Peace on Earth

There Are Some Things That'll Never Go Away for Ignatieff

And yesterday's interview was just one of them that continues to wreak havoc for all eternity. Interestingly title, the book is called "Death of the Liberal Class". Ominous.

AMY GOODMAN: Chris Hedges, you were a longtime correspondent for the New York Times. For two decades you worked there. You were one of the premier war correspondents. You wrote the book War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning. You won the Pulitzer Prize about eight years ago. You talk in Death of the Liberal Class about your experience at the Times. Why don’t you go through it for us in detail and what you think it indicates?

CHRIS HEDGES: Well, I spent a lot of time in the book talking about those figures, like Sydney Schanberg and others, who were expelled from these liberal institutions—Richard Goldstone, who wrote the Goldstone Report on the 22-day Israeli assault on Gaza, would be another example—because there are clear parameters within these institutions that you don’t cross. The perfect example would be the buildup to the Iraq war. Here, the liberal, so-called self-identified liberal class—figures like David Remnick at The New Yorker; Bill Keller, who was a columnist at the New York Times, now the executive editor; George Packer; on and on, even people like Frank Rich, people forget—all backed the war. And they did it as sort of reluctant hawks. Probably the poster child for this was Michael Ignatieff of the Carr Center, at Harvard, for Human Rights, who’s now the head of the Liberal Party in Canada.AMY GOODMAN: And, of course, that reluctance makes them the most convincing.

CHRIS HEDGES: And it—yeah, of course it does, because it gives a kind of moral veneer to a crime. It’s heartfelt. "We don’t like war. We all opposed the Vietnam War." This is almost verbatim Ignatieff’s argument. And "But it’s something that has to be done. We have to face the hard, bitter truth of world politics and recognize that we are a force for good." Samantha Power does this, in essence, in her book on genocide. It’s the idea that the empire is sort of used to—it can abrogate for itself the right to use force to impose virtues. It’s an utter tautology and absurdity to those of us who have been at war. But it works. And the function of the liberal class and why it is traditionally tolerated by the power elite is because it disarms movements that should have stood up on the eve of the Iraq war and fought back.

Ignatieff's "In Kids" Still Dumber than Sticks...

...and are adolescent juvenile morons to boot. Seriously? Twitter? Dumb asses!

But Fonseca’s friends, who blame witless federal Liberal operatives for spilling the beans on Twitter late Wednesday, feel the former labour minister was unfairly treated.

The Small Hero Challenge...And I Challenge all of YOU!!!

My good friend Rob has started something. And I think it's the most positive non partisan, cross party idea I've heard in a long time. The Small Hero Challenge.

Here's what Rob has to say about it all:

A little follow up on my last post.

That "heroism" doesn't require that we put our lives on the line.

That small acts can make a difference.

Today I sponsored a 9 year old boy named Sankagdja in Burkina Faso, through the Christian Children's Fund.

I'm not a particularly ardent Christian, and go to church only two or three times per year, but I checked out the charity and it has done some great work abroad by helping children in need.

So - I've sort of done this before to some criticism, but I think it's still worthwhile - today I'm challenging all political bloggers and readers to do more than complain, to do some act for another and then blog on it and pass on the challenge to others - either of similar political stripe or not.

Donate to a charity, shovel your neighbor's walk, hold a door for an elderly person, whatever.. do some minor act of heroism, some positive act.

As bloggers, our bread and butter is complaining about the world around us so often - but, as the saying goes, "Better to light one candle, than to curse the darkness."

Some in the past have suggested that the most selfless charitable act is done anonymously.

Perhaps.

But I think in an age of growing cynicism, at a time where so many of us advertise our success by the stuff we own, it is worthwhile to identify yourself by some positive thing that you do for someone else.

Go ahead.

And let me know about it if you like.

So dear friends, I challenge you all to pick up on what Rob has started and pass the challenge on to others. Naturally, come back here and tell us what you've done for your small hero cheer.

Friday I'll be dropping off some cases of soup to my local Foodbank. For me charity starts here at home, and although Burlington has the elusive look of success, it still has its more-than-fair share of those in need.

Next week I'll be visiting my home town of Niagara to drop off some goods to their food bank. You can't forget where you came from.

Ode to Brett Favre

297!!!

What a warrior!

Dear Mastercard and Visa

Do you really think it's a good idea censoring a known computer hacker? Really? I'd call that a really bad business move on behalf of your clients. Priceless.

The Next Premier of British Columbia

December 8...The Day the Music Died

a date which will live in infamy

And so it was 69 years ago.

CITY-TV. Everywhere.

Perhaps one of the greatest losses that the people of Toronto will ever know in media life. Mark Dailey was a giant. I, for one, will miss the sound of his voice. The greatest of condolences to his wife and daughter and those who share in this loss at City.

History Reminder of the Day....L'ecole Polytechnique

May we never forget them.



Geneviève Bergeron (born 1968), civil engineering student

Hélène Colgan (born 1966), mechanical engineering student

Nathalie Croteau (born 1966), mechanical engineering student

Barbara Daigneault (born 1967), mechanical engineering student

Anne-Marie Edward (born 1968), chemical engineering student

Maud Haviernick (born 1960), materials engineering student

Maryse Laganière (born 1964), budget clerk in the École Polytechnique's finance department

Maryse Leclair (born 1966), materials engineering student

Anne-Marie Lemay (born 1967), mechanical engineering student

Sonia Pelletier (born 1961), mechanical engineering student

Michèle Richard (born 1968), materials engineering student

Annie St-Arneault (born 1966), mechanical engineering student

Annie Turcotte (born 1969), materials engineering student

Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz (born 1958), nursing student

History Reminder of the Day....Rosa Parks

December 1, 1955

Lest We Forget....

May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963

McGuinty: What's $3 Million a Year in Foreign Scholarships?

Afterall, it's investing in our future. Discuss!

It's Official...Again....The Liberal Party will Not be Winning An Election Any Decade Soon

And the Liberal Leader clearly has no clue what a "wedge issue" is.

What are the other 74 Liberal MPs thinking in caucus meetings??? At a time when the Prime Minister of Canada just proved he clearly LIED to Canadians when he said the mission in Afghanistan would end in 2011, we have The Liberal leader backing him up on his lie. I can tell you if I was in the Liberal Caucus I'd be speaking publicly and loudly that this is a FARCE. Canadians - rightly or wrongly - want our troops home. End of story.

The Liberal Party of Canada is failing Canadians and have been doing it for 23 months straight! Disgusting!

It's time to Leave Afghanistan

Really. Our loyal sons and daughters have spilled enough blood in the "unwinnable war". It's time the members of the Liberal Caucus grew a pair and tell their leader to get our troops home.

Extension of Canada's Afghanistan mission

Since his election to Parliament, Ignatieff has been one of the few opposition members supporting the minority Conservative government's commitment to Canadian military activity in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Stephen Harper called a vote in the House of Commons for May 17, 2006, on extending the Canadian Forces current deployment in Afghanistan until February 2009. During the debate, Ignatieff expressed his "unequivocal support for the troops in Afghanistan, for the mission, and also for the renewal of the mission." He argued that the Afghanistan mission tests the success of Canada's shift from "the peacekeeping paradigm to the peace-enforcement paradigm," the latter combining "military, reconstruction and humanitarian efforts together."

The opposition Liberal caucus of 102 MPs was divided, with 24 MPs supporting the extension, 66 voting against, and 12 abstentions. Among Liberal leadership candidates, Ignatieff and Scott Brison voted for the extension. Ignatieff led the largest Liberal contingent of votes in favour, with at least five of his caucus supporters voting along with him to extend the mission. The vote was 149–145 for extending the military deployment. Following the vote, Harper shook Ignatieff's hand

Who's You're (Sugar) Daddy?

The Canadian taxpayer. That's who.

Two questions arise from this article in my mind:

1. Why did The Star choose to focus on Layton/Chow?

2. Am I the only one that thinks this leaves the door open for a new Canadian Tea Party to rise from the ashes?

Happy Diwali

Shorter Tony Clement.....

WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE 13 SEATS IN SASKATCHEWAN!

The Rob Ford/CBC Interview...

Get ready for fours years of this embarrassment folks.

Ignatieff 1, Environment 0

Sorry about your luck John McKay. 12 Liberals and 2 Dippers miss environmental vote. And the leader of the Liberal Party was said to be "absent".

Rob Ford Loves Gays and Immigrants

Updates: Here and Here.

NOT! Here's the windbag's new radio spot on Tamil Radio.

Rough Translation:

1st Person: Mani Anna, Who you voting for in the Mayoral Election?

2nd Person: [Laughs] What kind of question is this? I am Tamil. We have a religion and culture. Take Rob Ford for an example, His wife is a women. Thats not only it, he said will reduce Land transfer taxes and other taxes.

1st Person: What about Immigration?

2nd Person: [Laughs] Thats a federal government issue. So, the white people can get our vote.

1st Person: I am also going to vote for Rob Ford.

DISCLAIMER: This is a paid Advertisement

Rob Ford on the Tamil protest that shut down the Gardiner a few years ago.

"Enough is enough. If I was mayor, they would have been immediately removed from the Gardiner," he said, noting the parents who took their children on the Gardiner yesterday should be punished and have Children's Aid investigate. "We can't have this bleeding heart approach anymore because people's and kids' lives are in danger." "We are not going to tolerate any more of this hoodlumism, as I call it."

Amazing how this dirtbag's story has changed and now he wants to embrace the Tamil vote.

Smitherman and Ford in Dead Heat: 2 Polls

The Angus Reid/Star Poll and the Nanos poll have the two furious candidate virtually tied.

ROB FORD AT HIS BEST

Some samaratin posted this one on YouTube. Good job.

You're a Good Man Rocco Rossi

And you fought the good fight.

Harper Calls for a Majority

This guy has no shame whatsoever.

“When the next election comes,” Harper said, speaking before a large Canadian flag, “the entire future of our country is at stake, and we have to work harder than we ever have before to make sure we elect a stable majority Conservative government.”

The Kiss of Death for George Smitherman?

If anyone knows how to snatch defeat from the hands of victory, it's these guys. They have lots of experience at it. They lost an unlosable leadership for Michaeal Ignatieff and took Rossi from 2nd to 5th. Good gawd. Good luck George.

Rob Ford: The New $6 Million Dollar Man

...in law suits that is.

My question dear readers: Will Rob use taxpayers money to defend himself? Afterall, Mammolitti IS backing Ford.

Rossi Urged (yet again) to get Out of the Race

But he just doesn't get it does he. Congrats Rock, you really are Barbara Hall reincarnate.

Rossi:

“It is clear there is a campaign underway to scare Torontonians into voting for George Smitherman,” he said in an email. “I hear people say that they are being told to ‘hold your nose and vote for George’ in the hopes that a strategic voting tactic will stop the chaos that a Ford administration would surely bring to the city.

Yes Rocco, almost all of us get it. You don't. Your axe to grind with George is becoming nauseating.

Sue Ann Levy Irresponsible and Full of it Yet Again

Honestly. How does this women keep her job? She says this in her article:

Rob Ford has a solid hold on first place in Toronto’s mayoral race — and if the momentum continues he’s poised to win by a landslide on Oct. 25, according to the candidate’s own internal polling results obtained by the Sunday Sun

If the Sun has "obtained" (read fed by the Ford campaign) the poll results, why not tell us what the question was, who conducted the poll, what the margin of error is, etc. etc.?

The answer? She a shill. A disgustingly sad excuse of a journalist. Hey Sue why don't you write about how great Rob Ford's fiscal plan is? Oh, that's right IT'S NOT GREAT! What a joke.

In other news, Rocco, you're really getting on my nerves with this "together we can" bullshit. Fact is Rocco YOU CAN'T. There's only one guy that can. It ain't you gumba.

IMAGINE

I recorded this live in August at the McCartney Concert, but this is a much nicer version.

Shorter Rob Ford: I Don't Bother Reading 5000 Page Reports

Tuesday Torotonians woke up to the reality that if they build a new million dollar home with a double car garage and a 10 car driveway, only 2 cars can be parked in front of that house. Similarly, if you're a working couple in the burbs with two cars and have a single car garage but a two car driveway, only ONE of your cars is allowed on that driveway.

Ford and Pantalone voted FOR this ridiculous by-law. Ford's excuse at the 680 debate last night? "It was a 5000 page report and I didn't read it, but I will reopen that issue if I'm fortunate enough to be elected Mayor"
YOU DIDN'T BOTHER LEAFING THROUGH A 5,000 PAGE REPORT MR. FORD??? Were you at the football field that day or something?

My question is, if Mr. Ford can't read just one important report, how many reports is he going to miss in a job that has him skimming through hundreds of reports a year??

Roy Halladay Pitches Playoff No Hitter

WOW!

Belinda Stronach and 99 Others to Back Smitherman

NOW THAT'S MOMENTUM!

The Tory Brothers Join the Smitherman Campaign

John Tory's two sons John Jr. and George have signed on with George Smitherman.

40 Years Ago Today it Began...Je Me Souviens

The Sun's Sue Ann Levy Totally Envious of Sarah Thomson

Let me ask you a question Ms. Levy, what has Rob Ford promised you for your constant attacks on Smitherman? A safe Conservative seat in the next election (there's no such thing of course)? A cushy position on some committee? Head of the TTC? What?

Your drivel is enough to make a person puke. And your big source "Renovator Joe Bucca". The same Bucca that's all over the internet spewing garbage about how great Rob Ford is. That same guy? It just shows how you get fed from that Ford campaign and what a coolaid drinker you are. How about being a journalist for a change to justify your paycheque!

Rob Ford Gets an "F"....Smitherman a B+

The jury is out. Rob Ford fails in the category of Racial Justice.

An advocacy group whose focus is “racial equity, human dignity and social justice” gave George Smitherman the top grade, B+, and Rob Ford a failing F in its “racial justice report card” on Toronto’s mayoral candidates.

Congratulations Rocco Rossi....You are the New Barbara Hall

UPDATE FROM the ROSSI CAMP HERE!

What a joke. The Rossi campaign is imploding.

Last week Rossi himself said this:

"The George Smitherman-led Barbara Hall campaign in 2003 left Toronto with a tax-and-spend mayor, and now George Smitherman's steady plummet in the polls risks handing victory to an angry Councillor Rob Ford who has no plan for our great city." said Rossi.

And, with Rossi staying in the race, Toronto just might get their biggest embarrassment yet as a mayor. Rob Ford.

Fact vs. Fiction

Statement:

John Capobianco offered his support and that of a handful of Rossi staffers during a Sept. 29 meeting at an Etobicoke Tim Hortons with Nick Kouvalis, Mr. Ford’s deputy campaign manager, sources tell The Globe and Mail.

Fact: Mr. Capobianco, who confirmed the meeting took place, dismissed as “absolute nonsense” the suggestion he sought money from the Ford campaign or spoke for anyone but himself.

