax base anyways and maybe they will add a turbo bus for those who do not drive.

[Honky Tonk]

All you are doing is trading one private company for another,but with all of the anger I guess it will be a sigh of relief IF the bridge gets built,you guys will have spanked public enemy number one then everybody can sit back in satisfaction as the rest of the commence gets sucked out of the city during phase 2.

I guess if one really hates the city and wants to see it crushed once and for all then this is perfect.Revenge at its best.

Thonking they are going to put a cute little bridge there? Lots of nice pretty greenfields just ripe for devolopment along that path outside of the city,perfect for warehouses,factories,hotels cheap to build and fund .

Meh no worry the city does not really need none of that tax base anyways and maybe they will add a turbo bus for those who do not drive.

You'll need to explain yourself on this one, Richard, because I can't see how a new, bigger, improved bridge, will "suck the commerce" out of the City, or "crush it once and for all". I also disagree with "All you are doing is trading one private company for another". As far as I can tell, not only will revenue be increased, because more International commerce will flow through the new, bigger improved bridge, but the revenue from this enterprise will be taken out of the hands of a private individual, and put into the hands of the State. The only issue I can see is IF the State doesn't take any of the revenue and put it back into the City by way of improvements. IF I were the City government, I would start making with the nice-nice to make sure we get our fair share. Time will tell just how smart they really are.

[Richard]

It is about commerce in the COD,and controling the flow of,and one could say it does make billionaires out of some which in turn adds millions to the city coffers.

So you have in the COD Mr Maroun trying to protect his interest which in turn protects the city's interest ,one could say he is representing the city's best interest when it comes to that revenue stream.

Then you have Mr. Snyder .GE Capitial,and taxpayer funded venture capital who now want a piece of that pie ,think of Mr Gilbert x 10 in funding.

If it was just about a bridge fine,but it is about controlling the flow of commerce within the city and removing that aspect and tax base.

If it was about another private interprise wanting to add competition by building another bridge ,fine,it would have happened long ago.

It is about what happens after the bridge is built and useing ones position in office to make that happen to further ones personal and private future agenda and to make it worse ,steering taxpayer funds in the guise of venture funds to pay for it,kinda like ones personal account .

So who is really worse?

[Honky Tonk]

It is about commerce in the COD,and controling the flow of,and one could say it does make billionaires out of some which in turn adds millions to the city coffers.

So you have in the COD Mr Maroun trying to protect his interest which in turn protects the city's interest ,one could say he is representing the city's best interest when it comes to that revenue stream.

Then you have Mr. Snyder .GE Capitial,and taxpayer funded venture capital who now want a piece of that pie ,think of Mr Gilbert x 10 in funding.

If it was just about a bridge fine,but it is about controlling the flow of commerce within the city and removing that aspect and tax base.

If it was about another private interprise wanting to add competition by building another bridge ,fine,it would have happened long ago.

It is about what happens after the bridge is built and useing ones position in office to make that happen to further ones personal and private future agenda and to make it worse ,steering taxpayer funds in the guise of venture funds to pay for it,kinda like ones personal account .

So who is really worse?

Though you DO bring up some good points about situation control, but Mr. Moroun hasn't exactly been a poster child for COD improvements. In fact, judging by his actions, [[letting his slums rot, commandeering Riverside park, then letting THAT rot, closing off Atwater, and lying "it's a Federal thing", running semi's through Detroit neighborhoods, etc., etc., etc.), I think Mr. Moroun is VERY counter productive to the welfare of the COD. Again, this all falls on City leadership, IMO, and whether or not they're going to continue their isolationist attitude, or whether they accept the City's current situation, and start jockeying to put the COD in a position to benefit from the new bridge. I don't see Mr. Moroun changing his stripes anytime soon.

[Meddle]

I'm not aware of anything Fatty Moron has done FOR the city, unless you mean blocking public roads and parks, letting landmark buildings get further run down, etc, etc, etc.

[p69rrh51]

Though you DO bring up some good points about situation control, but Mr. Moroun hasn't exactly been a poster child for COD improvements. In fact, judging by his actions, [[letting his slums rot, commandeering Riverside park, then letting THAT rot, closing off Atwater, and lying "it's a Federal thing", running semi's through Detroit neighborhoods, etc., etc., etc.), I think Mr. Moroun is VERY counter productive to the welfare of the COD. Again, this all falls on City leadership, IMO, and whether or not they're going to continue their isolationist attitude, or whether they accept the City's current situation, and start jockeying to put the COD in a position to benefit from the new bridge. I don't see Mr. Moroun changing his stripes anytime soon.

