[adma]

completion of the Spadina Expressway (drop it underground at least south of Bloor).

I'm not sure if that would have been possible under *any* mayor btw/Sewell and Miller. Lastman-as-megamayor not excepted.

 

[Dan416]

All in all, Miller is a step-up from Lastman. But when the bar was that low, it's not saying much. I predict that we are going to paying for some of Miller's mistakes for a while yet:

We have a historic opportunity to build a significan amount of public transit in Toronto and what do we get? Transit City. I am a Malvernite and I could tell you that Malvern doesn't need that many transit lines. Years from now we'll look back on this decision and wish that we had not squandered the opportunity to build up the subway network. Contrast that with Pitfield who had the sound policy of building a stop every year.

My other gripe is the union friendliness. All those clauses promising the highest wage in the region or only agreeing to do business with companies that provide a 'living wage' (in reality a sop to the unions - why do they need this if they claim that unionized labour can be economically competitive?). Worst of all on this point is that he has not even taken on the favourite union of the right: the police union. At least if he had tried to rein in law enforcement costs, I would have been a little more appreciative.

All that said, given the history of mayors in Toronto, he's squarely middle of the pack in my books. He's not proven as visionary as we thought he would be in the beginning, but nor has he been a total flop as many critics make him out to be. His re-election will depend squarely on what the other guy is offering because as it stands Miller's record is mixed.

I have to agree that my biggest beef with Miller is Transit City and not doing enough to make this a real transit city.

Transit City is just LRT lines, half of which go to nowhere.

Transit City should have been about building transit for Toronto in the 21st Century. Finish the started subways (Eglinton & Sheppard). Extend the existing lines. Fix mistakes (i.e. get rid of the SRT). Build new rapid transit where its needed (LRT on Finch East/West, Don Mills). Add capacity to the system (DRL). Take advantage of existing infrastructure (a crosstown GO line).

 

[Whoaccio]

I don't really get what the surprise is here. I could easily start a thread about "Harper Derangement Syndrome", full of web comments to effect that Harper is a fascist GWB sympathizer that wants women to be barred from working. How many times has Mike Harris been called a barbarian or Mel Lastman generally derided? Partisan idiots always hate the guy they didn't vote for, policy irrespective. My favorite are the Liberal partisans that endlessly criticize Mulroney for policies like the GST, but then lambast Harper for cutting it and praise Chretien for not cutting it. There is no logic to it. Why would Miller be excepted from this? He is pretty mediocre on the whole.

The only country where this doesn't happen is the USA. For some reason, most* Presidents there usually pass into history as respected figures. Now, most people have accepted Reagen as generally good and even hardcore Republicans wouldn't say anything bad about less than competent Democrats like Kennedy or Carter, at least in public.

*A few examples like James Buchanan or probably GWB, are exceptions.

 

[Hipster Duck]

The only country where this doesn't happen is the USA. For some reason, most* Presidents there usually pass into history as respected figures. Now, most people have accepted Reagen as generally good and even hardcore Republicans wouldn't say anything bad about less than competent Democrats like Kennedy or Carter, at least in public.

*A few examples like James Buchanan or probably GWB, are exceptions.

A U.S. president is sort of a pharaoh among modern world leaders. They have a special song, a day, a 747 and when they leave they are immortalized in a "library" in their hometown.

 

[MisterF]

[*]holding the line (or reducing) property taxes overall, although I think there is a problem with the ratio between apartment taxation and house taxation that needs to looked at

Property taxes have to go up every year to keep up with inflation. The property tax rate went down this year and is currently lower than when Miller was elected.

[*]stop council from social engineering. I have no problem with densification but it should be allowed, not forced.

The densification that's happened under Miller was anything but "forced", whatever that means. It's been the result of market demand, without which development doesn't happen.

[*]repeal the smoking ban (or is that provincial now?)

Yes, it's provincial now. Most provinces have similar bans, including Alberta and Quebec. It's an issue of health, not where you are on the political spectrum.

While I don't have a car, I realize that lots of people do and it would be a bad idea to disincent people from coming downtown -- all that will achieve is to drive business away from downtown.

If you mean that not building new highways will drive business out of downtown, I think the experience of the last 40 years has proven you wrong. Downtown has continued to grow despite the lack of highways. Perhaps you can show us some studies that prove that not building new highways to city centres results in business being driven away.