Fiction: “I’m telling you flat out, hook me up to a lie detector, I have not heard from a single person senior, junior or otherwise that Rocco should drop out,” added Warren Kinsella, the Liberal adviser who joined Mr. Rossi’s campaign at the end of August.

He dismissed the rumours as a ploy by Mr. Smitherman’s camp.

Fact: One of the Liberals who first urged Mr. Rossi to quit was the campaign’s original manager, Sachin Aggarwal.

While Mr. Aggarwal still believed the businessman and former chief executive of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario was the best man to replace David Miller, the polls convinced him victory was impossible.

In August, he encouraged his candidate to quit and support Mr. Smitherman.

That advice, coupled with the campaign’s failure to gain traction, led Mr. Rossi to shuffle Mr. Aggarwal to director of policy. He’s since left altogether.


Statement: “In our case, if we drop out, a lot of our support goes to Rob Ford ... this infantile desire of the Smitherman people to get Rocco to drop out is ridiculous. All it’s going to do is put them further behind.”

Fact: The Smitherman internal polling shows that, among Rossi committed voters, 55% to 60% of Rossi's vote would go to Smitherman. The net gain is Smitherman's to be had.

Statement: Indeed, Mr. Rossi’s campaign manager and his best-known volunteer adviser both insisted again Sunday that their candidate is gaining strength and confidence, thanks in part to a fresh internal poll showing Mr. Rossi in a “solid third.”

Fact: A "solid third" with 21 days left in the campaign means you lose.

Rob Ford Wants You Off His Streets...

....Unless, of course, it's an event HE wants to participate in. What a hypocrite!

The Sun's Sue Ann Levy is Full of Shit!

With all due respect (read: I have zero for her) Sue Ann, you are the one that's full of shit not George Smitherman. How your paper allows you to shill for all things Conservative in hopes of promoting your own political prospects is beyond me. I would have tossed you to the curb a long time ago. You have zero journalistic integrity. Zero!

Must be tough getting beat up in an election by 5500 votes, because she sure is really bitter.

I love her hypocrisy:

My gawd. It’s not just one word. It’s one billion precious dollars frittered away on high-priced consultants with few electronic medical records to show for it.

Yet the same party she wants to represent, Mike Harris' Conservatives, a.k.a Little Tim's Band of Reknown, sold off the ETR. How many billions did Ontario lose there Sue Ann? And her boy of choice, Rob Ford? Well his dad was in the Harris caucus when then went on.

that The Official Mouthpiece for George Smitherman, a.k.a. the Toronto Star

She's written this in at least four of her most recent articles while failing to see that she is twice the mouthpiece for the Conservative Party than the Star is for anyone. Her hypocrisy at its finest.

Thomson Drops out to Support Smitherman

It would be nice if Rocco did the same....but I won't hold my breath.

Any way you look at it, it's a bad, bad week for Rob Ford.

Smitherman Closes the Gap to 5 Points on Ford

And the Ford free fall begins. Torontonians are finally waking up to the reality of what a Rob Ford Toronto would look like - and they don't like it very much. In the meantime good news for Smitherman as he increases his support and now is within striking distance to win this one.

A survey of 400 Toronto voters released Monday evening found Rob Ford leading with 28 per cent, compared with 23 per cent for his closest rival George Smitherman and 10 per cent for third-place candidate Joe Pantalone. Sarah Thomson and Rocco Rossi were tied, with seven per cent of respondents.

Significantly, this latest Ipsos-Reid poll indicates that if it was just down to the former deputy premier and the grandiloquent Etobicoke councillor, Mr. Smitherman would win – 48 per cent of respondents said they’d vote for him, compared with 45 per cent who said they’d vote for Mr. Ford if the Oct. 25 election were held today.

In other news....Rossi is at 7%...me thinks it's time for him and Ms. Sarah to pack it in.

PS The sad news for Torontonians is the OTHER Ford will be at city hall to ruin things.

Why Does Rob Ford Hate Athletics so Much???

First his dumpiness declared a war on bike lanes.


Now Rob Ford has declared war on marathon runners - some of the best athletes in the world. But I bet rolly polly Rob would love Toronto to keep the revenues 35,000 athletes bring into the City of Toronto. He's a cake and eat it kind of guy.

Rossi Holding Grudge with Smitherman Since 2003

You know for the life of me I couldn't understand what Mr. Rossi was doing in this mayoral race after Sept. 1. In fact in August I suggested if I was running his campaign I'd be breaking the news to him in August.

But after this statement I have concluded that's it's for reasons none other than to stick it to George Smitherman.

Rocco Rossi noted no Toronto mayoral frontrunner who lost their lead in the polls in the manner Smitherman has, has ever come back to win.

"The George Smitherman-led Barbara Hall campaign in 2003 left Toronto with a tax-and-spend mayor, and now George Smitherman's steady plummet in the polls risks handing victory to an angry Councillor Rob Ford who has no plan for our great city." said Rossi.

You see, Rossi ran the losing John Tory campaign. It appears he's not quite over that yet.

Rocco should have also noted that no candidate at 9% has made up 36% in the last 29 days of a campaign to win an election for mayor.

The Star's Hepburn: "Joe Pantalone, Rocco Rossi and Sarah Thomson should withdraw immediately "

He's right. ONLY SMITHERMAN CAN STOP ROB FORD....and he needs to be stopped.

By Bob Hepburn
Editorial Page

Back in 2000, consumer advocate Ralph Nader was the Green party’s nominee for U.S. president, running against Al Gore for the Democrats and George Bush for the Republicans.

Despite pleas from friends to withdraw because his no-hope candidacy could hurt Gore’s chances of beating Bush, Nader campaigned tirelessly.

In the battleground state of Florida, Nader received 97,488 votes — and the undying anger of Democrats who claimed his bid drained votes from Gore, who lost Florida by just 537 votes to Bush.

That narrow and controversial victory in Florida secured the U.S. presidency for Bush.

We all know what happened next — Bush went on to become the worst U.S. president ever.

That same election scenario is taking place right now in Toronto.

Here, a trio of candidates with no chance of winning the Oct. 25 mayoral race may contribute heavily to the election of Rob Ford, whom the candidates themselves claim would be “scary” and a disaster for Toronto if he wins.

Because of that, Joe Pantalone, Rocco Rossi and Sarah Thomson should withdraw immediately and let Ford and George Smitherman, the two clear front-runners, fight it out by themselves in the last month of the election.

If they refuse to end their ego-fuelled campaigns, which is most probable, then these also-ran candidates would be partly to blame for helping Ford become mayor if he beats Smitherman.

None of these three candidates has really connected with voters.

After nine months of non-stop campaigning, all three are still hovering between 7 and 13 per cent voter support.

At this stage, Smitherman has about 25 per cent backing in the polls and is the only serious challenger for Ford. If the opposition to Ford is to coalesce around a lone candidate, that person will most likely be Smitherman.

That’s critical because Ford’s popularity, which now stands at more than 42 per cent, may have peaked.

A major new poll to be released in the next few days is expected to show he has fallen slightly, with more than one-third of voters still undecided.

For the most part, Pantalone, Rossi and Thomson have all run serious campaigns of which they can be proud. They have outlined their positions in more than 50 public debates and countless speeches and press interviews.

But they’re delusional if they believe they can win.

All of them cling to the false hope that what happened to David Miller in 2003 will happen to them. In that election, Miller and John Tory trailed Barbara Hall badly in the polls on Labour Day. On voting day, though, Miller won with 299,385 votes to 263,189 for Tory. Hall finished a distant third.

Two other also-rans, John Nunziata and Tom Jakobek, embarrassed themselves by getting less than 6 per cent of the votes.

