PYRAMIDS AND A FINGER TO THE WIND

A few days ago the Press splashed across its front page a big illustration of the planned expansion of the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.  That was to be expected as Press publisher Danny Gaydou routinely whores out his paper as a PR machine for the Amway clans whenever they have something to push.  (Click here and here for recent examples.)  What caught my eye was the design of the new building to be erected in front of the existing hospital atop Michigan Street hill.  It is crowned with a jarring glass pyramid soaring into the sky that would make the children’s hospital the highest building in Grand Rapids (because of its location at the top of the hill that is 120 feet above downtown).

How fitting for the pyramid-builders.  They tried it before.  Remember a couple years back the office tower that the DeVoses wanted to build on the Ellis parking lot located across from the new courthouse?  That was to be the tallest building in Grand Rapids.  Its design included a great pyramid atop it.  Don’t scoff that there’s no message in these designs.  When Amway founders Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel built the Amway Grand Plaza hotel twenty years, the design of that building had a message for Grand Rapids.  Not so odd considering that both were Masons.  These two hucksters often joked with Amway insiders that the oddly configured roofline of the hotel tower was an erect middle finger to us.

Over the past two decades Rich and Jay spread around a lot of cash in town to buy respect (plus a whole lot more, see “The Illusion of Wealth”.)  They needed it.  It’s seems to be forgotten the low opinion the denizens of River City used to have of them and their business.  Respectable institutions such as Calvin College would have nothing to do with them or their money.  The Federal Trade Commission nearly busted Amway as a pyramid scheme.  As late as 1985 the local U.S. Attorney nabbed them in a tax fraud involving Canadian customs.  We didn’t think highly of them, and Rich and Jay thought even less of us for it.

Since then, like the decrepit rulers of a declining empire, Rich and Jay have built their monuments to themselves (as always, with other people’s money) so that long after they have turned to dust edifices like the pyramid atop Michigan Street hill will remind us of who the kingpins were in River City.

Comments

[Bart Williams]

Ah, it's so refreshing to read the crazed, obsessive, hysterical output of a truly disturbed mind. One wonders when the feared Black Helicopters will make their appearance in "River City." Keep up the good work! I, and the thousands of other voices in your head, cheer you on!

Regards,
Bart Williams
Executive Director
The Thousands of Voices in Your Head

[The Executive Director]

Well, Bart, I note that you made up an e-mail address to post here, so I'll let our readers decide who deals in fantasy around here.

Regards,
Bill Tingley
Executive Director