Will there be more Mayor Ford's appearing across Canada?

[guyser]

Of course I can... I am not going to be affected by a transit strike in Toronto. You are exaggerating the effects of a strike to attempt to justify them as an essential service. No one here is affected if a butterfly flaps its wings in T.O.

We've been kibbitzing back and forth on this, but the fact remains that with 6 -7M people trying to move around, and in goods being transported , a transit strike can effect far more than just TO.

Yeah, maybe not Vanc Il but plenty of other places will be .

When something affects 3M people in a negative way, it is a classio 'essential service"

By any chance are you a union guy?

[The_Squid]

We've been kibbitzing back and forth on this, but the fact remains that with 6 -7M people trying to move around, and in goods being transported , a transit strike can effect far more than just TO.

Yeah, maybe not Vanc Il but plenty of other places will be .

When something affects 3M people in a negative way, it is a classio 'essential service"

By any chance are you a union guy?

So not the whole country then... that was just hyperbole...

No, I am not in a union. I contract my services as a biological consultant. i.e. if there is a government strike, I stand to lose out on some business from those clients (not my only clients though). But I wouldn't die... so they are not an essential service even though I would hurt financially from a strike.

And a transit strike would not put a stop to the flow of goods out of Toronto. There are other modes of transport other than public transit. If the buses aren't running that doesn't mean that goods aren't moving. This is simply more hyperbole.

Edited December 30, 2010 by The_Squid

[guyser]

So not the whole country then... that was just hyperbole...

No, I am not in a union. I contract my services as a biological consultant. i.e. if there is a government strike, I stand to lose out on some business from those clients (not my only clients though). But I wouldn't die... so they are not an essential service even though I would hurt financially from a strike.

And a transit strike would not put a stop to the flow of goods out of Toronto. There are other modes of transport other than public transit. If the buses aren't running that doesn't mean that goods aren't moving. This is simply more hyperbole.

[jbg]

If it can happen in Toronto is there hope for other left leaning ndp dominated cities across canada to elect a mayor who wants to live within our means? Or will it only happen in provinces that achieve massive deficits like Ontario is achieving now?

Do we need to be facing bankruptcy before electing someone like mayor Ford? Here in Halifax we are running massive provincial deficits and debts, tax rates are high, the private sector is fleeing our province and politicans are still spending like drunken sailors with no end in sight (or as they like to call is 'stimulus projects' or 'revitalization projects'), do we need to get closer to bankruptcy before changing our ways and trying to live in an economically sustainable manner?

In the U.S. we have a similar pattern.

Many states that vote Democratic and have huge enrollment numbers for the Democrats regularly elect Republican governors or mayors. New York and California are leading examples. New York last voted for a Republican Presidential candidate in 1984 and California in 1988. Both have had Republican leadership at least half the time since those years on a State basis, and New York City, the bluest of blue areas, has had a Republican mayor since 1994, and from 1984 to 1989 a conservative Democrat.

When entities can't run deficits people vote for fiscal sanity. When they can run deficits voters want Santa Claus.

[Black Dog]

In the U.S. we have a similar pattern.

Many states that vote Democratic and have huge enrollment numbers for the Democrats regularly elect Republican governors or mayors. New York and California are leading examples. New York last voted for a Republican Presidential candidate in 1984 and California in 1988. Both have had Republican leadership at least half the time since those years on a State basis, and New York City, the bluest of blue areas, has had a Republican mayor since 1994, and from 1984 to 1989 a conservative Democrat.

When entities can't run deficits people vote for fiscal sanity. When they can run deficits voters want Santa Claus.

The hilarious thing is that, time and time again, those right-leaning types promising fiscal restraint inevitably prove to be far more prolifigate than any "tax and spend" liberal. I fully expect that to be the case here in T.O.

[bloodyminded]

This is the law here in Hamilton. I can't think of anything more cruel and anti-business, at least at the moment!

There are a LOT of small businesses hanging on by their fingernails in this city! Many of them are staffed by just the owner and perhaps a member or two of their family. There are a lot of variety stores where you see the same guy behind the counter no matter what time of day or night you go in. I've gone into some stores and found the guy napping behind the counter. I feel for them!

