Author Archives: hro50ta1

Fair to poor

Posted on February 6, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Fair to poor. That’s what I think of the February 5, 2010 Detroit Free Press editorial about the need for a new bridge across the Detroit River. By the way, those are the same words an engineering firm, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, future of newspapers, Joel's J School, Me & Matty | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Another auto bailout?

Posted on February 5, 2010 by hro50ta1

By J. P. Tappet JOTR Auto Writer Got a funny feelin’ ’bout this Toyota mess. Wonder if it ain’t another kinda bailout. Comin’ out now that the feds, i.e., the Highway Traffic Safety Administration, cut a deal with Toyota back … Continue reading →

Posted in Auto bailout, Cars | Leave a comment

Third-party scammers

Posted on February 4, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell If you get telephone service from ATT, better cast a wary eye over your bill. You might find what I found–phony charges. My January ATT bill contained more than my usual bill for phone and Internet connections. … Continue reading →

Posted in ATT & me, Bad government | Tagged , , | 30 Comments

Canada’s banks

Posted on February 2, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell I was pleased to see Nobel Prize-winning New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has discovered the benefits of banking in Canada. Finally. The rule here at JOTR is that we never gloat over other writers’ failings, since … Continue reading →

Posted in banks | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Sticky throttles or goofy electronics?

Posted on February 1, 2010 by hro50ta1

If we found anything, we would take appropriate action. But we continue to think it’s entirely unlikely that an electronic malfunction is the cause. — Mike Michels, Toyota spokesman By Joel Thurtell Think again, Toyota.  I had trouble with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cars | Leave a comment

Bush-butts on my nerves

Posted on January 30, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Peppermint Patti JOTR Columnist First things first, Sophie. It’s not true that they found me in the pound. I was a resident in the Humane Society, which is head and shoulders above the pound, thank you very much. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Peppermint Patti | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ka-ching! MT links $1.1 million from Matty to pols

Posted on January 28, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell The more people look, the more they find Manuel “Matty” Moroun, Michigan’s billionaire bridge-owner, handing out money to politicians. Often, his family and employees are the givers, but the effect is the same — an attempt at … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, Me & Matty | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Matty & money, again

Posted on January 28, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell The pixels were hardly dry on my recent post assigning kudos to The Detroit News for publicizing billionaire Matty Moroun’s largesse to key political and judicial people when reality arrived in the form of a corrective note … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, Me & Matty | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Best little political system Matty can buy

Posted on January 28, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Kudos to The Detroit News and reporter Tom Greenwood for their story today, January 28, 2010, about the influence-buying habits of billionaire Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel “Matty” Moroun. According to the News, in the past decade, Matty … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, Me & Matty | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Scraping ‘hope’ from rubble

Posted on January 22, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell One week after the disaster that left Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas in ruins, the toll on this country has been measured almost entirely in lives. But Haiti’s institutions, weak as they were, have been grievously wounded too. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, Joel's J School | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments