Column for September 2, 2004
I think almost everyone who works for the government was a wash out in private business. For the most part if you are a super successful business person you are not going to quit a job you are succeeding at to work at some government job.
Like the guys on late night TV selling you a how to be a millionaire package. If they were really making millions they would not have time to sell tapes to tell you how to do it.
I think these government types enjoy seeing other people fail or at minimum they like to make it hard for them. The thinking being, if they couldn't make it, they want to see other people have a hard time too.
I have a friend of mine who used to build garages. He got tired of having to sell the jobs and collect the money, jumping though hoops, getting permits and inspections. So he got a job as a city building inspector so he can make it hard on home owners and other builders.
Now the City of Livonia is going to waste some more tax payers time and money over a 45 year old Big Boy statue. The thought is, the city is wasting, I mean spending, so much money on Plymouth Road they don't want to see the 1960s icon.
This coming form the city that built brick wall retainers, that will need maintenance, that looked so hard they had to plant flowers to cover them up. My thought is if you have to plant flowers in front of the wall why spend the money to build the wall?
City officials say signs at the entrances to the Big Boy restaurant on Plymouth and Farmington Roads violate city ordinances. They want signs that are lower to the ground. Who are they? Signs lower to the ground? I can almost grantee the people who dream up these ordinances have failed at some time in the private sector, have a chip on their shoulder and to much time on their hands.
Sad to hear of the passing of Leon Hugo Kohls. The Farmington Hills resident died of pulmonary embolism at Botsford General Hospital. He was 70. Mr. Kohls, an architect was former president of the Farmington Hills Optimist Club. Severed on the board of directors for the Chamber of Commerce was a member of the Beautification Committee and the Historical Committee and was former director of the Longacre House.
To contact Ben E. call 313 730-1627 via e-mail benejets@aol.com and for information on the band see www.bennyandthejets.com.