Rob Ford's Toronto

[TheTigerMaster]

Easily the best example I've seen of Ford's lies. Nice how he put it all on one video:

[video=youtube;PGyqe3Ewz4I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGyqe3Ewz4I&feature=player_embedded[/video]

First of all, notice how he can only remember three words at a time before checking his notes again. All that crack screwed up his head . Okay. lets get started:

-LRT's stop at every block and every interersection
No Rob.

-Average speed under 17 km/h
No Rob.

-LRT makes pollution worse
No Rob.

-Subways move three times faster than LRT
No Rob.

-Both lines (SRT extension and the Sheppard Subway) will be open before PanAm games in 2015
No Rob.

-Busses are cheaper, faster and safer than LRT
No Rob.

-We'll fund the subways with private money
No Rob.

-The private sector will generate at least $1 Billion
No Rob.

-My plan is fully funded
No Rob.

So that is 9 blatant lies in that video 8 minute video alone. The man tells more than a lie a minute. Extraordinary even by political standards. There are many more half truths in there as well that I didn't bother to include.

I hate myself for going through that whole video the man talks like a 11 year old giving his first speech. Monotone, poorly written, three words at a time. Why anyone would vote for him is beyond me.

One more thing. What the hell is this crap? Has Ford and his staff never been on the subway? Could they not take 15 seconds to Google a map? They seem to think that the subway ends at Main Street. Or perhaps this was just another intentional lie to make people in Scarborough think that they have no subways.

 

[LowPolygon]

In terms of accomplishing campaign promises, Ford has a better ratio than most in my estimation...he hasn't actively gone back on any of his promises. In fact, the bulk of them, he has either accomplished or made a push for in council.

i agree, i really like the way he pushed for the rights of everyone--even the 'little guys'--to roll into the office around noon. then he went a step further, campaigning hard on the principle that everyone has the right to deak out of work around 2 or 3 so that they can go get high. he really took a stand on that one, and it has paid off big time.

 

[CowboyLogic]

Why?

Because businesses should be free to charge what they want for their services, and I don't want the government implementing for-profit fees that do not benefit the government one iota. Taxes pay for our services, but I don't think city council should be implementing for-profit fees solely as punitive measures.

 

[MetroMan]

I wouldn't call anything Ford did particularly significant. The most significant thing in your list was the garbage privatization, but that's nothing compared to what his predecessors accomplished. And given your political leanings, I'm surprised that you listed the deals with the unions as one of his major changes. Ford has made Toronto Police the highest paid in the county, and made TTC an essential service, ensuring high wages till the end of time. Neither is something a conservative should be happy about. Everything else you listed was day-to-day administrative work that would need to be done regardless of who was in office.

What was probably the single most significant thing Ford has done in his term was probably his ill advised and very likely illegal failed cancelation attempt of the Transit City project, which costed taxpayers somewhere in the ballpark of $200 Million. I can't think of any other mayor who can come close to having wasted so much money in one term, let alone in one day like Ford did.

But what is more significant is what he hasn't done:

- He hasn't stopped the "gravy train". Aka, cutting taxes without cutting services. On the campaign, Ford endlessly talked about the hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars he'd be able to save Toronto without cutting a single service. When it came time to get to cutting that waste, Ford's own reports showed that the there was relatively little that could be done to save cash without cutting services. The city was a well run machine.

- The pro motorist mayor hasn't done anything to help fix the Gardiner expressway, which is scheduled to collapse on Toronto commuters within the next four years. In fact, he's done more than anyone to get in the way of fixing the Gardiner by ordering the studies being done on the expressway to be stopped.

-He hasn't built any new transit. The transit under construction today is all from the Miller era. Transit is the single biggest issue, and Ford has done nothing to help fix it.

-He hasn't significantly cut our taxes.

-He's done nothing to address our infrastructure deficit

-He hasn't reduced union wages

-He hasn't privatized the TTC

-He hasn't gotten rid of streetcars

I could keep going...

UrbanToronto needs a LIKE button.

 

[Johnny Au]

UrbanToronto needs a LIKE button.

I must agree. Add in a dislike button as well.

This way, we can see what is the consensus and what is contrarian.

 

[syn]

I'm not sure how dramatically slowing the increasing rate of the gross operating budget from the Miller years is "day-to-day administrative work" that would be done regardless.



If you look at the gross operating budget under Ford and compare it to under Miller, it is apparent that much more than $200 million would have been wasted annually if Ford were to continue on as Miller did.

The gross operating budget not growing as quickly doesn't really mean much in an of itself. If the government was to cut $200 million in funding to the city, the gross operating budget goes down by $200 million without any action whatsoever by the city.

What you should really look at is the net operating budget, which has grown at pretty much the same rate as it did under Miller, aside from Ford's first year where he implemented a tax freeze...courtesy of Miller's surplus.

He has kept property tax increases incredibly low, has cut two taxes (the vehicle registration tax and, admittedly not a top priority, the bag tax) and is in the process of either reducing or eliminating the land transfer tax. Considering some councilors want to introduce new, significantly high taxes to fund future projects, I feel Ford's record on this front is better than anyone else's. He's been as anti-tax as is reasonable.

To keep property taxes incredibly low, it would mean they were already incredibly low to begin with. I guess Miller wasn't that bad...

As for the taxes, he simply increased user fees in other areas. The vehicle registration 'tax' may be gone, but now those that use recreation centres, etc. all have to pay more.

Matt Elliot did a good breakdown demonstrating how Ford paid for his tax cuts by increasing user taxes, etc. in other areas.