All three of this year’s “major” also-rans will also wind up embarrassing themselves.

In Thomson’s case, can anyone figure out why she thinks she has a chance of winning? She gets media play because, honestly, she’s the only woman in the race, not because she’s qualified. Her only political experience was an unsuccessful bid for a city council seat — in Hamilton at that.

Rossi, too, has failed to win over voters, but says he’s no “quitter.”

For months, he conducted a decent campaign, but in recent days has started to implode, with foolish plans to bury highways under the city and an appallingly bad series of ads that feature tough-talking Tony Soprano-like voices extolling his virtues.

None of it has worked. Even the centre-right voters Rossi had targeted are ignoring him.

Pantalone, whose campaign theme should be “If you liked David Miller, you’ll like me,” is praying NDP voters and union workers will suddenly love him on election day.

The reverse is more likely, with such voters, in their eagerness to stop Ford, telling Pantalone they support him, but then secretly casting ballots for Smitherman.

It’s too late to remove their names from the ballots.

But it’s not too late for Pantalone, Rossi and Thomson to announce they are no longer candidates and stop all campaigning.

By doing so, they will save their financial backers from wasting money on expensive campaign ads that are about to hit Toronto newspapers and airwaves. They will also save themselves from huge debts that could take years to pay off.

They might even save themselves from being branded forever as Toronto’s own version of Ralph Nader.

Bob Hepburn's column appears Thursday. bhepburn@thestar.ca

Rob Ford's Numbers Fail Worse Than Rocco Rossi's

Finally, somebody prints what many of us have been saying for weeks... Ford's numbers are just wrong. And now you can add chief exaggerator to his long list of nicknames. I'd call him an LLPOF.

Marcus Gee
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
Published on Wednesday, Sep. 22, 2010 11:13PM EDT

Last updated on Thursday, Sep. 23, 2010 6:57AM EDT


This week’s opinion poll showed that Rob Ford is not only the most popular candidate for mayor, he is also the most trusted. But can you really trust a guy who says so much that is wrong and untrue? Consider just a few examples.

- When he talks about overspending at city hall, Mr. Ford often cites the controversial new bike lane on Jarvis Street. He says it cost $6-million. The actual cost was $59,000, $6,000 less than the city’s $65,000 estimate. The money was used to install bike-lane signs, paint new lines on the pavement and remove the overhead signals for Jarvis’s old reversing traffic lane.

- Mr. Ford says city council voted to spend $360-million to tear down the Gardiner Expressway. No such decision has been made. City council voted in July, 2008, only to launch a study into the future of the elevated expressway. The study was expected to cost about $8-million. Mayor David Miller has made it clear he would like to take down the Gardiner east of Jarvis and one city estimate put the cost at about $360-million, but that is only one option under study and council has never voted to approve it.

- Mr. Ford says that under Toronto’s “tax, tax, tax, spend, spend, spend” government, “residents of this city have been hit with a property-tax increase of 5 per cent every year.” After all the waste that taxpayers see, he said at a debate on Tuesday night, “it just infuriates them when they turn around and have to pay a 5-per-cent property tax.” In fact, homeowners’ property taxes went up 2.9 per cent this year, 4 per cent last year and 3.75 per cent in 2008. There has never been a property tax increase of 5 per cent since Mr. Ford was first elected in 2000.

- Mr. Ford said on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning this week that in 2000 the city had a $6.5-billion budget and “now we have almost a $12-billion budget.” In fact, the city’s operating budget has risen from about $6-billion in 2000 to $9.2-billion today. It reaches almost $12-billion only if you add in the capital budget, which pays for road repairs, transit expansion and other projects. Capital spending was not included in Mr. Ford’s 2000 figure, so his comparison exaggerates the growth in spending.

- In controversial remarks about immigration last month, Mr. Ford said that Toronto’s official plan forecasts that a million new people will flood into the city over the next 10 years. “I think it’s more important that we take care of the people now before we start bringing in more,” he said. In fact, the plan says that Toronto will grow by 537,000 residents by 2031. Greater Toronto is expected to grow by 2.7 million people in that same period, but that includes the whole region, including Halton, Peel, Durham and York.

These are not just sloppy mistakes or slips of the tongue. Mr. Ford makes these untrue statements over and over at debates and campaign appearances. His rivals for mayor have corrected him repeatedly in public, but he keeps on trotting them out as fact. Much of what he says falls into the category of “truthiness,” defined by television comedian Stephen Colbert as what you want the truth to be, not what it actually is.

The rise of Rob Ford to the leading spot in the opinion polls is, sadly, no joke. The Etobicoke councillor is just weeks away from becoming mayor of Canada’s biggest city. When a man who says he would run the city like a business repeatedly gets his figures wrong, you have to wonder about his fitness for the job. When he brazenly repeats his errors, you have to wonder about his judgment.

If we say we trust public figures, we usually mean that we believe what they say is true. By that measure, Mr. Ford is the most untrustworthy candidate for mayor.

Rossi Fails the Smell Test

Rocco wants a tunnel. Rocco throws out a number to build it. The Star has the real numbers here.

Jesse McLean
Staff Reporter

Rossi’s Toronto Tunnel
The claim: Rocco Rossi said his proposed Toronto Tunnel — an 8-kilometre subterranean expressway — could cost as little as $105 million per kilometer.

Background: Rossi’s tunnel would extend the Allen Expressway, which currently ends at Eglinton Ave. W., all the way to the Gardiner Expressway.

The eight-kilometre traffic tunnel would be financed through a public-private partnership, he said.

“A determination of an exact cost estimate will require an engineering report,” Rossi’s campaign said in a statement. “However, similar projects in Switzerland, Australia, Los Angeles, Seattle, Nanjing, and some underway, like in Miami, suggest that the cost . . . can be as little as $105 million per kilometre.”

Smell test: While it’s easy to raise the spectre of Boston’s Big Dig, where a 5.6-km tunnel ended up costing the city about $22 billion (it was budgeted to be $2.8 billion), The best comparison to Rossi’s plan is Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct, said Brian Garrod, of the engineering consulting firm Hatch Mott MacDonald.

The 3.1-km tunnel’s size — 16.5 metres in diameter with two stacked, two-lane expressways — is similar to what the Toronto Tunnel would look like, he said.

The cost of simply designing and building the Alaskan Way is about $1.4 billion — roughly $450 million per kilometre, four times more than Rossi’s projection.

In addition, cities generally have to pay easements to owners whose property a tunnel passes beneath, a significant cost considering the number of properties that lie between Eglinton and the Gardiner. Easements could be 10 per cent to 50 per cent of each property’s value, Garrod said. Also, actual costs for mega-projects such as a traffic tunnel, on average, come out to 28 per cent higher than the forecast costs, according to studies. The Alaskan Way project has $415 million set aside for cost overruns and inflation, which brings the tunnel’s total cost to $1.96 billion — roughly $632 million per kilometre.

Did You Miss Last Night's TO Mayoral Debate??

Here's a pretty good account of it here.

Besides Stevie LeDrew being the worst debate moderator in the history of mankind, here are some of the hilites...if you can call them that....

8:06 PM: Rocco Rossi is still in his patented "I'm like Rob Ford but not a total idiot" mode, then hypes the gun registry (of all things). Rossi is currently spending god knows how much money to come in fourth place, so really, he cannot criticize Ford for anything.

8:11 PM: Oh Jesus Christ Ben Mulroney has an applause-o-meter.

8:56 PM: Rossi to Smitherman: Flounder won't explain where he'll make up his difference on cuts. Will you? Smitherman says he'll present his budget framework on the 27th, and so there. Rossi says then Smitherman should cut Flounder some slack. Poor Flounder! Everybody's picking on him!

