Feelings are tense all around.
CAW workers in the auto industry feel they are being blamed for all the ills that afflict General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.
Corporate executives are under the gun from both the U.S. and Canadian Governments to come up with viable business plans so they can access more tax dollars and keep their business going until things turn around.
These are not normal times. Everyone is looking for leadership from all quarters; we are even looking for leadership from the Windsor Star. This is as it should be and is certainly Fair Play, especially given the recent promises by Windsor Star Top Honcho Jim Venney and assistant top honcho Marty Beneteau. Who can forget their crocodile tears of last week. Check my post of April 11/09.
I wrote a post for my Fair Play blog this past Friday and suggested that Ken Lewenza and the CAW go along with the concessions. I also asked the Windsor Star management to use its considerable resources to better inform the residents of Windsor Essex on the financial capabilities of Fiat. We will see what happens.
In the middle of these tense negotiations the last thing we need is a cheap shot at the CAW or Ken Lewenza. But that is exactly what we got from the Windsor Star!! Ask yourself, how does this type of journalism help the situation or the Windsor Essex region.
The biggest surprise in all of this is that the cheap shot came from the Windsor Star Opinion-Editorial Cartoonist Mike Graston. Mike is usually pretty good and usually makes a contribution to the issues of the day.
But I am sorry, his cartoon which appeared in the Saturday April 18/09 edition of the Star was nothing more than a cheap shot and adds nothing to the important debate going on in our community. Lord knows many people disagree with CAW President Ken Lewenza. I disagree with Ken on a lot of things.
Plain and simple the Graston cartoon implies Ken does not care about the jobs of his membership and that Ken is only concerned with himself. That is just a bigggg truck load of B. S.
We expect and deserve more from the Windsor Star, especially during these difficult times.
