SilentKnight

No, it's not Detroit.

But it's close.

Our city is on the brink of bankruptcy.

All our major manufacturing jobs have evaporated years ago - primarily due to union greed (depending on who you ask). A large majority of residents are forced to commute to other cities for employment (many deal with a 3-hour round trip to Toronto each day).

And yet - despite our impending insolvency - our city just spent several million dollars repainting a 100-yr-old steel lift bridge over an unused recreational canal (the third Welland canal) - that no longer has to lift since no boats go through the waterway. Long past its prime - the bridge is an antiquated eyesore that instead should've been torn down and replaced with a modern structure long ago.

But the paint job was just the start. Now the city has approved $635,000 to light up this non-functioning bridge with computerized LED/digital lighting that can change funky colors (think 70s disco era). The original estimate for the lights less than a year ago was only $300k...less than half.

City council justifies the outrageous expenditure by calling the bridge "an iconic symbol of the city's history of shipping". They've spent millions painting an obsolete turd.

Next month we have municipal elections - mayor, city/regional councillors. Once again idiot voters will turn out to cast votes based on name recognition...as opposed to political track record. The cycle of retardation will continue.


/endcatharticrant