Toronto Life real estate risk assessment by neighborhood

[Eug]

I used to be fairly left in high school and university. Then I grew out of it. Now I'm more centrist. After I got out into the real world and esp. after taking on some partially managerial positions, I began to realize just how lazy some people really are, yet some of these same people seem to have a real sense of entitlement, or else have no sense of practicality, or maybe are just complete asses. I began to get really, really frustrated with this in pretty short order, which is why in later years I've steered myself away from more heavily managerially oriented positions. What's worse is if you're in a position at a workplace which has extremely strict union rules, you sometimes cannot hire or fire the people you want to hire or fire. It not only becomes irritating for the managers, but also irritating for other union members in certain situations, because they know they're carrying the lazy ones, and aren't being rewarded for their better work ethic.

P.S. Not that I think this is at all representative, but I found it amusing nonetheless:

Man fakes mother's obit to get leave from work

You’d be amazed at the lengths to which people will go to scam an extra few days off work, whether it’s feigning sickness or making up an urgent personal or family issue.

Scott Bennett’s case offers an extreme example.

Mr. Bennett, 45, allegedly submitted the death notice of his living mother to Pennsylvania’s Jeffersonian Democrat newspaper, in an apparent attempt to get paid bereavement leave from his job, the Associated Press reports.

The resulting obituary prompted relatives to call the newspaper to report the mistake. Mr. Bennett’s mother herself visited the newspaper’s office, leaving no doubt she is alive and well.

Randy Bartley, the editor of the Jeffersonian Democrat, told reporters he had accepted the obituary in good faith, even though he was unable to confirm the funeral arrangements at press time.

Police Chief Ken Dworek said Mr. Bennett wrote the death notice to avoid getting fired for taking time off.

 

[kkgg7]

^ this is exactly why too much social safety net is not a good thing, nor is "job security". Why on earth does anyone deserve "job security“ any way？ Whether in the public or private sector, if you don't perform well, you should be fired. Why would others care about how you can put food on the table? you should think more about that before being considered incompetent by your boss and get fired.

Usually those who care most about social safety net or social welfare are those who know they are not competitive but don't want to accept an inferior life quality. They prefer those who are highly intelligent and hard-working subsidize them on a lifetime basis.

That's why I am always in favour of lower taxes and welfare to incentivize everyone to work hard to achieve what they want from life. The government, aka, other taxpayers should not be held responsible for anyone's own failure in obtaining a comfortable lifestyle or not being able to afford raising three kids. If you are not wealthy enough to have 3 kids, then don't have 3 kids.

Canada is a blessed country with a tiny population and vast natural resources. Canadians are born richer and luckier. It is a LOT easier to have a decent comfortable life than in many developing countries such as China and India. Living expenses are low compared with prevailing wages. You can be a carpenter or plumber as long as you work reasonable hard, and still afford to living in single family houses and make $40-50k a year. Try that in those poor countries and you would not be able to make $4-5K a year without a bachelor's degree. Note that big items such as cars, electronics, home appliances etc. are as expensive in other country as in Canada. Not to mention that less than 0.001% of the population can ever dream of living in a house close to any city.

In such a country, if someone is still unable to manage a decent life, or not even able to get by but end up on the street, it is nobody but his own fault. It is extremely hard for me to think "poor guy, I should pay more tax and help him".

 

[kelly22]

I do not suppose some risks on the real estate market in GTA. From many sources of information flow to me that the market´s condition is still very strong. The report shows that there were 7,092 residential transactions in November 2011, which is 11 per cent higher compared than the same period last year.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Actually, I'd say his philosophy is that there is no lifeboat. If you want to better your life you have to swim.

I don't think he's swimming. He's standing on top of the people below him who've drowned, and claiming he's swimming.

 

[cdr108]

oh man, there are alot of trolls who've signed up recently.

while some views have been way to the left and should be dismissed, there have been way too many views to the extreme right recently.

some seem to idealize the US's social system, or lack there of.
here's a thought, perhaps you would enjoy living there too, without the benefit of our universal health care safety net.

there are many, rich and poor, who live beyond their means and spend money frivolously, giving the appearance of wealth/savings, when in fact it was cheap credit.

i had one Indian family as tenants (not that it matters but some members brought up immigrants), who were always dilinquent with rent for at least 1/2 year, with excuses of poor health, lack of business, etc until finally evicted. when they were moving out, they wasted money on take-out food like wings and pizza, and threw out half. if they were truly hard up, they would have doggy-bagged it. btw, they had just bought /maybe leased a new car during that time.

 

[gabe]

Who is fighting for middle-class right wingers? Rich right wingers fight for themselves. Poor and middle-class right wingers fight for the rich. The only ones fighting for middle-class right wingers are the lefties!

 

[Eug]

Fewer Americans See U.S. Divided Into "Haves," "Have Nots"

 

[adma]

^ this is exactly why too much social safety net is not a good thing, nor is "job security". Why on earth does anyone deserve "job security“ any way？ Whether in the public or private sector, if you don't perform well, you should be fired. Why would others care about how you can put food on the table? you should think more about that before being considered incompetent by your boss and get fired.

Usually those who care most about social safety net or social welfare are those who know they are not competitive but don't want to accept an inferior life quality. They prefer those who are highly intelligent and hard-working subsidize them on a lifetime basis.

That's why I am always in favour of lower taxes and welfare to incentivize everyone to work hard to achieve what they want from life. The government, aka, other taxpayers should not be held responsible for anyone's own failure in obtaining a comfortable lifestyle or not being able to afford raising three kids. If you are not wealthy enough to have 3 kids, then don't have 3 kids.