So, was there anything to this debate? Mostly not. Flounder was as you would expect: the same horrible human being as always, although now with a truly shocking level of smugness in an "I've already won the election" way, no matter how often he says he hasn't won it yet. He's ahead because he's got a simple, straightforward message, which appeals to people who want to believe that governance is simple and straightforward. Of course, if it were simple and straightforward, Rob Ford wouldn't have to run for mayor to have a shot in hell of being effective in city government.

As for the others? Thomson and Rossi should just give up now. Neither one has a hope of winning. Thomson is vague. She has been vague all campaign, and "I'm kind of nice and mean well" has never gotten a lot of votes. On the plus side, at least she isn't becoming a total joke: Rocco Rossi is running possibly the worst campaign in Toronto's entire history at this point, and may very well get fewer votes than Kevin Clarke at the rate he's going, because he doesn't seem interested in doing anything other than tossing off one-liners and promoting stupid ideas.

Pantalone has better numbers because everybody who was hoping that a non-bad progressive candidate would show up has given up and settled, but tonight's performance was terrible. There are valid criticisms of the Miller regime, many of them, and Pantalone's refusal to engage on that level means he's never going to get the progressives to come out; he's just pandering to the audience that doesn't want to feel like it's being pandered to, and worse, he's being obvious about it.

That leaves Smitherman, who for the first time all campaign actually acted like he wanted to win. Despite the idiotic level of these debates, Smitherman actually came across as someone with a little substance and communicated his two major points, which are that Flounder is a worthless human being who can't run the city, and that he can. This was the first debate where Smitherman felt like the leader he's supposed to be.

The Conservative Action Scam

“Advertising costs for the Economic Action Plan were one-time only costs in the context of the global economic crisis, during which the [government of Canada] deemed it important to communicate with Canadians about the programs and services available to them to counter tough economic times,” the Department of Public Works and Government Services Canada said in a statement.

What a crock of shit. These clowns in the Conservative government are making the sponsorship deal look like a mere drop in the bucket with their sign scam wasting taxpayers dollars to promote themselves.

At least the Liberals were promoting Canada and unity in the sponsorship deal. These jokers in Harper's government are using it to promote themselves. Don't believe me? Every sign has actionplan.gc.ca printed on it. Have a look at the site and you tell me if it's non partisan or a use of taxpayer's dollars to promote the Conservative Party of Canada.

Rocco Rossi's Stale Cannoli

Let me start by saying my grandfather and my great grandparents came to this great country in the late 30's from Calabria, Italia. Having said that, I think I have the right to decide whether or not Rocco's ads are funny from an Italo Canadian perspective. They are not. NOT AT ALL. And some other Italo-Canadians agree with me.

His campaign is over and he is done like a meatball.

The Rocco Rossi Nail in the Coffin Ads

I am beyond perplexed. The Rossi campaign is out there telling people that they "are the only team that can stop frontrunner Rob Ford". The same Rob Ford that has made a career over insinuating there is corruption and mass gouging at Toronto City Hall and calls people out on untendered contracts, etc.

So, what do the braniacs over at the Rossi camp come up with? Why they come up with ads depicting Rossi as a Mafioso Soprano wanna be connected guy. The optics suck shit for Rossi. Yeah, maybe the ads are funny at first blink, but for a guy in a free fall to 7% this morning he ain't gonna get any traction with these ads especially in a city worried about gun crime and the likes.

But what do I know?

Time For Rocco Rossi To Cash in His Chips

For all the hoopla and rah rah that Bernie Morton and My Friend brought to Rossi's campaign a couple of weeks ago, the news today has to be a swift kick in the groin. Not only is Rossi down to 9.7% in the new CTV poll, but he is a full 3points behind Joe Pantalone and a ass scorching 12 points behind George Smitherman.

So, I have to ask....is Rossi just in this to sabotage the Smitherman campaign because I'm certain that his team understands that 36% is impossible to overcome in a Mayoral race with 36 days left. And no, 1% per day is not like a dollar a day at Club Fitness.

update: I Love this line

The greatest potential is for Rocco Rossi because - according to the tracking we've done - he's everybody's second choice"--Bernie Morton, Campaign Manager

Last time I checked preferential balloting was not on the menu for Toronto Municipal voting. Bernie, this ain't a nomination you're fighting here.

The Rally to Restore Sanity

Brought to you by "The Daily Show".

Everyone should make an effort to attend....if not just to annoy Glen Beck. The Facebook Group is here.

Smitherman Gets Conservative Endorsements

As I said, Toronto needs a tough mayor. A, tough, experienced mayor. The only candidate fitting that bill is George Smitherman....and now his campaign clearly shows that it's not all the Queens Park Liberals behind him but George is attracting former opponents to his cause.

From the Star:

Tories back Smitherman
Published On Wed Sep 15 2010
ArticleJohn Goddard
Staff Reporter

Former provincial Liberal cabinet minister George Smitherman, trying to stop the Rob Ford mayoral juggernaut, has attracted endorsements from high-profile Tories, including Mike Harris-era cabinet ministers.

“We’re conservatives. He’s a Liberal,” begins an open letter titled “Why We Support George” that includes the names of almost 40 provincial and federal Conservatives, including former citizenship, culture and recreation minister Isabel Basset.

She circulated the email at the request of his campaign, said Stefan Baranski, a spokesman for the candidate and former Conservative communications aide who is himself a signatory. Others include Jamie Watt, a strategist and senior Smitherman campaign adviser.

“He’s tough. But he’s fair,” says the letter also signed by former ministers Charles Harnick (attorney-general) and Dan Newman (environment). He “is the only candidate who has said it’s the mayor’s job to create the climate where businesses will thrive and jobs will be created right here,” the signatories say.

Smitherman, an early frontrunner who is now trailing the penny-pinching Ford, recently promised conservative measures including a “war on waste” and a temporary freeze on property taxes.

“I believe in inclusiveness and I think (Smitherman) represents that in a big way,” Bassett said in a phone interview. “Just because he’s a Liberal doesn’t mean he can’t work with Conservatives and NDP — (city politics) is like a big tent.”

Bassett said she waited until former Ontario Conservative leader John Tory made clear his intention not to run before declaring support for Smitherman.

While popular with the grassroots, Ford has not attracted big-name Conservatives. At his campaign launch in March, Conservative MPP Christine Elliott said she was backing him, while her husband, federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, said “it wouldn’t hurt to have a fiscal conservative as the mayor of Toronto.”

Ford did not respond to a request for comment.

As to why the list includes no sitting MPs or MPPs, Baranski blamed the fact that there are none elected in Toronto.

Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone, the lone candidate on the left hoping to continue Mayor David Miller’s legacy, pounced on the news. “Mike Harris is back in the form of George Smitherman,” he said in a statement. “Why else would the Harris team have just endorsed him?”

