Gurk

We'd be cooler then cool.

'trane

all the top candidates have been in municipal politics and public office for a long time, and every one of them is going to be cost conscious because the city is in a deep hole and the entire electorate wants to limit spending. don't be fooled by ford's loud mouth, he's not the only one that wants to be frugal.

but there's frugal and there's damagingly cheap. if ford gets what he wants, the poor in this city are in big, big trouble. a city is only as strong as its weakest citizens, and ford ignores this altogether.

and your remark about the island brindge is false. the ferry to the island airport is very efficient, and the bridge is unnecessary. the island is a fantastic park, filled on most days with families and all kinds of people enjoying the last bit of toronto's downtown waterfront that hasn't been paved. there are a great many torontonians that want that kept for our enjoyment, so don't pretend that the island residents are the only ones. this point is entirely a red herring.

DVS

Smitherman had a cup of coffee in municipal politics. He has been with the Liiberals every since the Peterson days. Also, Fords main objective is to cut spending and to cut the council in half. Two things I want in a mayor is to stop downtown Toronto from taking money from etobicoke, North York and Scarb.

Ford won't get what he wants. He'll get some of it. Council is full of Left wingers and he will have to give a little. Ford will have to work day and night to do what he wants to do. Thats what I want a HARD working Mayor who cares about the Cities money. Who won't try to tax us to death. Ford help so many elderly people in Etobicoke and never leaves a message uncalled for.
The point is an island airport and a bridge would create jobs and revenue to the city. A stimulus plan from the federal government is in the works and this would give a great boon to economic growth and a great airport. If thats the red herring then fine.

Windex

count me in on a vote for Ford then

DVS

JeffB for Smitherman Campaign Manager

Aar_Canada

:facepalm:

'trane

notwithstanding the brutal presentation, that's one of the most ridiculous municipal proposals i've ever heard. all of a sudden, totally unaffordable changes under previous mayors will be cheap and affordable under ford? yeah sure. it's like he's just making these numbers up. this is purely a spend, spend, spend plan, but with no funding proposal.

and colour coded curbs? surely he jests.

what an idiot.

DVS

I dunno about the numbers but I like the idea. Closing the loop on the Subway system is something 50 years overdue, Fixing street lights synch so traffic flows better is a great and inexpensive idea. I'm not a fan of more roads more of a proponent of keeping the roads the city has and fixing them but can't have everything. The subway system hasn't been updated since the dawn of the bloor line. If you close the loop and add the station at York region you have something going on. As for "spend spend spend" thats one thing you HAVE to spend on with cities is infostructure. Best investment a city can do.

'trane

it's not like this hasn't been in the mind of pretty much every mayor. closing the loop has been a popular idea for a long time, and pretty much every mayoral candidate has been in favour of it, or something like it. the problem is that it costs way more than he proposes, and just like every other mayor he will realize that it is impossible without a tax increase or some other kind of levy (like perhaps a congestion charge... !)

do you really think mayor miller proposed more light rail because he preferred streetcars to subway lines? come on.

Febreezy

I'm sorry but can he not afford a TelePrompter, or at least hire a guy to a hold a sign in the back.

DVS

Street cars are going further back in time than the token. What the TTC needs is proper new age infrastructure not street cars. Apparently the York Region/York U/Downsview station is going through unless the feds go back on their promise. Mel did the subway from nowhere why not finish it. Again, I don't know about his budget but if you go overbudget on anything its to propose a better subway program rather than put up a bunch traffic congestion stone age street cars for 15 billion.

He is a regular person. He isn't perfect

'trane

:facepalm:

Benzo

I'm with DVS dude.....

Rip out every fucking street car line in the city. Sell those fuckers on EBAY, and build subways.

For all his faults Rob Ford, seems to resonate with the "everyman" and I think its time for "elitist Torontonians" to let him have a term.

The fact that the current city council said "If they elect Ford, we will elect our own "shadow mayor" because the voters are uneducated" is absolutely fucking disgusting.

I am so sick and tired of this cities politics.

We could be great, but the void of true leadership gives me pause.