Ford is pretty much a complete sham when it comes to fiscal prudence.

 

[Adjei]

I wonder why the media in the city is so weak. Rob Ford and Doug Ford can come and say they've saved the city billions, where are those billions? If you've saved the city billions, why aren't they using it pay for their Scarborough subway? I wonder why the media isn't quick to call them out on their bullshit?

 

[nfitz]

It is my understanding that the gross operating budget is the best way to gauge the city's spending, as it represents the total cost to the city.

And yet it's been explained to you many times, that it isn't, with examples.

That you continue to make such bizarre claims, either proves that you have no capacity to actually comprehend what is being said here, or you are simply trolling.

As you don't sound particularly stupid, I can only conclude that you are trolling.

Why anyone would troll to support a lying druggie like Ford is beyond me ...

 

[Adjei]

Easily the best example I've seen of Ford's lies. Nice how he put it all on one video:

[video=youtube;PGyqe3Ewz4I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGyqe3Ewz4I&feature=player_embedded[/video]

First of all, notice how he can only remember three words at a time before checking his notes again. All that crack screwed up his head . Okay. lets get started:

-LRT's stop at every block and every interersection
No Rob.

-Average speed under 17 km/h
No Rob.

-LRT makes pollution worse
No Rob.

-Subways move three times faster than LRT
No Rob.

-Both lines (SRT extension and the Sheppard Subway) will be open before PanAm games in 2015
No Rob.

-Busses are cheaper, faster and safer than LRT
No Rob.

-We'll fund the subways with private money
No Rob.

-The private sector will generate at least $1 Billion
No Rob.

-My plan is fully funded
No Rob.

So that is 9 blatant lies in that video 8 minute video alone. The man tells more than a lie a minute. Extraordinary even by political standards. There are many more half truths in there as well that I didn't bother to include.

I hate myself for going through that whole video the man talks like a 11 year old giving his first speech. Monotone, poorly written, three words at a time. Why anyone would vote for him is beyond me.

One more thing. What the hell is this crap? Has Ford and his staff never been on the subway? Could they not take 15 seconds to Google a map? They seem to think that the subway ends at Main Street. Or perhaps this was just another intentional lie to make people in Scarborough think that they have no subways.

I wonder why the media doesn't call him out on this kind of blatant lying. I mean this guy can say whatever he wants. Instead of putting pressure on this guy by debunking all all the bullshit like this, they just sit there and take it. This guy just spreads misinformation which has lead to the poisoning of the view on LRT in this city. A lot of the members of the public are so misinformed about LRT that its not even funny. They somehow feel that there is money to build subways but Robbie is being prevented from doing sor.

 

[RC8]

One more thing. What the hell is this crap? Has Ford and his staff never been on the subway? Could they not take 15 seconds to Google a map? They seem to think that the subway ends at Main Street. Or perhaps this was just another intentional lie to make people in Scarborough think that they have no subways.

I noticed that as well. Taking credit in advance for building stations that are already there is pathetic regardless of whether it was intentional or not. Also note how his plan was to build a subway on the current RT alignment, which everyone knew was physically impossible even then.

 

[RC8]

Because businesses should be free to charge what they want for their services, and I don't want the government implementing for-profit fees that do not benefit the government one iota. Taxes pay for our services, but I don't think city council should be implementing for-profit fees solely as punitive measures.

Do you know what a punitive measure is? Do you know what an externality is? Do you know who picked up the bill to clean-up the excess plastic bags all over our city?

 

[jje1000]

He definitely could have done better spending-wise, but I also believe he has made some pretty significant changes. He dramatically slowed gross operating budget increases, contracted out garbage collection services and struck deals with unions, while keeping property taxes low and eliminating other taxes (vehicle registration tax, bag tax). There's been some things which he's attempted to accomplish - such as reducing council or some of his spending cuts which were reversed - which would have done some good too.

Sounds like you're living off Ford's sound-bytes. The replies to your point indicate that there is a gap between what he says, and what he does.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Ford Nation

 

[TheTigerMaster]

I noticed that as well. Taking credit in advance for building stations that are already there is pathetic regardless of whether it was intentional or not. Also note how his plan was to build a subway on the current RT alignment, which everyone knew was physically impossible even then.

Honestly, I could forgive him for that. It seems like the kind of mistake that even a genuine politician could make. But claiming that the subway east of Main Street doesn't exist it totally inexcusable.

 

[RC8]

You can take any politician and pull out things from their campaign that never materialized. In terms of accomplishing campaign promises, Ford has a better ratio than most in my estimation. I'd agree a lot of his promises were unfeasible, but with the exception of the "no service cuts" issue, he hasn't actively gone back on any of his promises. In fact, the bulk of them, he has either accomplished or made a push for in council.

As for the cycling trails, Ford actually has been working on this: http://torontoist.com/2011/06/a_look_at_rob_fords_bike_plan/

Let me re-state exactly what Ford said. Ford said there would be 100km of new well-lit bike trails/lanes built before 2015.

So far in his term the city has built 2.5km of new bicycle lanes, and removed 2.5km from Jarvis.

By 2015 there will be an extra ~3.5km built along a route where there are already bicycle lanes today. Waterfront Toronto will add an extra Miller-legacy 2.5km, too (only 1km of which lacked bicycle lanes before).

Ford's are not unfulfilled promises, they are blatant lies that take advantage of people who are not very knowledgeable. It just so happens that a disproportionately large number of people in this forum understand enough economics, public policy, or transportation planning to see through his obscene fabrications.