While Conservatives often attacked Smitherman in the Legislature over his handling of the money-burning eHealth initiative, signatories including Conservative senators Nancy Ruth and Vim Kochhar lauded his work reducing hospital wait times and cutting nearly $600 million a year from Ontario’s health budget.
With files from David Rider

A Message From Mr. Dion

via facebook

Stéphane Dion M. Dion vous remercie pour la sollicitude que vous avez exprimée à son endroit par vos nombreux messages d’encouragement. La méchante bactérie qui a osé s’en prendre à lui aurait dû y penser à deux fois, car c’est lui qui l’a terrassée avec l’aide des excellents soins des médecins mexicains et un bon cocktail d’antibio...tiques. Il a pu rencontrer la ministre des affaires étrangères du Mexique, qui sera la prochaine présidente de la conférence sur les changements climatiques à Cancun et en plus il a pu livrer sa principale conférence. Le texte intégral de cette conférence sera disponible sous peu ici et sur son site web. Message à tous ceux et celles qui souhaitent que les changements climatiques apportent plus de chaleur… ils apporteront aussi une plus grande prolifération des bactéries!
///
Mr Dion thanks you for the care which you expressed by your numerous messages of encouragement. The miserable bacterium which dared to take itself should have had to think there twice, because it is him who brought it down by means of the excellent care of the Mexican doctors and a good cocktail of antibiotics. He was able to meet foreign secretary of Mexico, who will be the next president of the conference on climate change of UN in Cancun and to deliver his main conference. The complete text of this conference will be available soon here and on his Web site. Message in all those who wish that climate change brings more heat… it will also bring a bigger proliferation of bacteria!See More

Harper: No Money For You!! Gimme a Sign!!

Man! And this guy used to complain about the Liberals wasting money. No tickey, no laundry.

At least when the Liberals went through adscam they were promoting CANADA and not themselves.

Dear Rev. Jones: You Win Moron of the Year Award!

What is it with Reverands named Jones? Why do they like to aid in the killing of Americans so much? Thank God this guy's church only has 50 members.

Needless to Say...I Wish Mr. Dion a Speedy Recovery

He's still out there fighting the good fight.

Are Volpe, Dryden and Dhalla Not Running for the Liberals?

It's hard to give everyone a job. But, three big names seem to be missing from the new and expanded Liberal shadow cabinet. The good news is that Justin and Gerard have big roles to play.

Michael Ignatieff Leader of the Official Opposition & Intergovernmental Affairs ON
Ralph Goodale Deputy Leader SK
David McGuinty House Leader ON
Judy Foote Deputy House Leader NL
Marcel Proulx Chief Opposition Whip QC
Yasmin Ratansi Deputy Opposition Whip ON
James Cowan Leader of the Opposition in the Senate NS
Claudette Tardif Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate AB
Jim Munson Chief Opposition Whip in the Senate ON
Todd Russell Aboriginal Affairs NL
Wayne Easter Agriculture, Agri-food & Canadian Wheat Board PE
Joyce Murray Amateur Sport BC
Larry Bagnell Arctic Issues & Northern Development YT
Pablo Rodriguez Canadian Heritage QC
Dan McTeague Consular Affairs, Consumer Affairs ON
Bonnie Crombie Crown Corporations ON
Alexandra Mendès Economic Development Agency for Regions of Quebec and Associate Finance Critic QC
Carolyn Bennett Democratic Renewal ON
Gerard Kennedy Environment ON
Scott Brison Finance NS
Rodger Cuzner Fisheries, Oceans & Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency NS
Bob Rae Foreign Affairs ON
Raymonde Folco La Francophonie QC
Ujjal Dosanjh Health BC
Michael Savage Human Resources & Skills Development NS
Irwin Cotler Human Rights QC
Marc Garneau Industry, Science & Technology QC
Glen Pearson International Cooperation ON
Martha Hall Findlay International Trade ON
Marlene Jennings Justice & Attorney-General QC
Maria Minna Labour ON
Rob Oliphant Multiculturalism ON
Dominic LeBlanc National Defence NB
Jean-Claude D'Amours National Revenue NB
Denis Coderre Natural Resources QC
Mauril Bélanger Official Languages ON
Sukh Dhaliwal Asia-Pacific Gateway & Western Economic Diversification BC
Mark Holland Public Safety & National Security ON
Geoff Regan Public Works & Government Services NS
Mark Eyking Rural Affairs NS
Judy Sgro Seniors & Pensions ON
Navdeep Bains Small Business ON
Frank Valeriote Southern Ontario Development Agency ON
Anita Neville Status of Women MB
John McCallum Transport, Infrastructure & Communities ON
Siobhan Coady Treasury Board NL
Gerry Byrne Tourism NL
Kirsty Duncan Veterans Affairs ON
Francis Scarpaleggia Water QC
Justin Trudeau Youth & Immigration QC

Smitherman Touts Green Energy Sector Initiative

Notice he didn't mention selling off Toronto Hydro like someone else I know. Anyway, Mr.Smitherman's idea could be a winner!

You're a Tomato! NO! You're a Tomato! No! You are!

Rocco Rossi announced a total recall today. Interesting. Should he win, I'm betting there'll be some angry people that will lead the first recall.

The good thing about BC style politics is that it is in BC. But hey, what do I know?

George Smitherman for Mayor of Toronto!

Okay. I've stayed quiet long enough. The fact is, Rocco Rossi (who I like) is no John Tory. So, no, he won't be pulling a Tory by almost winning this election.

As for Ford? I think we all know he's just a little Kooky, no? And, no, running your dad's company under the tutelage of your brother is not the same kind of business acumen as a John Tory.

So, for my money, I'd rather have a tough, seasoned politician that has run bigger budgets than the City of Toronto's as the next mayor.

Yes, he's furious. But, frankly, Toronto needs furious...and lots of it.

While I'm at it....

In Niagara Falls feel free to vote for Jim Diodati as your next mayor.

And, if you're in the Hammer, don't hesitate to re-elect a fresh looking Larry DiIanni.

ROGERS has officially hit rock bottom

Rogers are officially turds for holding the country ransom and not providing the Jays games to bell, shaw, cogeco....especially when marcum has a no hitter going. I just may cancel my cell service with them!

I expect the CRTC will step in soon.

How Much Does it Cost to Clean an Oil Spill

The Enbridge version. Some may think this is coincidence. But, funny timing, no?

Another "Prominent" Liberal Disses the Coalition

It's never too late to weigh in publicly on an argument that ended some time ago. However, this guy seems determined that Michael Ignatieff should continue to be undermined by his "top Party officials" and their offensive opinions. The saner members of the party are not ammused. The issue had died. Good news for MI. But, with friends like this guy, MI may just have to answer a whole new set of questions on mergers. Not exactly what MI has in mind for his bus tour.

Dumber...again.

I Normally Disagree with Kelly McParland of the Natty Post

But probably not with this article.

Dumb...Again.

The Liberals Warned You This Toronto Fiasco Was Coming

Many, many years ago!

Why would Ignatieff Trash One of His Own Candidates?

What's he thinking when he says stuff like this?

'Hector, I would like you to consider running for me because you're the only one who can win the seat back for us.'

Bizarre. There's already one of his own, hand chosen, candidates running in the riding. And, I like her.

Michael Ignatieff has his George Bush Moment

And this poor bastard gets crucified for telling the truth.

James Travers Laments for a Country

Travers asks us to imagine a country. What I have to say to James Travers is that we also have to imagine a futile opposition that abandoned every one of their known principles to let all this shit happen in the first place. Shame on all of them!

Here's the article in its entirety.

