jcj

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 7:33 p.m.

This will be my last post on the matter since I am monopolizing the conversation. I assumed you worked in an ER Detroit "Having just driven I-94 west from the Detroit area" I would agree that in A2 we have some of the finest medical facilities available. But how many doctor do you know that have lost their homes? My point about the medical profession was more to drive home the point that it is usually best to leave some things to the professionals. The one major exception would be professional politicians. I suspect we are not that far apart on some issue, but it is too easy to point the finger at the road crew for cutbacks in plowing. Just like its easy to point the finger at doctors for an increase in health care cost. There are reasons for both and it is not all the fault of the road commission and it is not all the fault of the doctors. The county crews hit the roads at 4 am every time there is a significant snow. This usually gives them time to have them in decent shape by 7am. It did not take long to find these. ER Doctor Steals Rolex leaves patient to Die -http://stanford.wellsphere.com/healthcare-industry-policy-article/main-dies-in-philadelphia-hospital-er-room-watch-stolen-while-waiting-to-get-help/901035 "NEW YORK (CNN) -- Esmin Green died in a drab hospital gown, facedown on a waiting room floor, apparently ignored by hospital staff for more than an hour. http://talk.polkmoms.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/5811087796/m/3151053437 A Dallas man, died at Parkland Memorial Hospital emergency room after waiting nearly 19 hours for treatment. http://www.dallasfortworthinjurylawyer.com/2008/10/dallas_man_dies_while_waiting_at_parkland_er.html CORPUS CHRISTI The mother of a man who died of a swine flu-related illness said her son was asked to leave a Texas hospital a day before his death because he was lying on the floor, too ill to sit in a chair. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6658496.html I could also have predicted accidents this morning but my reasoning would have been a little different. Most fools will not slow down! "And why is the City of Ann Arbor going ahead with ridiculous spending projects when the streets of Ann Arbor are so slippery? Is the sculpture going to save lives?" I am with you on this one!!

annarbor28

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 5:08 p.m.

As to plowing driveways and clearing sidewalks, mine have been shoveled since 8am, how does this make me or other hospital workers a hypocrite? Sorry jcj, can't figure out how you have made that correlation? Do you have some nurses on your block who give you snow problems????

annarbor28

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 5:04 p.m.

I realize that many of you hold grudges against doctors and nurses, but suffice it to say that I have never known a doctor who took 3 months off a year. I don't think that there has ever been a patient left to die from neglect in and ER in Ann Arbor (please send a link if so). You may be interested to know that there are huge cuts in Medicare coming in just a few days, and there have already been drastic cuts. So you will be seeing less staffing overall in ERs and hospitals. That will increase your wait time, unless you are having a major event such as a heart attack or stroke. Where does healthcare money go? Not to doctors, nurses and techs in ERs, but to the billions of dollars in profits that insurance companies make a year. As to public sector jobs, I am not sure what was mentioned in any of my posts about these jobs. I would be very happy to have a public sector job, because there is a lot more security than a hospital job, as many of these are being phased out due to the Medicare cuts.

KS

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 4:09 p.m.

My own 2 cents, which I recognize doesn't go far these days, is that when I am in Ann Arbor, the roads are awful. When I lived in Scio, I could count that when I crossed Maple, the roads would be terrible. Now I am in the city and when I leave for my commnute out of the city, I know that as soon as I get outside of Ann Arbor, and then Washtenaw county, the roads will improve dramatically. My own anecdotal evidence has never been wrong. Other people's experience may be different, but that's mine and that sounds like it's the experience of at least one other person posting on this story.

jcj

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 4:03 p.m.

It just dawned on me since there are persons that would pretend to know better than the workers that have done snowplowing all their lives. And in the last few years with a limited budget! Maybe I could make a few suggestions. It would be nice if the first question out of their mouths was what's wrong instead of what insurance do you have!!! It would seem to me that when I go a health care professional they could better serve me if: They could see that I am the one that is most in need of care. That they wouldn't leave me sitting in a room for 20 min before seeing me. That they would give me a discount when they are late. That they would not ignore someone in the emergency room that is in obvious need of care. That there would be no more persons dying in an ER waiting room because of neglect. That doctors would not make enough money to take 3 months off in a year. That nurses would not have such a sour look on their faces most of the time.

jcj

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 3:47 p.m.