So some monkeyshines decides to spray paint graffiti on his outside walls! He calls the cops. They don't do anything, of course. They don't prevent the spray painting and they don't catch the perp afterwards either.

What DOES happen is that in a few days a bylaw officer informs the owner that he has to clean up the spray painting HIMSELF or the city will make HIM pay for it!

And he better be quick about it, too!

Talk about making someone a victim, twice! You'd almost think the city thinks its all HIS fault!

What a cruel and heartless attitude to the "little guy" who's just trying to make a living to feed his kids, while paying his taxes.

Meanwhile, business keeps leaving Hamilton and new business avoids coming here. Go figure!

Good point.

This is a case of what appears to most people to be a good idea--"getting rid of unsightly graffiti"--being turned into an unreasonable (and untenable) approach to the issue.

Shoplifting is a bad thing.

Require business owners to personally incarcerate shoplifters!

Problem solved!

[Keepitsimple]

Here's a great example of how Toronto has devolved into fiscal entitlement and irresponsibility......yet how a Lefty media outlet like The Star continues to support that attitude. The Toronto Library board has asked for a 3.3 percent increase to their operating budget. The city has agreed to 2%. With inflation running at less than 1% - that seems more than reasonable. Yet take a look at how The Star has portrayed the two percent increase. Is it any wonder that citizens are fed up?

A downtown library and money for new collections are all on the chopping block under Mayor Rob Ford’s $2.2 million proposed cuts to the city’s library budget.

.............

The library board had asked for $173 million or a 3.3 per cent budget increase from 2010. Despite the recommended cuts, the overall budget still represents a 2 per cent rise over the previous year.

Link: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/914396--downtown-library-branch-threatened-with-closure

[nicky10013]

Here's a great example of how Toronto has devolved into fiscal entitlement and irresponsibility......yet how a Lefty media outlet like The Star continues to support that attitude. The Toronto Library board has asked for a 3.3 percent increase to their operating budget. The city has agreed to 2%. With inflation running at less than 1% - that seems more than reasonable. Yet take a look at how The Star has portrayed the two percent increase. Is it any wonder that citizens are fed up?

Link: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/914396--downtown-library-branch-threatened-with-closure

I think you misread. Despite the 2% increase, they won't be using the extra money to buy more books and will actually be closing a library downtown. Seems ludicrous, no?

[punked]

I thought Toronto was as tree hugging, left leaning, al gore supporting friendly as you can get and he won there on fiscal restraint and pro-car agenda?

If it can happen in Toronto is there hope for other left leaning ndp dominated cities across canada to elect a mayor who wants to live within our means? Or will it only happen in provinces that achieve massive deficits like Ontario is achieving now?

Do we need to be facing bankruptcy before electing someone like mayor Ford? Here in Halifax we are running massive provincial deficits and debts, tax rates are high, the private sector is fleeing our province and politicans are still spending like drunken sailors with no end in sight (or as they like to call is 'stimulus projects' or 'revitalization projects'), do we need to get closer to bankruptcy before changing our ways and trying to live in an economically sustainable manner?

Wow someone is paying fast and lose with the facts aren't they? Seriously after all the half truths in your post why would anyone think you know anything about anything?

Lets start with this gem:

"If it can happen in Toronto is there hope for other left leaning ndp dominated cities across canada to elect a mayor who wants to live within our means?"

You mean those whole 2 seats out of what 50 seats in Toronot? Yah very NDP dominated there buddy.

Then we can move on to this one:

"Here in Halifax we are running massive provincial deficits and debts, tax rates are high, the private sector is fleeing our province and politicans are still spending like drunken sailors with no end in sight (or as they like to call is 'stimulus projects' or 'revitalization projects')"

Your Mayor that Kelly guy is a Conservative. Your council is dominated by conservatives and out of 20 some odd seats 3 of them are progressive NDP types. I agree though those horrible conservatives are running that city into the ground.