Travers: Changing Canada, one backward step
at a time
Published On Sat Jun 19

By James Travers
National Affairs Columnist Imagine a country where Parliament is padlocked twice in 13 months to frustrate the democratic will of the elected majority. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country that slyly relaxes environmental regulations even as its neighbour reels from a catastrophic oil leak blamed on slack controls. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country that boasts about prudent financial management while blowing through a $13-billion surplus on the way to a $47-billion deficit. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country where a political operative puts fork-tongued words in a top general’s mouth. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country that refuses to fund the same safe abortions to poor women abroad as it provides at home. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country where the national police commissioner skews a federal election and is never forced to explain. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country that writes a covert manual on sabotaging Commons committees. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country dragging its climate change feet as the true north melts. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country that silences political debate on the sale of a publicly owned, crown jewel corporation. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country that puts higher priority on building super-prisons than keeping people out of them. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country where parties that win the most federal seats are dismissed as “losers”. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country that twists its foreign policy around the interests of another nation. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country that argues that barricading its largest city promotes tourism. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country that promises Senate reform only to continue stuffing it with political hacks. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country that avoids answers about a controversial war by accusing questioners of supporting the enemy. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country where party apparatchiks decide who in a nominally free press is allowed to ask the Prime Minister questions. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country where donut shop wisdom is more prized than expert analysis. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country that builds a fake lake for a tough-times summit. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country that preaches law and order while killing a long-gun registry police chiefs insist makes citizens safer. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country where serving the Prime Minister as chief propagandist is job preparation for running a national news network. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country where charities mute constructive criticism of public policy for fear of losing federal funding. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country that can spend $1.2 billion for summit security but can’t find the petty cash needed to invest in the status of women. That country is now this country.

Imagine a country that promises accountability only to impose secrecy. That country is now this country.

Every example is familiar, all are documented. Only the cumulative effect is surprising.

Conservatives came to power knowing reluctant Canadians could only be shifted to the political right incrementally. That movement is now advancing according to the plan Conservative thinker, strategist and Stephen Harper mentor Tom Flanagan infuriated the Prime Minister by making public.

Imagine that.

The United Party of Canada

I'm told they are only weeks away from being approved by Elections Canada. Sick of all the other parties? Why not join in their quest. Or see their Facebook Group here.

How Out of Touch is the Liberal Leader You Ask

Today Nik Nanos released his latest poll identifying what Canadians think their top priorities are. Here are the short strokes:

Methodology
Nanos conducted a random telephone survey of 1,008 Canadians, 18 years of age and older, between May 29th and June 3rd, 2010. A survey of 1,008 Canadians is accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, plus or minus, 19 times out of 20.

Top Issue Question: What is your most important NATIONAL issue of concern? [unprompted] (The numbers in parentheses denote the change in the Nanos National Omnibus surveys between May and June, 2010.)

National (n=1,008)

Top Five Issues
Healthcare: 23.1% (+0.3)
Jobs/economy: 19.2% (+0.6)
The environment: 12.6% (+1.8)
High taxes: 5.3% (-0.1)
Education: 2.5% (-2.9)

Health Care You Ask? Well, the Toronto Star just happens to be writing about the Liberal Leader's vacancy on the issue just this morning as luck should have it.

On June 17, his group will host a meeting on Parliament Hill for politicians of all parties to discuss the long-term viability of medicare. Some 40 MPs and senators have indicated they will attend.

But Ignatieff isn’t expected to be among them. Once again, the Liberal leader will be missing in action when it comes to health care. It’s a pattern that disturbs medicare proponents. Just last weekend, for example, Ignatieff led a daylong Liberal policy meeting in Toronto, but health care wasn’t even on the agenda, though it was discussed briefly in at least one of the sessions.

For medicare supporters, the key question is whether the party that introduced universal health care in the 1960s will be there to defend it in the future. Under Ignatieff, the answer is unclear.

Notice that the Nanos Poll doesn't identify leaving our troops in Afghanistan or traveling to India or China? (although some could argue that falls under the category of the Economy I suppose)

But, for Liberals, not all polls are bad.

Smitherman Has Questions for Rob Ford

It's clear that The Smitherman camp has decided who their main threat is. And, no, it's not Rocco Rossi. Here's some questions the Smitherman camp are asking of Rob Ford.

For Immediate Release
June 14, 2010

A Monday morning wake up call for Rob Ford
Good morning Rob ... It’s time you answered some questions

Rob Ford likes to sell himself as a numbers guy, but often his numbers don’t make any sense. Take for instance his promise to cut the number of councillors in half. A promise that can only be kept if councillors themselves agree to it (at best a long-shot and more likely an impossibility). And even then, it would not result in a penny of savings until December 2014.

Despite these facts – Rob Ford has tried to use these imaginary “savings” to pay for his promise to spend $15 million a year to hire 100 police officers and put them in schools.

Over four years, that’s $60 million in new spending before we see any savings.

Which is it Rob? Will the schools have to wait or do your numbers not add up?

-30-


George Smitherman June 15 at 8:56am Report
For Immediate Release


Good morning Rob... it's time you answered some questions

Transit and gridlock:

Rob, your comments on transit have people confused. Everywhere you go you say, "I like subways... I don't like streetcars." At the CP24 debate you said: "street cars no way – we have to go with subways." You have even gone so far as to tell the National Post that you have identified two new subway lines as priorities (Eglinton and Sheppard).

When Torontonians hear you say these things, they actually think you are going to build subways. By the way, those two lines alone are $6.7 billion.

But you have been kinda sneaky on this Rob – you have never actually said how you planned to pay for any transit improvements or expansion other than talking about "air rights" which is nothing but hot air and won't get you very far.

In fact you have done the opposite. You also told folks twice during the CP24 debate that transit wasn't a big priority. Not a priority? Really?

Which is it – will there be new subways or not – if so, where exactly – and how are you going to pay for them?

-30-

George Smitherman June 16 at 1:16pm ReportGood morning Rob... it’s time you answered some questions

The million dollar part-time councillor:

In return for their full-time salary, councillors are expected to work full-time.

Rob, since you were first elected, taxpayers have paid you over $1,034,281 in salary and benefits.

The problem is you have another job. A real busy one.

You are also the Chief Financial Officer of Deco Labels & Tags. It’s your family’s business and it’s pretty big: over 250 employees in Toronto, Chicago and New Jersey and close to $100 million in annual sales.

Most CFOs will tell you they usually work more than 60 hours a week. Given the fact that you always describe yourself as a “businessman” and never as a “politician,” it’s clear which job has been your priority.

It’s no wonder your fellow councillors have described you as being: “poorly briefed on reports and frequently absent from debates and votes.”

The real question is - if you haven’t been a full-time councillor – why have you been cashing a full-time pay cheque?

John Baird LLPOF

That's it! Liberal Parliamentarians Have Officially Lost Their Minds

Failing Canada and Canadians on basically every single issue, I give you the once proud Liberal Party of Canada.

Let's have a look at how Team Ignatieff has decided to wind down their last days of the session shall we.

Last week Iggybots had a chance to take down the Conservatives on the most ridiculous Budget Bill in the history of Canada that included 900 pages of everything from soup to nuts and at least 5 non-budgetary bills. They chose to absent 30 MPs instead.

Yesterday, in the Senate, Conservative Senator Murray tried to rally the Liberal troops to split that same budget bill. He fell short. The result of all this bullshit? The Environment is lost in Canada for at least another generation or 2. Way to go team Liberal, party of Kyoto! Bravo!

Big issue #2 was that we forced Liberal MP and speaker of the House, Peter Milliken to make an historic ruling on Parliamentary Priviledge only to cave yesterday and take it in the ear again from Stephen Harper's dictatorship. Shame on you Mr. Ignatieff for failing the Parliament of Canada. Shame.

Issue #3. After 1.5 years of waiting for some kind of substantial policy from the leader's office - and 2 commissions, a convention and a HUGE Montreal thinker's conference later - we get a foreign policy position from the leader. The result???? WE SHOULD STAY IN AFGHANISTAN! WTF are you thinking?

I'm just wondering what happened to my grandaddy's Liberals and why any of us are sticking around for the bloodbath.

Michael Ignatieff was right. We didn't get it done....AGAIN

Who Will Replace Apps as the Next Liberal President?

