nfitz
Superstar
Smitherman a lefty? Perhaps by a 1950's criteria where anyone who was not white, male, straight, or a member of a labour union ...
Surely he is at best (worst?) centrist.
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- Thread starter taal
- Start date
Surely he is at best (worst?) centrist.
Fresh Start
Banned
All the so-called "progressives" at city hall have done is make Toronto a "progressively" terrible place for hardworking taxpayers to live. They've stuck it to us with progressively higher taxes and service charges, paid themselves and their union buddies progressively higher salaries, wasted progressively more money, and given us progressively fewer services, benefits, and respect. These scumbags and their goons ought to be arrested and force fed The Communist Manifesto until they burst.
I don't care what Smitherman labels himself as either, he's no better.
kettal
Banned
nope, you don't sound like a wingnut at all.
Fresh Start
Banned
Better to be an alledged wingnut than a confirmed sheeple.
GraphicMatt
Looking forward to a FRESH START for Toronto
Are those the only options?
You're a transit supporter. Quick, come up with a list of contemporary right-wing politicians who have been effective at building or supporting transit.
You're a transit supporter. Quick, come up with a list of contemporary right-wing politicians who have been effective at building or supporting transit.
nfitz
Superstar
Which is exactly why we need to eradicate these right-wing Progressives!
Fresh Start
Banned
Why can't I be both? Why is transit expansion only the domain of the left? I think where the disconnect lies is in why we support transit. I do it becuase it fulfills my basic needs; you however are probably more attracted to it for its enviromental and cultural benefits. Practical vs. abstract.
The right-wing is more inclined to support auto probably because 80 percent of the population has all but given up on waiting for the left-wing to get its act together and improve the transit service already.
nfitz
Superstar
Bill Davis. John Robarts. Benito Mussolini might not be considered contemporary by some. Elsewhere we have Boris Johnston ... and what about the entire Singapore government - the PAP are pretty right-wing.
I'm not sure why the right-wing and car drivers wouldn't support transit. If I could get about 20% of the people on the DVP, Gardiner, and 401 onto transit, then I could drive where I want to drive a lot faster!
nfitz
Superstar
I don't think we've given the left-wing a chance; they started to build the Sheppard and Eglinton lines the only time they were in power in Ontario. Compare to British Columbia, where the NDP were in power from 1991 to 2001, created Translink, and did the Skytrain expansion for the Expo Line, built the Millenium Line, and announced the Canada Line (which somehow managed to survive the transition to the Liberal government).
Darwinkgo
Active Member
^ Canada Line wasn't announced by the NDP, the Evergreen Line was, the switch to the Canada Line is a stick in the craw of NDP folk.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
All parking that is free to employees, including teachers, executives, and politicians, should be considered a taxable benefit. If any transit pass given free is now a taxable benefit, so should free parking. That includes the parking spots for TTC employees at the garages and carbarns.
Roy G Biv
Senior Member
Keep in mind that Fresh Start credits Stephen Harper with Canada's ability to weather the recent economic storm.
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GraphicMatt
Looking forward to a FRESH START for Toronto
Stephen Harper is so adept at weathering economic storms that he doesn't even believe it's worth acknowledging them when they're approaching.
And maintaining Canada's place as the only G8 member nation without a national transit strategy shows his strong preference for Bus Rapid Transit.
And maintaining Canada's place as the only G8 member nation without a national transit strategy shows his strong preference for Bus Rapid Transit.
Darwinkgo
Active Member
The canard about lacking a "national transit strategy" is really a distraction. Funding still flows to mass transit projects that have buy in from local and provincial governments. If a strategy was published that said, "Fund transit through dedicated gas tax transfers to cities through provinces" would that fulfill your requirement? Because it would change nothing.
kEiThZ
Superstar
A "National Transit Strategy" is only important in so much as it allows the province to put the federal government in a headlock over transit funding. I don't see it as a valid excuse for stagnation either. Other than specific initiatives (say like a new Windsor bridge), our federal government by and large does not fund many infrastructure initiatives. For example, they don't fund a national road network like the US federal government does. They scarcely fund rail infrastructure. They fund small airports to some extent, but that's largely on the back of revenue generated by our major air hubs. I think seaports are about the only transport infrastructure that might actually have a regular net cost for the federal government. And the pullback actually began under the Liberals, not the Conservatives. The latter just more upfront about it. After all, how much subway did Chretien or Martin help build in Toronto?
The provinces have the tools. They just don't want to use them. They want the federal government to do their dirty work (raising taxes) for them. The GST was lowered 2%. What was stopping McGuinty from raising the upcoming HST by 2%? Nova Scotia did. That would generate more than enough money to pay for MO2020 and then some. Why should he getting away with blaming Harper for Ontario's transit woes when the federal government just vacated tax room for him? Oh right. He wants the glory of the ribbon cuttings, but not the pain of actually having to raise the funds to pay for those occassions. He doesn't want to waste political capital on transit. So it must be the federal government's fault. They don't have a "national transit strategy".
Even at the local level, look at what just happened. Toronto is getting Transit City fully paid for. Some of it gets cut. Why aren't they pledging to make up the difference? They just want to loan the province money. Where's the plege to raise taxes and pay for the shortfalls (at least on Sheppard and Finch to start)?