I would suggest persons in health care stick to what they know! While I know that there are many people out at night that have to work. I also know that many of the people out after midnight have been out partying. And most of those are not going to let a bad forecast ruin their party plans! I had asked if those complaining are ready to shell out more tax money? No Answer. I am acutely aware of the plow drivers schedule since my son drives one. He does not make the decision about when he plows he just plows as best he can with the crazies out on the road! He has had semis run into the back of his plow truck. He has had drunks run into the back of his plow truck. But most drivers don't give the road worker a second thought unless their road is not plowed. The ones doing the most complaining do not have a clue except they want what THEY want without paying for it!!! Most of them cannot handle plowing their own drive and are probably the ones who's sidewalks are the last ones done. Hypocrites! Stop all the waste in government and their might be enough money to have crews out when there is 1/2 of snow on the roads! But as long as every one has their own little pet project that they think is more important than others there will be shortages for the real needs.

Mark Cornwell

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 3:44 p.m.

Correct me if I am wrong but wasn't annarbor28 also trying to say that he would never want that type of public sector job because it is a "lose-lose" proposition? I work with road agencies across the state and am well acquainted with how dismal their financial situations are. Does anyone know when the last gas tax increase was? It was 1997 putting us way down the list of the 50 states in regards to funding road maintenance. Since then just about every material they use in their job has increased far in excess of the inflationary pressures most of us face. Many materials are up over 100% just since 2005(salt and asphalt). Over the last 30 years we have also been living an experiment whereby the road agencies, trying their best to comply with increasing public expectations, continued to increase the use of salt. Now, public expectations, which in my mind are unrealistic in light of our current financial disaster, have created an unsustainable course. You see, the cost of a ton of salt is only its nominal cost(around $50.00 in Michigan)but its hidden costs could be in excess of 10 times that amount. Do the math statewide at nearly 2 million tons at $500.00 per ton and then add inflation to each year for 10 years and you'll see a pretty big number. But of course that number is in someone elses budget. I would argue that that problem has already "come home to roost". Now, think for a moment and your stuck in a traffic jam 5 miles long, its 90 degrees and up ahead there is a bridge or some other type of road re-construction? No one thinks about their unrealistic demand for regular mobility during a snow storm being correlated to the orange (and costly) barrels in the summer. Yes, road salt rapidly depreciates investment in infrastructure and we have borrowed money well into the future to fix what we have. Does anyone think we still have a long way to go to fix our road infrastructure? With little to no money? This type of road repair is taking the lion's share of our available finances leaving proper maintenance funding shorted. Before one criticizes another they should at a minimum, try to walk in their shoes by gaining a little more knowledge about the challenges they face. And in the meantime....slow the hell down...when you are driving too fast for conditions you are endangering the rest of us trying to be sensible. When you lose control of your vehicle you slow things up for us worse than the snow. It's winter, and its Michigan....live with it!

annarbor28

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 12:10 p.m.

The plows did not start at midnight, there was NO evidence of any plowing or salting for 50 miles. That is absurd to suggest that I stay over and work for free, when tired, after a 12 hour shift, when I am due back 12 hours later, with no place to sleep at a hospital. You do not want exhausted health care workers taking care of you. I am not suggesting that A2 is responsible for I-94. I think that all of the various jurisdictions need to take more responsibility to prevent accidents. Starting earlier would benefit everyone. I hope that you have the same suggestion for the rest of the world who work 9am-5pm: to sleep at work tonight? stay home when it snows? That's absurd. I pay 40% of my salary for taxes, and I expect decent services. I do NOT need sculpture or a new conference center. I need passable streets, police and firefighters. By the way, because I work these hours, I have a TRUCK that gets through anything, as do many of my coworkers. I am speaking of others with small, "green" cars.

johnnya2

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 11:35 a.m.

The plows were out.Just because YOU didn't see them does not mean they weren't out. The snowfall was very heavy and even if the entire department was out they could not keep up with it. You also need a little civics lesson as to who is responsible for what. The city is responsible for city streets. COUNTIES take care of interstates,. which has nothing to do with the Ann Arbor city budget. I also find it interesting that it was necessary for you to get home after your shift, when the people who are the snow plow drivers have to be on call in case of a storm. Why couldn't you wait at work until they had cleared the streets more? Oh thats right, the rest of us should pay so YOU can leave your job right away. In fact, if you are in health care, why didn't you stick around in case there were accidents that needed some assistance. Maybe you like to pontificate, but don't want to look at facts, people drive too fast in their SUV;s thinking snow does not effect them. People have always died in snow related crashes. I suggest people who want to be out on the roads when it is snowy out SLOW DOWN. Take some responsibility for your life. The state is not responsible for your poor driving habits. Remember what the law is regarding travel speeds, keeping your car under control based on conditions. If that means 2 MPH, then do it.

