Rob Ford's Toronto

[DTGeek]

If you live in NYC the combined effective tax rates from the three levels of government (fed, state, city) are higher than income taxes here.

Same in several other states, here in California the top income tax bracket pays 51.9%. In Ontario it's only 29% federal + 13.16% provincial totaling 42.16%. There are of course differences in sales tax, things like medicare tax (2.35%), and some of the provinces with higher tax rates while some US states don't have state taxes. But the idea that US has low tax rates compared to Canada seems like a bit of an urban legend. Especially with taxes having been raised in recent years.

(Heck, the top US federal bracket of 39.6% plus medicare is 41.95% -- so even states with *no* state tax pay essentially the same tax as Ontarians at the top end.)

 

[Jude]

Interesting.
Here's a Star article from 2005 about it: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2005/07/20/councillors_square_off_in_a_verbal_slugfest.html

"Ford yelled that Lindsay Luby had accused his family of being thieves: "That's slander.""
"Ford demanded an apology from Lindsay Luby for derogatory comments he said she made about his family. "She accused us of stealing something three years ago off her front porch, which we never did, " Ford said. "She called my family a jerk, called me a jerk, told me to shut up. I'm just not going to sit there and take it. I'm going to stick up for my family. We're not thieves. We're not jerks.""

Anyone else see a similarity between the quotes above and Ford's rant video rumblings?

 

[PinkLucy]

I expect all of Ford's rants are of a similar nature.

 

[atodaso]

""Mayor David Miller wasn't in the council chamber during the arguments, but said later he was embarrassed by the antics.
"I think public service is something that's a privilege that you must honour with your conduct, " he said.""

It really effing blows my mind when people say "Ford may not be the best but he's better than David Miller".

 

[newearthling]

another pic and more info here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/12/29/3843016/not-much-is-real-at-king-mango.html

Thanks! I had to look up what the Orange Bowl was.

 

[SecretSquirrel]

Anyone else see a similarity between the quotes above and Ford's rant video rumblings?

Absolutely:

Ford: It'll be a bad scene. I am a sick motherfucker, dude. Like no one's going to fuck around with me. My brothers are, don't tell me we're liars, thieves, birds. It hurts.

I had to go and look it up to find this similar bit.

Liars, thieves, 80-year-old jerks/birds...

...and that's just how the "Mayor" describes his own family.

I think PinkLucy nailed it though:

I expect all of Ford's rants are of a similar nature.

 

[pattycakes]

Meanwhile, on Twitter there is speculation that the Cachet Ladies story will be published after the holidays.

 

[EagleEye]

Where on twitter?

 

[dforthandbview]

https://twitter.com/chriscaple/status/417519097249669120
It's hardly spreading like wildfire at this point.

 

[TOperson]

to be fair, there is nothing naive about expecting more from your government when they take a much bigger chunk out of your pay for taxes than in the U.S.

After this, maybe it is naive to expect more.

Anyway, I think going forward it's best to expect a useless response, prepare to be as self-sufficient as you can, and to know your neighbours.

 

[SecretSquirrel]

https://twitter.com/chriscaple/status/417519097249669120
It's hardly spreading like wildfire at this point.

It's pure speculation - nothing more, sadly.

 

[tiffer24]

After this, maybe it is naive to expect more.

Anyway, I think going forward it's best to expect a useless response, prepare to be as self-sufficient as you can, and to know your neighbours.

Sadly this is part of the Ford legacy for Toronto. We have come to expect so little of our municipal government, even in times of difficulty, that simply filling a pothole on a side street is seen as somehow a major accomplishment, worthy of calling out the media...

 

[evvabeing]

It's pure speculation - nothing more, sadly.

makes me wonder if the police heard rumours of the story too, and maybe publishing would compromise the ongoing investigation, so they asked the media to wait to publish?

maybe they would ask for something like that now, 'cause of how publishing the lisi story in the summer kinda effected their investigation?

 

[evvabeing]

Bill Blair denies targeting Rob Ford in police investigation

Chief Bill Blair wouldn’t say definitively during a one-on-one interview with Global News Monday whether Mayor Rob Ford is still under investigation

“There are always criminal investigations taking place and I know some matters that my investigators are continuing pursue, but again that’s not targeting on any individual, but it’s targeting on the evidence,†he said.

http://globalnews.ca/news/1054836/bill-blair-denies-targeting-rob-ford-in-police-investigation/

 

[EagleEye]

I have this very bad feeling that he's never going to be charged.