May 17th, 2011
After the weekend’s vote in favor of the new jail bond proposal, I must admit that I’m still unsure what to think. Local politics has certainly made some strange bedfellows. Much to my surprise, many people I know and respect in our area have come out in support of the modest tax increase in order to finally put the prison issue to rest. The new prison will cost thirty- five million, but proponents say that some of those costs can be made up by housing state and federal prisoners from outside our area.
Even Tyler’s budget hawks have been divided on the issue. The “Grassroots America” organization supported the measure, while the Tyler Tea Party opposed it. Personally I certainly recognize the need to ease prison overcrowding, but as a Tylerite, I can’t help but feel somewhat duped. Every time the city has pushed for some new bond or other, citizens have said “no we can’t afford it!” whether it was school bonds or the continually re-emerging issue of a new jail. Well, in the latter case persistence has finally paid off. I wish I could say that I trusted our local bureaucrats to take the most frugal approach with our money, but sorry to say, I just don’t.
At the end of the day the passing of the jail bond may not be entirely bad news. Certainly building the new jail will have positive implications, namely local jobs and fresh outside funds. But I’m concerned that every other local committee is going to employ the same kind of grind us down, tactics the pro-jail people used. My advice is this; keep your hand on your wallet folks! There are always going to be things we need to buy or build. But let’s prioritize. There’s nothing wrong with making do with less, now and again!
Tags: America Organization, Bad News, Bond Proposal, Bureaucrats, Citizens, Federal Prisoners, Hawks, Latter Case, Local Committee, New Bond, Persistence, Prioritize, Prison Issue, Prison Overcrowding, Proponents, School Bonds, Strange Bedfellows, Tea Party, Tyler Texas, Vote, Wallet
Posted in Tyler Businesses | No Comments »
March 24th, 2011
Jersey Mikes came to Tyler a few years back bringing high quality New Jersey style sandwiches with them. It did not take long for Tyler to welcome these uncharacteristically decent quality subs into the mouths of it’s small town. After years of picking through soggy string lettuce and Lunchable grade deli meats a consumer can all together forget the joy of basic well made ingredients and fresh vegetables.
At Jersey Mikes you can watch as fine selections of meat and cheese are sliced to your preference in a sanitary and efficient manner. When Jersey Mikes started in 1956 it was known for it’s friendly and genuine customer service making a point of mentioning the persistence of this attitude in the employment of their staff. Although the experience of my service at Jersey Mikes was in every way adequate and nonabrasive I did not notice any exceptional level of customer service.
However, customer service and serving the customer can be very different, Jersey Mikes has made a tremendous effort to benefit the local people to whom they offer fresh food through the marvelous community outreach projects that have been a part of the company ever since the present CEO Peter Cancro claimed ownership in 1972 as an ambitious seventeen year old high school student.
Motivation to support the local communities of jersey Mikes has only grown to take such considerate measures from giving to all of the extra-curricular programs of the recently effected school districts in his city, to teaming up with Wipe Out Kids Cancer to support pediatric cancer research. Jersey Mikes subs are well prepared and come from a supply of what I would call mid grade ingredients but better than subway.
From the way Jersey Mikes describes thier own sandwiches you would think they had discovered the essence of pure flavor through the paragon design of the sub sandwich. I’m not sure if I would go so far as to say such things as “it’s the best sub sandwich in the industry” quite a pretentious attitude for any restaraunt but it exemplifies a shallower and extremely common approach to self promotion held by businesses today who demand a flawless reputation before they have even made a good one.
Jersey Mikes may have a good reputation as humanitarians but sandwich wise they are in no place to honk their own sub horn, objective tasting judgement will easily designate these sandwiches as merely good tasting and well proportioned as opposed to the all powerful sandwich adonis tauted by Jersey Mikes marketing staff.
Tags: Cancro, Community Outreach Projects, Curricular Programs, Decent Quality, Deli Meats, Fresh Food, Genuine Customer Service, Grade Ingredients, Jersey Mike's Tyler TX, Jersey Mikes Subs, Jersey Style, Lettuce, Meat And Cheese, Mouths, Paragon Design, Pediatric Cancer Research, Persistence, Sandwiches, School Districts, Student Motivation, Tyler TX, Tyler TX fast food, Tyler TX sub sandwich shops
Posted in American Food, Restaurants | No Comments »