Last time I checked Mr. Moroun is NOT charity or running a Philanthropic organization. Although most everyone on here is under the assumption he does! He is running the business he PAID for with his own money as he sees fit. He is under no obligation to spend any of his money for your ideas!
Has anyone on here ever met the man? I have a feeling a miniscule percentage of the members of this forum have ever even seen him let alone talked with him, but everyone on here acts like they know him like they know their best friend. I would suggest at least talking to the man before you call him a POS.
He PURCHASED the bridge with his own money and kept it functioning when nobody wanted it! Then all of a sudden do to changes in manufacturing techniques the bridge becomes strategically important. Now instead of offering to properly purchase the bridge the powers that be just want to rip it out of his hands[[I have never heard/read of any plan to purchase the bridge if someone knows I would be most interested to know what happened). What would you do if some govt. entity decided to take away your home, car or business without compensating you. There are volumes of crying about what happened with Poletown on here, but if the govt. did the same exact thing with Matty everyone would be just fine with it[[talk about the pot calling the kettle black).
I also get a chuckle on here, most of the time Gov. Snyder receives almost as much vitriol as Matty does, but when it comes to the new bridge he becomes the good guy! Does anyone realize who benefits the most from the new bridge? The Ford family! They are one of the Gov's biggest supporters and where does the new bridge exit-pretty close to Ford's Rouge Operations. Now Ford is very smart, get us to build their bridge, have the state take the heat[[plus destroy a few historically significant buildings along the way), but because it "puts" Matty in a bind its ok. I am really disappointed when I hear the crying about Matty "commandeering" Riverside Park but nobody says boo when the Gov. wants to tear down a few "old" churches! Those particular churches are far more significant than a few acres of land near the river!
Last I do not like his tactics but he is trying to hold on to what he has paid for and put a tremendous amount of time into. On the other hand there is one cure for all the crying about Matty. You could always purchase the bridge, train station, etc. and run them the way you see fit!

[Eber Brock Ward]

yeah, but p69 he receives the benefits that accrue to him by way of favorable treatment from the city [[not enforcing blight ordinances, etc.), so he should do something.

the flip side of that is a true developer that gets something but maintains and builds. they deserve it.

he's not holding up his end of the grand bargain.

[p69rrh51]

yeah, but p69 he receives the benefits that accrue to him by way of favorable treatment from the city [[not enforcing blight ordinances, etc.), so he should do something.

the flip side of that is a true developer that gets something but maintains and builds. they deserve it.

he's not holding up his end of the grand bargain.

EBW I agree with you that he does gain some benefit from the lack of oversight by the city. Just think if the city did enforce the codes all the money they could collect? Bad management on the city's part.
Also if Matty did just the bare minimum of work he would be in far better shape public image wise.

[southen]

I love the take that until I speak to the man or have the money to purchase the bridge or station I can't be critical. all hail those with money, they can do no wrong!

[p69rrh51]

I love the take that until I speak to the man or have the money to purchase the bridge or station I can't be critical. all hail those with money, they can do no wrong!

How do you know he is a POS/jackass without actually talking to him, but then you can believe everything the media likes to make up about him and live in that fantasy world. As for changes put your money where you mouth is!

[Honky Tonk]

Last time I checked Mr. Moroun is NOT charity or running a Philanthropic organization. Although most everyone on here is under the assumption he does! He is running the business he PAID for with his own money as he sees fit. He is under no obligation to spend any of his money for your ideas!
Has anyone on here ever met the man? I have a feeling a miniscule percentage of the members of this forum have ever even seen him let alone talked with him, but everyone on here acts like they know him like they know their best friend. I would suggest at least talking to the man before you call him a POS.
He PURCHASED the bridge with his own money and kept it functioning when nobody wanted it! Then all of a sudden do to changes in manufacturing techniques the bridge becomes strategically important. Now instead of offering to properly purchase the bridge the powers that be just want to rip it out of his hands[[I have never heard/read of any plan to purchase the bridge if someone knows I would be most interested to know what happened). What would you do if some govt. entity decided to take away your home, car or business without compensating you. There are volumes of crying about what happened with Poletown on here, but if the govt. did the same exact thing with Matty everyone would be just fine with it[[talk about the pot calling the kettle black).
I also get a chuckle on here, most of the time Gov. Snyder receives almost as much vitriol as Matty does, but when it comes to the new bridge he becomes the good guy! Does anyone realize who benefits the most from the new bridge? The Ford family! They are one of the Gov's biggest supporters and where does the new bridge exit-pretty close to Ford's Rouge Operations. Now Ford is very smart, get us to build their bridge, have the state take the heat[[plus destroy a few historically significant buildings along the way), but because it "puts" Matty in a bind its ok. I am really disappointed when I hear the crying about Matty "commandeering" Riverside Park but nobody says boo when the Gov. wants to tear down a few "old" churches! Those particular churches are far more significant than a few acres of land near the river!
Last I do not like his tactics but he is trying to hold on to what he has paid for and put a tremendous amount of time into. On the other hand there is one cure for all the crying about Matty. You could always purchase the bridge, train station, etc. and run them the way you see fit!