Lets move onto your massive provincial deficits comment. You have an NDP government for what a year and a half? The last budget was a CONSERVATIVE ONE which had something like a 800 million dollar deficit in it. However after cutting all departments by 5% upping the hst the NDP are ACTUALLY POSTING A 100 MILLION SURPLUS this year. They are taking it all and putting on the debt which was run up by get this Conservatives and Liberals.

Yah you clearly know nothing about politics, you know nothing about your city and you know nothing about your province. You don't understand what actually being fiscally conservative means and really ignore everything that has happened not only in the last year but just overall period.

[bloodyminded]

You mean those whole 2 seats out of what 50 seats in Toronot? Yah very NDP dominated there buddy.

I've heard about that sinister "NDP domination" here in New Brunswick as well.

They're so dominant, they've concealed their dominance behind zero seats here. Pretty sneaky!

[jbg]

I think you misread. Despite the 2% increase, they won't be using the extra money to buy more books and will actually be closing a library downtown. Seems ludicrous, no?

Yeah. Where's that money going?

[Scotty]

Transit is NOT an essential service, like ambulances or policing. THat's a ridiculous notion.

In a city the size of Toronto no transit means many people can't work, and business can't get its employees to work, therefore business shuts down. That makes it essential to the city to have public transit.

[M.Dancer]

Transit is NOT an essential service, like ambulances or policing. THat's a ridiculous notion.

No one dies from missing a bus. People are inconvenienced, which is exactly the goal of a strike. Inconvenience does not equal essential. Hopefully there is a labour-relations board that can strike down this ridiculous idea. (although I don't live or visit Toronto, so I really don't care either way...)

No...no one dies, the nurse is late for her shift, the office worker is fired, the kids miss school...

[JB Globe]

No...no one dies, the nurse is late for her shift, the office worker is fired, the kids miss school...

You realize that essential services workers all get paid essential service salaries, and they're always higher than their non-essential counterparts.

So I don't see how this is going to save any money.

Edited January 4, 2011 by JB Globe

[Keepitsimple]

I think you misread. Despite the 2% increase, they won't be using the extra money to buy more books and will actually be closing a library downtown. Seems ludicrous, no?

Yes it is ludicrous....but I didn't mis-read it. The Star still seems to be buckled at the knees and continues to try to bash Ford and put him in as poor a light as possible. The story is about "Ford's Cuts" when in fact there is indeed a 2% increase.....so to keep with this thread's storyline - if media like The Star keep pounding away at Ford, the silent majority who elected him will continue to create a backlash that will find it's way to McGuinty's doorstep - where it is already lurking. In defense of the MSM, it seems that The Star is the only one who has lacked the grace to accept Rob Ford as mayor. As for other cities, I don't believe the Ford phenomenon will have much effect. Toronto is somewhat unique (for the most part) with it's propensity to hand out grants, feed the homeless industry, cowtow to the unions, bash the police, and refuse to truly amalgamate the city. Cities have their own character so I don't think the copycat approach would work.

[Michael Hardner]

cowtow to the unions, bash the police,

Funny you should put those two together. Does the city cowtow to the police union ? Will Rob Ford do so ?

[nicky10013]

Yes it is ludicrous....but I didn't mis-read it. The Star still seems to be buckled at the knees and continues to try to bash Ford and put him in as poor a light as possible. The story is about "Ford's Cuts" when in fact there is indeed a 2% increase.....so to keep with this thread's storyline - if media like The Star keep pounding away at Ford, the silent majority who elected him will continue to create a backlash that will find it's way to McGuinty's doorstep - where it is already lurking. In defense of the MSM, it seems that The Star is the only one who has lacked the grace to accept Rob Ford as mayor. As for other cities, I don't believe the Ford phenomenon will have much effect. Toronto is somewhat unique (for the most part) with it's propensity to hand out grants, feed the homeless industry, cowtow to the unions, bash the police, and refuse to truly amalgamate the city. Cities have their own character so I don't think the copycat approach would work.

All of this IS garbage. He DID cut. What's the point of a budget increase period if he's not going to buy more books and actually close a library?

