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Rob Ford's Toronto

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Jado said:
This was my thinking as well. Preaching to the choir, as it were. With not one iota of sincerity, damn him.
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You have to wonder what the hell's going through the minds of people willingly climbing aboard Ford's crazy train in these situations. His motives couldn't be more transparent. Whatever happened to common sense-based scepticism? Are these folks really ok with him out-and-out using them?
 
Why Ford Nation, and who pays the price.

John_Dee said:
You have to wonder what the hell's going through the minds of people willingly climbing aboard Ford's crazy train in these situations. His motives couldn't be more transparent. Whatever happened to common sense-based scepticism? Are these folks really ok with him out-and-out using them?
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I often wonder this, and the only solid answer I have managed to come up with is: yes, they're fine with it because they ignore it. Taxes are the key. Ford never addresses citizens, but always taxpayers - a constant & not-so-subtle reminder of that stack of cash we all have to fork over so that the good-for-nothing fat cats at Queen's Park and at City Hall can live large on our collective dime. Why support the Crack Mayor? Why, it's a no-brainer! It's one in the eye for the sunshine list know-it-all tax-and-spend pinko liberal commie etc. etc. and it's the only way to keep more of that hard-earned cash in our pocket where it belongs!

...except - of course - it isn't. The people who are most damaged by the race to the bottom epitomised by Ford are the most vulnerable: single parents, painted as parasites for wanting subsidised daycare so they can go back to work; seniors evicted from public housing because we can't afford to keep them there, at least according to the Ford administration; kids whose parents cannot afford the user fees for those summer programs; those seeking employment; immigrants struggling to adapt who suddenly find City integration resources vanish in a puff of smoke.

These are the people crushed beneath the wheels of the phantom gravy train.

Of course it's not all Rob Ford's fault, but he is the lightning rod for this misplaced discontent. He's a van de Graaf generator of poorly-planned resentment and regressive tribal negativity. Ford Nation doesn't care about the people who will suffer so they can keep back a measly fistful of $20s in tax, and Ford Nation is OK with being used, just so long as McWynntey and the downtown elite are choking on their latte because Rob Ford is one of us.

Of course Ford Nation doesn't make sense. If it made sense, it wouldn't exist.
 
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SecretSquirrel said:
I often wonder this, and the only solid answer I have managed to come up with is: yes, they're fine with it because they ignore it. Support Ford! It's one in the eye for the sunshine list know-it-all tax-and-spend pinko liberal commie etc. etc.

...except it isn't. The people who are most damaged by the race to the bottom epitomised by Ford are the most vulnerable. Single working mothers. Old people. Kids. Those seeking employment. These are the people crushed beneath the wheels of the phantom gravy train.

Ford Nation doesn't care about that. Ford Nation is OK with being used, just so long as McWynntey and the downtown elite are choking on their latte because Rob Ford is one of us.

Of course Ford Nation doesn't make sense. If it made sense, it wouldn't exist.
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But of course the funny thing is you see exactly the same pattern in the US - where the disenfranchised kept on voting for a party with policies that are most diametrically opposed to their own interests. I flag that with exceptionalism - that somehow they think they are unique, and that their current malaise can somehow be transcended if the enemy "other" stop their paternalistic ways. The only way to waken them is to let them taste the full force of the policies they advocated - but of course, that will create collateral damage to others who didn't abide by their views.

AoD
 
evvabeing said:
http://www.thestar.com/news/city_ha...ther_ford_might_run_for_his_council_seat.html
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“Mikey†Ford, Rob Ford’s college-aged nephew, may run for city council—and he could win

Could the Fords actually hand off their political office to a relative who apparently isn’t even old enough to rent a car? Considering the fact that Mikey will have more than a decade’s worth of name recognition and hamburger giveaways working in his favour, it’s far from impossible.
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mikey-ford.jpg


http://www.torontolife.com/informer...college-aged-nephew-may-run-city-council-win/
 

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i found this to be a pretty good summary...