First of all, P69rrh51, could you please highlight where I called Mr. Moroun a "POS" in my original post? Having reread it several times, I can't seem to find it. Thanx. 2nd, Mr moroun has done some VERY questionable moves, where he himself has taken away entities from Detroit Citizens, Hell, MI Citizens, to the point that both he and his accomplices have ended up in a court of law, and the ruling was against them. He effectively blocked off traffic to an established store owner, [[Lafayette Bait), forcing the owner out of business. The list goes on and on, and I'm sure someone learned, like yourself, has read and heard all this time and time again. Eminent Domain was used to REMOVE Poletown Citizens, some, by the way, didn't have a pot to pee in, and to obtain their land. Mr. Moroun, and his bridge association STILL have their business, and are free to run it as they see fit. They will, however, no longer have a monopoly and be able to do want they want. Reading about Mr. Moroun, and his modus operandi, I, personally, find it a bit hard to feel sorry for "the poor little rich kid".

[southen]

How do you know he is a POS/jackass without actually talking to him, but then you can believe everything the media likes to make up about him and live in that fantasy world. As for changes put your money where you mouth is!

so I need to talk to him before disapproving of the fact that he's a billionaire slumlord who lets the things he owns rot? you sound like Dennis rodman after getting back from North Korea.

ill be sure to chime in if you ever have a complaint to put your money where your mouth is. it's an easy way to avoid common sense or logical thought. I guess only Gilbert can complain about matty. good one.

[p69rrh51]

First of all, P69rrh51, could you please highlight where I called Mr. Moroun a POS. Having reread my original post several times, I can't seem to find it. Thanx. 2nd, he has done some VERY questionable moves, where he himself has taken away entities from Detroit Citizens, Hell, MI Citizens, to the point that both he and his accomplices have ended up in a court of law, and the ruling was against him. He effectively blocked off traffic to an established store owner, [[Lafayette Bait), forcing the owner out of business. The list goes on and on, and I'm sure someone learned, like yourself, has read and heard all this time and time again. Eminent Domain was used to REMOVE Poletown Citizens, some, by the way, didn't have a pot to pee in, and to obtain the land. Mr. Moroun, and his bridge association STILL have their business, and are free to run it as they see fit. They will, however, no longer have a monopoly and be able to do want they want. Reading about Mr. Moroun, and his modus operandi, I, personally find it a bit hard to feel sorry for "the poor little rich kid".

Sorry HT I was using POS as a catch all from all the posts here, I was not trying to single you out. I never said poor little rich kid, and I would never feel sorry for him. And yes he can be brutal in business dealings.
You do not think the state/city has not looked at eminent domain to relieve Matty of his bridge? The only difference is Matty can put up a fight and the residents of Poletown did not have the resources. I bet there are several plans that have been proposed over the years. As for trying to rip the bridge out of his hands the Canadians have tried but he has been savvy enough to thwart their attempts.
So I guess the question is, its ok to destroy our heritage and build the Ford family their own bridge so Matty will not have a monopoly?
In all this why has state/city-Windsor/Canada never offered/negotiated[[as far as I know) to purchase the bridge from him thus ending the monopoly?

[p69rrh51]

so I need to talk to him before disapproving of the fact that he's a billionaire slumlord who lets the things he owns rot? you sound like Dennis rodman after getting back from North Korea.

ill be sure to chime in if you ever have a complaint to put your money where your mouth is. it's an easy way to avoid common sense or logical thought. I guess only Gilbert can complain about matty. good one.

So complaining without knowing the whole situation is ok? Talk about Dennis Rodman, one side is good enough and you just run with it. I would rather know the whole story first before flying off the handle.
Also why aren't you crying about the city that let's him get away with it? They are just as much to blame is his lack of maintainance.

