"But We're Cats! We don't have thumbs!"

My cats favorite excuse why they can't do something, the dishes usually. I think the Winnipeg development has no thumbs. In another part of the article I mentioned yesterday: "Longtime North Ender Jeff Martens, (why is North Ender capitalized?) heads the District 6 Planning Council's land use committee and longs for the day when residents could buy everything they needed on Rice Street without driving out to a suburban mall."

Would he be against people driving in from suburban mall to shop on Rice Street? Those days are gone. The world beneath them no longer exists. My question about the Winnipeg, and its "6000 feet of commercial space that many hope spark a turnaround", will the people who live in the apartments ever be able to own them? If not, isn't this just old wine in new wineskins? "The apartments will be available (available?) to people who make 60% of less of the area's median income, and six units will be subsidized apartments for the homeless."

I would put people on a track toward owning these places. "All right. You've got five years. We're covering the down payment. Such and such amount of your rent goes for interest. So much for principle. You will begin paying this much. After five years, you will be paying this much more, and the subsidy will slowly fall to nothing. This is make or break, just like anyone else who's ever bought a home. We can give you this push start, but after that you will be on your own."

Who ever says, "Look at the beautiful apartment I don't have to pay full price for?" We say, "This is mine. I did it." What's wrong with that? The is a great difference between "restoring hope" and genuine achievement. Hope doesn't have thumbs.