 

[adma]

The only country where this doesn't happen is the USA. For some reason, most* Presidents there usually pass into history as respected figures. Now, most people have accepted Reagen as generally good and even hardcore Republicans wouldn't say anything bad about less than competent Democrats like Kennedy or Carter, at least in public.

*A few examples like James Buchanan or probably GWB, are exceptions.

Re the asterisk, don't forget Nixon. Or at least, his "respectedness" comes with an asterisk...

 

[unimaginative2]

even hardcore Republicans wouldn't say anything bad about less than competent Democrats like Kennedy or Carter, at least in public.

Are you kidding? Bashing Carter is like a Republican Party nightly tradition.

 

[Whoaccio]

Are you kidding? Bashing Carter is like a Republican Party nightly tradition.

That is partly because Carter has stayed active post-presidency. Criticisms are usually more along the line of "this guy is violating the Logan Act" and "what the hell is he still doing"? There is relatively little attention given to listing all of the ways the Carter Presidency screwed the USA.

Re the asterisk, don't forget Nixon. Or at least, his "respectedness" comes with an asterisk...

Richard Nixon would have been lynched in Canada. That he avoided prosecution to start with is a good example of the respect most Americans have for the Presidency. I suppose I could say the same for Bush/Cheney. But yea, Nixon probably isn't considered a high point for most Americans

Anyways, I don't think I am wrong that the POTUS is a far more respected position than the PMO, and certainly the Mayor of Toronto. People still gripe about how Diefenbaker canned the Arrow and how Trudeau flipped a bird to some locals. That kind of petty sniping doesn't tend to happen so much down there.

 

[toraerach]

Anyways, I don't think I am wrong that the POTUS is a far more respected position than the PMO, and certainly the Mayor of Toronto. People still gripe about how Diefenbaker canned the Arrow and how Trudeau flipped a bird to some locals. That kind of petty sniping doesn't tend to happen so much down there.

The PM's position is fundamentally different from the President of the US's in that while the President is separate from Congress, the PM is thoroughly immersed in the antics of Parliament. If we look at those taking on leadership positions in Congress in the US (Newt Gingrich, Nancy Pelosi, etc.), we can see that they're often tainted by scandal or remembered far less fondly than their presidential counterparts.

When it comes to mayors, people probably take more interest in negative stories than anything else. Mix Miller's left-leaning politics this with the fact that three out of our four mainstream newspapers are right-leaning, and you have the perfect recipe for a negative view of the man to emerge.

 

[jks]

I seriously don't get how three right-leaning newspapers survive in a Liberal stronghold such as Toronto. Who reads them? Most people in Toronto read the Star. It is the most popular in the city.

 

[MetroMan]

^ The SUN is read by people who can't be bothered to have an informed opinion so they're fed what to think. Hey! There's the SUNshine girl and tons of sports coverage.

 

[GraphicMatt]

Right-wing tabloids like The Sun get people reading by writing at a low grade level and pushing a lot of sports coverage. It doesn't hurt that the tabloid format is way easier to read when you're on the go. Add in the incredibly sensationalist covers and you've got a recipe for a brisk-selling newsdaily.

Lots of people adhere to the viewpoints epoused by The Sun. I don't think that group is very politically active, however. It's easy to get all riled up about Mayor Miller, but do they know who their local councilor is? Do they even vote municipally?

I'd like to see a left-wing tabloid. I guess that's what NOW and Eye are. But they kind of suck. (But for different reasons than why The Sun sucks.)

 

[unimaginative2]

I seriously don't get how three right-leaning newspapers survive in a Liberal stronghold such as Toronto. Who reads them? Most people in Toronto read the Star. It is the most popular in the city.

I don't think that it's a coincidence that the only city in Canada with a liberal newspaper is the party's largest stronghold.

 

[spider]

Let's see, mouth breathing louts read the Sun, terribly earnest socialists read the Star and the National Post is supported by hard hearted right wingers who eat the babies of the less fortunate (in season only).

How do the superficial categorizers in this thread of newspaper subscribers file those who read 3 or 4 papers every day. Are we interested in hearing more than one opinion or just confused.

 

[CDL.TO]

Let's see, mouth breathing louts read the Sun, terribly earnest socialists read the Star and the National Post is supported by hard hearted right wingers who eat the babies of the less fortunate (in season only).

How do the superficial categorizers in this thread of newspaper subscribers file those who read 3 or 4 papers every day. Are we interested in hearing more than one opinion or just confused.

They're terribly earnest hard hearted right wing mouth breathing socialist louts who eat the babies of the less fortunate?