A2voter

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 11:16 a.m.

Ah, once again, someone living in a sheltered little box forgets the existance of the MIDNIGHT SHIFT!! The average Mon-Fri 8-5 worker continually fails to recognize that there are real people out there who DONT work 8-5, real live people with a need to SAFELY get to and from their jobs when the rest of you are warm and sound asleep -and many of those people trying to get to work at off times risk their lives and property (personal vehicles)to protect and save YOU during the night. AnnArbor28 I agree with you, and have felt for a long time that there is not enough accountability regarding those responsible repeatedly failing to keep our roads safe for passage. Why on earth are we taxpayers allowing this to happen? There are plenty of people willing and able to do a better job.

annarbor28

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 10:54 a.m.

You can have the plows and ice trucks out earlier, and not wait until the snow has fallen. That does not require extra drivers or plows, just extra brains to figure out that you clear the roads before they get bad and filled up with vehicles. this morning at MN-2m would have been the perfect time to start. It used to be that way in Michigan. Putting up with accidents and loss of life is not acceptable in this climate when so much of this is preventable. They used to salt BEFORE it got so bad, and plow prior to there being 4-6 inches already on the ground. It will be acceptable until a relative dies in a car crash on ice.

Jake C

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 10:37 a.m.

Unfortunately, a city's snow removal program almost always gets the short end of the stick when it comes to public opinion. You can't make 30 new snowplows and trained drivers appear out of thin air, so if you get a massive snowstorm, there's nothing to do but make the most out of what you've got. Ann Arbor can plan years in advance for occasionally heavy snowfalls which may never come, in which case the public will be furious that you have a huge snow removal budget during a winter where we only got a few minor snowfalls and "those fat cats in city hall wasted all this taxpayer money". Or you have a relatively frugal budget, and the public whines and complains that their roads aren't plowed good enough, and the existing snowplow drivers just aren't working hard enough. Or even that when snowplows are working at 100% efficiency, people drive too close behind a salt truck and wind up with cracks in their windshield from bouncing salt, and sue the city.... It's a lose-lose battle, and it's the kind of thing that makes me never want to get into public service.

annarbor28

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 10:31 a.m.

That's the time I get off work, as do many others who work saving lives. There are day shifts and night shifts, and early morning and early evening shifts. We do not leave work at 5 pm so that all of you folks are unattended, as healthcare is 24 hours. Ditto for police, fire, EMTs, prison facilities, etc. Even the snowplow teams need to get to work. I doubt there were many joy riders on I-94 at 2am last night. I am saying that MN to 2am was when the crews needed to start working last night, because as empty as the roads are at 1am, they will be predictably be full by about 7am and it is harder to play catch-up with salting and plowing. The people I know who are on the highways in the middle of the night in a snow storm are not cruising, they have to get somewhere for work.

jcj

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 10:16 a.m.

annarbor28 I agree that we need to spend less on ridiculous projects. However are you ready to shell out your portion for the plows to be out from start to finish because there are so many careless or unqualified drivers. Maybe people should stay home instead of being out at 2am when this type of weather is predicted.

annarbor28

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 10:07 a.m.

I posted this elsewhere on annarbor.com at 2 am this am, predicting the crashes. I am not gloating about being right, but this is a snowy area, and there have to be public resources and funding put towards snow removal. There needs to be clearing and salting of roads from the beginning of the storm. There are predictable accidents, injuries and deaths from snow and ice. Otherwise, if they can't clear it, shut everything whenever there is more than 3 inches of snow. But ambulances and firetrucks will still need to get through, so really the local and state governments need to be responsible and channel more resources to snow and ice removal. This whole state of affairs is not acceptable. Take the sculpture money and use it for a plowing fund. From 2 am today: Having just driven I-94 west from the Detroit area, I can report that there were NO snowplows or salt trucks out, except one going away from Ann Arbor on 23. It is a mess, and impassable for some of the cars who were pulled over both on the highway and on Ann Arbor streets. Where is the tax/stimulus money to help us through the winter? How many people will be hurt tomorrow in accidents? How much more will we pay in insurance premiums due to the predictable accidents tonight and tomorrow? And why is the City of Ann Arbor going ahead with ridiculous spending projects when the streets of Ann Arbor are so slippery? Is the sculpture going to save lives?