Well, Obama won.  Some good news there.  Hopeful for the future of the US and Canada.  When I look back on 2008, all I see is loss,
both personally and in general.  I lost three friends to alcoholism in 2008.  Two are still living, but they're dead to me.  There comes a
time when one must walk away from someone who is hell-bent on self destruction.  Even the death of the third to cirrhosis did not
provide a needed wake-up call to others. As to the "in general" part of the year of loss a.k.a. 2008, there are so many losses in Fort
Erie: jobs, businesses, race track, hospital, and other intangibles.  Lost in all this is transparency in our local government; the trust of
those who care about this town; those who love our public beach and want it to stay that way; those who petitioned or expressed their
opinion and were not heard or even considered; and those who left the area permanently.  So much was discussed and decided behind
closed doors that many have simply given up. " What's the point?" they ask.  All the letters to the editor are widely discussed and
agreed with in the meeting places around town, but the letters and petitions do no good at all.  Case in point: the Mentholatum Building
lease that will eventually cost the taxpayers over half a million dollars.  The mayor and his cronies were bound and determined to lease
the building from the PBA and, despite all the negatives, went ahead and did just that. Meanwhile, there are dozens of suitable buildings
for sale or lease that would be less expensive to rehab, but it was a done deal long before the public even became aware of it.  The
race track closing is inevitable - unless some kind of miracle takes place. The Town Council is in chaos; battle lines are drawn; 5-2 is a
seemingly permanent tally on any important issue, yet most of the populace is in agreement with the two - not the five.  But the five vote
as a bloc and they rule, regardless of what the people want.  Of course, they say that the two are troublemakers who ask too many
questions.  And so, the voice of the people is unheeded and the show goes on.  And speaking of shows, the head of the EDTC, Jim
Thibert sure knows how to put on a show.  All he needs is a loud plaid suit and he could take his place among the great flim-flam men of
yore.  He has been able to sell the idea that a $2 Million cash advance will help build a resort-to-nowhere and somehow has been able
to dodge giving an accounting of what happened to the money.  He got an all-expense trip to Japan and Dubai and came back with
another racetrack-to-no-Nascar in the bargain.  He thinks that the people of Fort Erie should spend, spend, spend their way out of a
recession and the closure of one business leaves an opening for another to fill the gap.  Monumental loser in a losing situation.

Frankly, I'm getting sick of all the losses.  Does anyone else out there get upset that so much potential is being lost?  As the youth of
the area receive an education, they look for jobs anywhere else but Fort Erie.  Retirees are moving in from bigger cities, ready to settle
down in a quiet community and they're certainly getting it.  Other than the drone of tree strippers and bulldozers clearing land for more
housing units, there isn't a whole lot happening in Fort Erie.  Oh there's hockey at the big, beautiful and expensive Leisureplex; and
there's a plethora of restaurants and bars, most struggling to survive in hard times.  Small stores are falling victim to the box stores on
Garrison Road.  News that a mini mall will soon be built on Gorham Road near Dominion will further erode the downtown core of
Ridgeway.  But their loss is someone else's gain. Right? Even the mayor closed his downtown Ridgeway business.  Perhaps he knew
something the rest of us can only guess at.  The citizens are the last to know in this town.  And that's the greatest loss of all.
2008 The Year of Loss