By any measure, Rob Ford is no financial hero

So is Ford fiscally responsible? Does he truly have the taxpayer’s interest at heart?

It’s a little more complex and questionable than that.

For example, Ford claims $24 million was “saved” by hiking the fees for recreation programs. And fair enough, it saved the city money when it comes to general accounts. But it doesn’t mean savings for the average joe when they still have to pay the fee.

Yet Ford makes the opposite argument for how he saved Torontonians money by eliminating the vehicle registration tax, which required car owners in the city to pay a $60-per-year fee. Ford estimates this fee brought $200 million into city coffers. By eliminating it, he’s saved a driver $60 a year but the city now has to find other ways to pay for infrastructure and road projects, which, well, that’s also taxpayer money.

It’s classic cases of robbing Peter to pay Paul, not truly finding efficiencies within the budget.

Ford has said that as mayor he would never use an annual surplus to balance the current year’s operating budget. And yet, in 2011 and 2012 he did just that, while using reserve funds in 2013 to balance the budget.

Under his watch, Ford claims Toronto is spending less money than in previous years.

And fair enough, Ford has been a driving force behind cutting back on spending, which has lowered how much spending has gone up by — but all three of the budgets he has overseen have increased each year once the final numbers are tallied.

This isn’t strong fiscal management, it’s fudging numbers to appear as fiscally responsible to win votes.

And for someone who emphasizes cutbacks, Ford has a habit of it not applying to him.

After scandal broke in November, Ford gave each of his 20 staff $5,000 bonuses — that’s $100,000 — notes GTA magazine Grid TO when listing some of Ford’s fiscal failures.

Former Ford Staffer Kia Nejatian told police that he was sent to buy alcohol for Ford twice a week. At a $30/hour staff cost and being employed for three years, that amounts to $6,000 in labour — labour that should have been focused on working for the taxpayers.

Add in costs for when Ford allegedly sent staff to his house to change toilet paper, bring him cases of Diet Coke, change light bulbs, or change batteries in children’s toys. Or an estimated $81,760 in costs for time Ford’s staff spent coaching football.

And by engaging in illegal activities — it must be re-emphasized that Ford has full out admitted to smoking crack and drinking and driving — Ford has made taxpayers pay more for policing. Think of the hours police had to spend on this whole Ford Smorgasbord or scandal. Think of how much we complain about our own policing costs here in Medicine Hat.

It would be irresponsible for police to not investigate Ford. To do otherwise would have been granting him immunity for simply being mayor. That’s a terrible precedent to set.

There is sympathy to be had for Ford. He is obviously a man struggling with addiction, and that is a horrible situation to be in.

But he is no tragic financial hero felled by personal vices.
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http://medicinehatnews.com/commentary/opinions/2014/01/by-any-measure-rob-ford-is-no-financial-hero/
 
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aside from city crews, do we know who's involved with the ice storm clean up? could ford be making sure his buddies get work by saying we don't need the army's help?
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
The only way to waken them is to let them taste the full force of the policies they advocated - but of course, that will create collateral damage to others who didn't abide by their views.
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I'm not even sure that would work. DID U KNOW MAYOR FORD MADE UR TAXES LOWER AND SAVED THE CITY A BILLION WHILE UR LIBERALS WHICH U DEFINITELY SUPPORT BECAUSE U DONT SUPPORT THE MAYOR WASTED A BILLION ON A GAS PLANT? Also, our Mayor understands how hard it is for working families. etc. etc. etc. etc. et-freaking-cetera. In Ford Nation, facts take a back seat to emotionally-charged BS. Taxes actually higher than last year? Can't be - the "Mayor" said he had made taxes lower than any other major city in North America, and why would he lie?

I pay tax. Quite a lot of tax, in fact. I fully expect that my taxes will support all sorts of programs and people, including some which I might find odd or even distasteful... but that's the rather small price I pay for living in a time and place that is - in terms of freedom from want and fear - essentially the pinnacle of human existence so far. Seems like a pretty good trade to me.
 
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