Comments on: End of Road for County Transit Effort?

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 17:13:10 +0000

Re (25) Welcome back to the fold. And thanks for the kind words in my direction.

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By: Observatory

Observatory — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 15:04:08 +0000

Fair criticism … I admit it I was a bung hole I was contemptuous … I hear ‘ya …. I am chastened … I am heartened the quality and salinity of your defense of the D&M crew …. I must confess i was suffering from hunger and frustration when I posted … it’s probably not important to you but it had been a day filled with frustrations… and i am not comfortably well off as many of you here if you are circumspect and broadmindedly honest … ARE … you are comfortable …… financially … property taxes are not a hardship for you… health care is provided for you … income is perhaps a matter of going to the mailbox for you… I don’t know this but if it is true for you … trust me that it is NOT true for me…. and good for you…. anyway it had for me been a bad day and I was grouchy …. hypoglycemic …. please forgive me … i feel like i am being rightly obsequious before a group of elders… who have rightly scolded me… I admit it … I was wrong …. … please be kind as you accept or reject my presence

Meanwhile back at the ranch … have a legitimate viewpoint. I am a real person….It isn’t very nice …and it is falsehood….to say I watch Foxnews…… if this is an honest give and take .,, let’s be fair I am not a name caller. I will not lower myself to it …. I am not perfect…. I admit it ,,,,, I am an bridge builder , at the very ery very least a bridge builder wannabe … you call me names … be dismissive as i was perhaps guilty of being dismissive MEA CULPA … that is your business ,,,, I crae about America ,,, I care about A2 … I am a homeowner and a believer ….. that it is critical we recognize we’re in the same boat together .. we must row together we must bail together. I welcome being part of the solution. I like Cahill I like Armentrout. I like others … but these two stand out as beacons. I really really like Dave and Mary. Most definitely.

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By: anna ercoli schnitzer

anna ercoli schnitzer — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 11:19:39 +0000

Observatory may well be “trolling” as Rod #23 puts it so well, but this gives me a chance to make my own observation, which is that Mary and Dave come as close to perfection in what they do as is humanly possible. We are extraordinarily lucky to have The Ann Arbor Chronicle. All that is needed is OUR support!

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By: Rod Johnson

Rod Johnson — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 02:55:04 +0000

Observatory is trolling. No need to give him/her the attention hs/she is seeking.

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By: Jack Eaton

Jack Eaton — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 20:39:04 +0000

Re (18), Observatory, if you came here for opinions, you are in the wrong place. Try a Fox News outlet or something. The Chronicle chokes back their contempt of the contemptible and withholds their admiration of the admirable to provide in depth, accurate information. Most of us who come here are capable of forming our own opinions and don’t need the press to provide one for us.

Thanks Mary and Dave. Hope you get a chance to catch up on your sleep.

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By: David Cahill

David Cahill — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 18:22:14 +0000

It seems that Observatory needs some help with his/her/its observations. I have never seen a more accurate source of news than the Chronicle. It is up to national standards. Thankfully for us, the Chronicle is staying local.

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By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 16:32:47 +0000

Observatory, you are obviously not a fan. You have now written two dismissive comments about the Chronicle (and, I gather, its regular readers and commenters come in for some of the disdain).

But I vigorously disagree with your assessment. The Ann Arbor Chronicle is a treasure for our community. It is practically the sole source of comprehensive information about what is happening in our government.

The role of the publication is not to “advocate for the people”, though I enjoy the occasional column (opinion). It is accurate, complete reporting, and succeeds well at that. The fact that they accept advertisements from legitimate public institutions is not contradictory to that. They don’t take political advertisements, a policy they put into place early on. They are as level and fair as is humanly possible.

They have also provided an invaluable archive and history. One council member has said she turns first to the Chronicle when she needs to look something up. Their habit of providing links to important documents is marvelously useful for those of us who like to follow subjects closely.

I’ll send in another check today. Thanks for the reminder.

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By: James

James — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 16:21:21 +0000

How much has been dumped into WALLY as well? It is only common sense that rural public transit will fail. If the townships and outlying communities would like routes that connect their communities to AATA, they should do the planning and come up with the tax dollars for the expanded service. Why Ann Arbor is taking the lead on rural transit services is head scratching.

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By: Observatory

Observatory — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 16:00:22 +0000

The Chronicle great as it and it is great and founded and stewarded by wonderful and great people is not, because of its choice of its business model, IS NOT able to advocate for ‘the people.’ This is sad.

But true.

By accepting AATA advertising along with all the rest of Ann Arbor’s governmental and green industrial complex advertising as the Chronicle’s bread and butter The Chron is beholden FIRST to boondoggles like the AATA and the insiders doing the boondoggling… and NOT to the citizens of Ann Arbor.

The dear old Chron is the politician’s lapdog … not the people’s watchdog. It is like a high school yearbook published for the consumption of and to endear yourselves to the current class of Ann Arbor’s governing elite.

Oh well at least it’s locally owned and operated.

Of and for and about the mayor … his appointees … and the whole damn stinking mess of the people’s republic of ann arbor … god bless their little hearts. The Chron is just part and parcel … a slice of carrot in the stew pot.

Hint: they ain’t got ‘yer back.

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By: Tom Whitaker

Tom Whitaker — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 15:12:01 +0000

Following up on (15)…At the same time, whether it’s by millage, point of service agreements, or some other funding mechanism, AATA needs to assure Ann Arbor’s millage-paying taxpayers that others brought in to the system are paying an amount that covers the true cost of providing the service, including overhead, maintenance, and regular replacement/addition of buses.

This whole scheme reminds me of our compost and recycling operations, where Ann Arbor residents have paid millions for the purchase of assets such as trucks, processing equipment, and facilities such as the single-stream MRF. Then, the private companies hired to operate these Ann Arbor assets are encouraged to take on materials from other communities. I wonder if those communities are paying enough to cover the full cost of operations including the wear and tear on our assets, or are we simply subsidizing services for other communities, allowing the private operators to profit at our expense?

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