[Wesley Mouch]

Whether Matty is a POS or not is only very slightly relevant. [[And I really encourage posters here to be more civilized. You may hate the man, but you degrade yourself when you share your hate crudely.)

Trade increases wealth. This has been true since the stone age.* Bridge increases trade. Its a public need. The current owner has not played well with others, so the need for public control to make trade efficient is necessary. This isn't about putting Matty out of business, and shouldn't be. All that matters is efficient trade to help US/Canada -- with some benefit to Detroit/Windsor by location.

[downtownguy]

Has anyone on here ever met the man? I have a feeling a miniscule percentage of the members of this forum have ever even seen him let alone talked with him, but everyone on here acts like they know him like they know their best friend. I would suggest at least talking to the man before you call him a POS.

<snip>

You could always purchase the bridge, train station, etc. and run them the way you see fit!

I have met him -- twice -- in social settings. And he was very charming. But his continued disdain for the city doesn't make me like him any better.

No, I can not purchase the bridge. Nor can probably anybody else on this forum. What a ridiculous statement. That is precisely why we have government -- to make sure he follows the same laws as everyone else.

[p69rrh51]

I have met him -- twice -- in social settings. And he was very charming. But his continued disdain for the city doesn't make me like him any better.

No, I can not purchase the bridge. Nor can probably anybody else on this forum. What a ridiculous statement. That is precisely why we have government -- to make sure he follows the same laws as everyone else.

Exactly! That statement highlights some of the other ridiculous statements.
So if we have this govt. to even things out why have they not done their jobs and why don't they just buy the bridge and put this problem to bed?

[Honky Tonk]

Exactly! That statement highlights some of the other ridiculous statements.
So if we have this govt. to even things out why have they not done their jobs and why don't they just buy the bridge and put this problem to bed?

Why would they? We've all seen the pictures of the bridge structure and the condition it's in. You keep implying the Government[[s) are somehow "taking away" his business forcibly and should compensate him for it. This is competition. He had his chance. Originally the Detroit Bridge Authority was chosen to oversee the project, and, I believe, the management of "the new bridge". Mr. Moroun did as he pleased to the point he was taken to court over it. I don't feel either government owes Mr. Moroun anything. If you still feel he's the victim, try forcibly closing off a public street or park for "security reasons", and see how far you get. I think he's been given a very wide berth, he keeps asking for a massage waterbed, IMO. Please don't take my rant personally.

[p69rrh51]

Why would they? We've all seen the pictures of the bridge structure and the condition it's in. You keep implying the Government[[s) are somehow "taking away" his business forcibly and should compensate him for it. This is competition. He had his chance. Originally the Detroit Bridge Authority was chosen to oversee the project, and, I believe, the management of "the new bridge". Mr. Moroun did as he pleased to the point he was taken to court over it. I don't feel either government owes Mr. Moroun anything. If you still feel he's the victim, try forcibly closing off a public street or park for "security reasons", and see how far you get. I think he's been given a very wide berth, he keeps asking for a massage waterbed, IMO. Please don't take my rant personally.

Yes we have seen the pictures of the bridge, I wonder if there is an engineering study of the "real" state of the bridge. Does anybody know? I have a feeling the structure is fine but as with all things Matty in need of maintenance. Part of the structure was designed by Wirt C. Rowland and as with the MCS its a little overbuilt. Again the state and everyone here wants him gone why not buy him out?
As I have stated he is not a victim! As for the forcibly closing off streets I have seen a few blocked off and many blocked off alleys in my routes around the city. Matty is not the only one, just the most visible. As for the park any loss of green space is a tragedy, what I was trying to spotlight that everyone looks the other way when it comes to Matty so we are about loose even more of our rich architectural heritage. What makes me really mad are many of the waterfront parks[[not including Belle Isle) are hardy utilized. We have these terrific open spaces on the river and nobody cares to use them.

[southen]

So complaining without knowing the whole situation is ok? Talk about Dennis Rodman, one side is good enough and you just run with it. I would rather know the whole story first before flying off the handle.
Also why aren't you crying about the city that let's him get away with it? They are just as much to blame is his lack of maintainance.

so what's the rest of the story? he bought the train station then forgot to maintain? get real. you don't need to talk to the man to comprehend what he is about. his actions do a fine job of that.

please don't confuse my disdain for moroun as some sort of endorsement for city government. your misunderstood billionaire argument is crap.