Canada is a blessed country with a tiny population and vast natural resources. Canadians are born richer and luckier. It is a LOT easier to have a decent comfortable life than in many developing countries such as China and India. Living expenses are low compared with prevailing wages. You can be a carpenter or plumber as long as you work reasonable hard, and still afford to living in single family houses and make $40-50k a year. Try that in those poor countries and you would not be able to make $4-5K a year without a bachelor's degree. Note that big items such as cars, electronics, home appliances etc. are as expensive in other country as in Canada. Not to mention that less than 0.001% of the population can ever dream of living in a house close to any city.

In such a country, if someone is still unable to manage a decent life, or not even able to get by but end up on the street, it is nobody but his own fault. It is extremely hard for me to think "poor guy, I should pay more tax and help him".

Remember, folks: kkgg7 is the guy who uttered re the Yonge & Gould fire: "Doesn't matter. Whoever set the fire should be awarded some sort of prize."

So, here's the kkgg7 prize-winner.

 

[voxpopulicosmicum]

oh man, there are alot of trolls who've signed up recently.

while some views have been way to the left and should be dismissed, there have been way too many views to the extreme right recently.

some seem to idealize the US's social system, or lack there of.
here's a thought, perhaps you would enjoy living there too, without the benefit of our universal health care safety net.

there are many, rich and poor, who live beyond their means and spend money frivolously, giving the appearance of wealth/savings, when in fact it was cheap credit.

i had one Indian family as tenants (not that it matters but some members brought up immigrants), who were always dilinquent with rent for at least 1/2 year, with excuses of poor health, lack of business, etc until finally evicted. when they were moving out, they wasted money on take-out food like wings and pizza, and threw out half. if they were truly hard up, they would have doggy-bagged it. btw, they had just bought /maybe leased a new car during that time.

Come to think of it, I have noticed an influx of right wing trolls on a few local sites recently. People will call me a conspiracy nutter for saying so, but I actually think there is something to this. The real problem is: it's smart. Message boards have become a semi-legitmate locus of community discussion, and they're perfect fodder for smart, forward-thinking astroturfers like Nick Kouvalis.

Personally, I'm a (relatively) rich guy who worked his way up from humble (i.e. welfare) beginnings to a position in which I can safely be hired to help exploit the masses in exchange for the (relative) pocket change that falls out of my overlords' pockets. I suppose I am smart and connected enough to exploit on my own behalf, but I'm hypocritical enough to believe that it's not as "bad" as long as I'm doing it for someone else. I'm also cynical, weary and old enough to have stopped believing that humankind is really capable of devising a form of governance that isn't just a mode of exploitation on behalf of oligarchs. FML

 

[kkgg7]

funnily enough, I have never seen a person being called "troll" for being left winged so far on this forum.
I guess it is a strategy exclusive to the left wing to call those with different opinions "trolls" rather than making direct arguments against whatever they don't agree with? I don't know how to argue you, here is an idea, how about I call you a "troll" and voila, I win the battle!

 

[nfitz]

funnily enough, I have never seen a person being called "troll" for being left winged so far on this forum.

Nor have I seen a person be called a troll for being right winged either.

People are called out for trolling, period. You have jumped from forum to forum and made antagonistic posts designed to stir people up. I didn't even think many of them were political - however many were trolling.

And although one must call out someone for trolling, you seem to take it rather personally ... as some kind of personal attack, rather than simply an observation of the posting style.

 

[Register123]

The US does have a good social net, contrary to what a lot of Canadians think. It is skewed to help the poorest end of the spectrum. If you qualify for medicaid, you receive far superior healthcare in the US than you would with any of the provincial systems in Canada. It is the somewhat low to middle income individuals that have the toughest time affording healthcare (ie. they earn just slightly too much to qualify for medicaid, but do not have an employer who offers health insurance). I have worked in healthcare in both countries for over twenty years (15 in the US and 5 in Canada) and can attest to the better quality overall that Americans receive. On another note, I feel large proportion of uninsured Americans actually choose to spend their income on so called "luxury items" (fancier car, nicer apartment) rather than purchase basic health insurance, which can be purchased for an individual for 200-300 dollars a month (very comprehensive covarage).

 

[Eug]

Tf you qualify for medicaid, you receive far superior healthcare in the US than you would with any of the provincial systems in Canada.

No, not really.

I have worked in healthcare in both countries for over twenty years (15 in the US and 5 in Canada) and can attest to the better quality overall that Americans receive.

Well, I know several physicians who have worked in the US, and they would beg to differ. Now if you're talking about those patients with money to spare on health care (not medicaid), some would argue they can get better care in the US than in Canada, but that's not overall.

BTW, several physicians have told me that for some of their colleagues, they won't even see a patient if they have Medicaid coverage. One guy I know started to see his income dwindle significantly because he didn't turn away medicaid patients in his middle-class practice. His colleagues refused to see medicaid patients so they started going to him, and he began to get an unusually large number of medicaid patients in his practice. Unfortunately, medicaid often pays a lot less than other insurance plans or less than what he'd charge patients directly. This was in New York State.

 

[Register123]

^^^Yes really, I doubt you have any experience with the US system so I put you in the group that likes to take anecdotal evidence as truth. Again I have intimate and extensive experience, not only working in both systems but using both systems. Until you have you probably shouldn't comment on it.

 

[Eug]

Here we go.

Low Medicare, Medicaid rates shift costs to insurers, study finds

An estimated $851 million is added to the cost of commercial health insurance to make up for the lower fees that Medicare and Medicaid pay hospitals in southeastern Wisconsin, according to a study released last week.

The study, commissioned by the Greater Milwaukee Business Foundation on Health, supports the long-standing position of the hospital industry that the government health programs don't cover their share of costs and that the shortfall is passed on to employers and individuals through higher prices for commercial health plans.

And here:

Note to Medicaid Patients: The Doctor Won’t See You.