You can talk about silent majorities and the big scary liberal elite, but the stuff he's doing just doesn't make sense. He's going to save the city money by slashing taxes across the board and then spending 10 million on hiring 100 new police officers. He's going to save the city budget by cancelling transit city at the cost of 500 million in cancellation fees while building a subway to no where at twice the price. He's going to end a "war on the car" that was never being waged to begin with.

Nothing the man has promised has made any sense at all and if you weren't so blinded by conservative wet dream appeal, you'd realize that as well. It's not the fault of the Star for covering this nonsense, it's the fault of Ford and the fault of people like you who eat this stupid shit up.

[Black Dog]

Yes it is ludicrous....but I didn't mis-read it. The Star still seems to be buckled at the knees and continues to try to bash Ford and put him in as poor a light as possible. The story is about "Ford's Cuts" when in fact there is indeed a 2% increase.

Actually the real story is that Ford's guarantee that services won't be affected by his austerity measures is already proving to be a load of horseshit.

Oh and by the way, Canada's inflation rate is 2 per cent, so the library budget increase isn't an increase at all.

if media like The Star keep pounding away at Ford, the silent majority who elected him will continue to create a backlash that will find it's way to McGuinty's doorstep - where it is already lurking

The silent majority didn't elect Rob Ford. They didn't elect anyone: that's why they are silent.

In defense of the MSM, it seems that The Star is the only one who has lacked the grace to accept Rob Ford as mayor.

Yeah, the media should realize their job is to fall in line behind our obese overlord.

Toronto is somewhat unique (for the most part) with it's propensity to hand out grants, feed the homeless industry, cowtow to the unions, bash the police, and refuse to truly amalgamate the city.

I don't even know where to begin with this crap, but I'm most interested in hearing more about this refusal to amalgamate the city. I assume it's code for "screw the downtown; all power to the suburbs!"

Edited January 4, 2011 by Black Dog

[nicky10013]

Actually the real story is that Ford's guarantee that services won't be affected by his austerity measures is already proving to be a load of horseshit.

Yup. TTC Service cuts coming down the pipe in 2011.

http://stevemunro.ca/?p=4719

[Michael Hardner]

Steve Munro, again....

[M.Dancer]

Steve Munro, again....

And that means what exactly?

[Michael Hardner]

And that means what exactly?

Web page journalist with his ear to the tracks, unlike the sedentary Star reporters who sit by the phone stuffing their mouths with goo. I speak metaphorically of course.

[pfezziwig]

Your Mayor that Kelly guy is a Conservative. Your council is dominated by conservatives and out of 20 some odd seats 3 of them are progressive NDP types. I agree though those horrible conservatives are running that city into the ground.

You must have a great insider source or be listening to someone who's been smoking some awesome wacky tobacky, I'ld love to hear Peter Kelly inform us he's a Conservative, it would be ground breaking news to those who have been electing him to council the last 20 years...anyone wishing to commit political suicide would be affiliated with the Federal or Provincial Conservatives in Halifax.

I must of missed all the news for the last 20years highlighting Kelly's fondness for business (Halifax is now one of the least private sector friendly places in Canada) and fiscally responsible spending practices (NS/Halifax has among the highest taxes in canada), are these facts not the polar oppositie of Conservative? Or maybe you use a 'Bizarro' dictionary, where Conservative has the opposite meaning from those of us in the real world? Perhaps you can provide some details highlighting his Conservative nature, preferably from this century?

Mayor's and councillors typically do not associate themselves with provincial or federal parties, it hinders their ability to feed at the trough when your hand outs are coming from another party.

Edited January 6, 2011 by pfezziwig

[treehugger]

Funny you don't mention the Feds in your rant... have you checked the federal deficit lately?

There is a federal deficit because the world just went through a recession and it seems that Canada is the only country that is still on top. Now they are working on the deficit and it will take about 4-5 years to pay it off.

[nicky10013]

There is a federal deficit because the world just went through a recession and it seems that Canada is the only country that is still on top. Now they are working on the deficit and it will take about 4-5 years to pay it off.

It seemed that way at first but Canada lags way behind in terms of recovery.