I think a guy like John Tory would have been the right guy this time around, it's too bad he wanted no part of it either, can't say I blame him

Febreezy

No one is, but could he at least come off like he knew what he was talking about. In school teachers tell us you lose marks for reading off sheets, and we aren't perfect, I'm guessing he was that one kid who read of sheets during class presentations.

'trane

i facepalmed dvs because, quite frankly, i never posted that anything was wrong with subways, and i never said streetcars were the way to go. also, quite frankly, no past mayor or current candidate would disagree. the point is that, whatever crazy numbers he wants to mention, those subway lines are hugely expensive, and totally unaffordable given the numbers he discusses and given the lack of federal investment. municipal politicians have been over this a million times. miller did not avoid subways in favour of streetcars because he though streetcars were in any way better, he did it because that is what they city could afford. to think that ford has suddenly struck upon the unique idea that an expanded subway is a good thing is ridiculous.

this talk of 'elitist torontonians' is silly. this has nothing to do with the elite. we need smart people. ford is proving to be an imbecile. i don't care where anyone is from, what school they went to, how much money they have or who they have read. what i care about is sensible decision-making, a sense of civic history, and a fair handling of facts - especially including fiscal promises. ford is failing miserably om all of these fronts yet is somehow convincing people that he speaks some kind of truth. the way toronto is swallowing his propaganda machine is alarming. there is simply little truth in it.

voters are too smart for a guy like ford. he's simply not representative of our city, no matter how many times he appeals to the lcd.

there are not a lot of good candidates, this is surely true, but rob ford is most certainly not one of them. his transit plan is a re-hashed mishmash of old ideas rejected because they are too expensive. the only new thing he seems to have added is the colour-coded curbs idea, as if we can't read signs... but what really worries me is the hit that our social institutions will take. but that is something for another thread.

DVS

Well .. maybe I misunderstood but ever since Ford has preached Subways and Fiscal responsibilities everyone that is running is following his route. Its very unclear what everyone else wants to do and at least Ford is clear about what he wants to do as far fetched it seems.



Actually Moscoe (who now is leaving politics) did have to say that "only imbecile's will vote for Ford and he won't be able to pass gas in parliament"
(paraphrasing). Ford has been slamming this tune in City politics for decades. No one can believe a politics (talking about all other candidates) at least Ford's campaign hasn't changed from day one unlike others.





I love the colour curbed idea. The less thinking you take out of the drivers mind in parking the more he can concentrate on the road. I love his idea for synching traffic lights it just makes sense. I got a friggin 450 buck ticket cause I didn't see the handicap sign on the side of the parking spot. If they were coloured I wouldn't h ave gotten the ticket. Call me illeterate

Lastly, talking about social institutions are a part of the mayor race as well. Although I'd problably say the feds and provincial gov't can make a greater effect.

'trane

no one is following ford's route on fiscal responsibility or on improved public transportation. jeebus. he did not invent these things in toronto, nor did he introduce them to this particular race. candidates are saying this because the city wants it and has wanted it all along. mayors have been preaching it forever. you are swallowing propaganda.

i only answered with my own opinion, not howard moscoe's or anyone else's.

no more comments on the colour coded curbs idea from me after this. we are adults for crying out loud, and the city is not kindergarten.

DVS

I dunno on Friday of last week Smitherman wanted to tax small business to get them to hire Youth Workers. This week he said he is going to watch every single nickle and have a tax freeze.

Seems like someone is talking from both sides of their mouths.

'trane

?

LX

I love Rob Ford as the Everyman guy. Such a common touch. Oh wait - isn't he actually just some asshole who inherited daddy's business? Saw enough of that from Jakobek, and what a fucking disaster that turned out to be.

Not that I particularly like anybody in this race too much, but a guy that gets his support off of voter anger when this city has finally started to dig itself out of the stagnation that has dogged it for years is pretty depressing. The free market is quite happy with the way Toronto is doing business, having upped the city's credit rating. I would suspect that hackneyed ideas like selling all the streetcars and spending imaginary cash on subway lines would sink that rating once again.