Next week Alf Apps is scheduled to step down as Liberal Party President. The norm lately has been to appoint the Executive Vice President.

It's rumoured the Leader's Office is preferring Kukucha over Garceau.

I'm not 100% sure of the rules, but I don't think it's outside the scope of the National Board of Directors to pick someone from outside their own little click. So feel free to email them with ideas or state your choice for president in the comment section here.

About Warren Kinsella, John Mraz and Alf Apps

I've received many an email over the last day or so asking me what the hell this Kinsella/Apps thing is all about. "Why would Kinsella swear an affidavit?" one reader asks. "Who the hell is John Mraz?" another asks. Didn't you call for Apps' resignation recently?" asks another.

Here's what I know and here's what I think.

Warren signed an affidavit. A legal document. He knew he could because he knew what he was saying was nothing but the truth so help him God. What else Warren probably knew is that Alfred Apps couldn't possibly do the same. Why, you ask? Well, I'll let you guess at that one.

Alfred Apps has a tendency to believe he, and he alone, is the centre of the universe. See my previous posts in archives. Probably in a conversation with WK and a subsequent conversation with Mraz, Mr. Apps may have thrown some names out there unassumingly....or not. Afterall, he's the guy that claimed to know Pierre Trudeau better than Trudeau's own son.
And, yes, I have called for his resignation over the whole Gallani/Jaffer affair because I think that Mr. Apps should have disclosed his meeting with Gallani to the Liberal Party of Canada before the witch hunt began.

Which leaves me with John Mraz. I damn neared died laughing when I heard Penny Collenette on Power and Politics yesterday when she denied on three occasions that she has never even HEARD of this John Mraz person. (Likened it to that biblical guy with Jesus where the cock crows). I mean really. The guy's been around some serious Liberal backrooms, was part of the War Room as recently as a few months ago and writes a column for the National Post. (Note donor 354 here. Mraz was big in Rae circles during the '06 leadership) What Liberal planet is she living on?

Further, I know John Mraz personally. I don't think he's about to put pen to paper to back up his buddy Warren unless it was nothing but the truth. Putting himself out there like that just isn't his M O.

So, what I'm telling you my Liberal friends is that two guys signed affidavits swearing the truth. One guy didn't. Enough said. With any luck these rumours of Apps are true too.

Now, what is it all about? Hell if I know, but what I can tell you is that the return of the senior Martinites is disturbing to me, and I'm certain WK probably ain't very thrilled about it either. Especially with the talking popcorn master on CBC everyday speaking for the Joe average Liberal.

It looks as though there really is a power struggle behind the scenes in Liberaland. Then again, what do I know?

Liberal Party of Canada - Failing Canadians One Budget Bill at a Time

Let me just say I am disgusted with the Liberal Party of Canada who, singlehandedly, today sold Canada and Canadians down the river by not defeating this budget bill. If I were a constituent in any of their ridings right now, I'd picket their damn offices and demand their resignations. In fact, I think they should resign. They weren't elected to skip out on the most important of votes in the House of Commons. Disgusting. Total lack of principles and morals.

And why the hell is Stephen Harper getting away with contempt of Parliament? Where is the Liberal Party of Canada on this Afghan document release? WHERE?

Grow some balls Mr. Ignatieff and do your damn job!!!

Liberals Lose Another Star Candidate

Dan Mclean, announced his withdrawal as Liberal candidate for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale earlier tonight.

His withdrawal announcement will likely coincide with an announcement that he will be soon be throwing his hat into Hamilton's Mayoral contest.

All polls show Mclean with a substantial lead in the mayoral race, despite the fact that he has never indicated that he was considering running for the Mayor's chair at City Hall.

It is perfect timing for Mclean to enter the race for Hamilton's top spot, with low voter interest in any of the other candidates, including incumbent Mayor, Fred Eisenberger with his bungling of the Pan Am Games stadium file and a lackluster term as mayor.

Mclean is poised to capitalize on his substantial name recognition and his strong local network.

This announcement is sure to provoke more interest in what was sure to be a dud of fall municipal election.

Perhaps this is a case of another Liberal loss for a greater municipal gain, with Maurizio Bevilacqua likely in line to be the next Mayor of Vaughn.

And More About this Coalition...

of the UNWILLING....

Can somebody, nay, anybody, please tell me how you can have a coalition with one's self? Because, for the life of me, I can't find a single Dipper anywhere suggesting they want a coalition with this spineless rump of a party formerly known as the Natural Governing Party.

Anyone? Bueller?

Ignatieff and Goodale Need to Grow a Couple Pairs!

This is just bullshit! It's time for a damn election. I don't give a shit if Canadians give the Liberals 40 seats as a result. This government has made a mockery of the Canadian Parliament and parliamentarians in general. It's time for the Liberal Party of Canada to grow a set of nuts and stand up for SOMETHING for Gawdsake. ANYTHING! Why have deadlines if you can't even damned well enforce them?

It's embarrasing anymore. I feel sick to my stomach.

And This is Why Maurizio Bevilacqua Should Run for Mayor

I guess Denis Coderre still has a little cache.

plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose

That's how one Quebecer described the news that LPC(Q) President Marc Lavigne was being replaced by The Hon. Lucienne Robillard.

My guess is the real reason for the resignation was NOT his family. Maybe the Friday afternoon announcement makes me suspicious of such things.

About This Coalition, Jean Chretien and Liberal Party Destruction

Liberals are officially spinning themselves into self destruction these days.

As a background to all of this, I offer up the Wiki on the last coalition circa 2008.

I tried to avoid the blogging of the "Coalition" here on this site. But yesterday I snapped. I had had just about enough of the redirect and juxtaposing on the issue.

I'm not certain at what point the Liberal Party members will drop the dialogue of the Dipper/Lib/non-Bloc pact, but I am certain that none of dialogue benefits the Liberal Party of Canada.

Jean Chretien said "If it's doable, let's do it." What Jean Chretien didn't say is whether or not he thought "it could be done." You know, like a proof is a proof when you have good proof, then it's a proof. Show me a quote where he said he's persuing any talks of a coalition, then I might believe it. And this quote from 2008 doesn't count:

Former NDP leader Ed Broadbent had confirmed earlier in the day that he had been in talks with former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien about the possibility of a coalition stemming from disagreement with measures proposed in the government's fiscal update, delivered Thursday.

"I've talked to Mr. Chrétien. He and I both discussed what would be a good situation here for the people of Canada, for Parliament, and we'll see what happens," Broadbent told CBC News. He called the Conservatives' update a "joke."

.

That was then. It was after a brutal fiscal update taking away party funding and talking about nothing and a brutal election and just before a vote of non-confidence. Harper knew he screwed up and this coalition was a real option for Canadians. He prorogued. We turfed the leader.

The UK argument is beyond lame. First of all, in the UK coalition (which many speculate will not survive for an extended period), all the warring parties rallied their troops and went out to the battlefield. All of them proclaimed their sabres were bigger than the other guys. A whole bunch of sabre-rattling and some sword play ensued and then they asked the civilians how they thought the war was going.

The civilians then said, we have no appetite for a clear victor here and we are going to support all of you, now kiss and make peace. With that in mind and very much a reality, the parties THEN went to work to find out who they could "team up with" as an ally in the field. THEN an election was held and the result was exactly what the civilians were telling the parties.

THEN and only THEN did a coalition agreement come to pass. And, only after much negotiating with WILLING parties. It could still have been a BROWN government for all anybody knew, but smarter minds prevailed and Britain was temporarily appeased.

In addition, the coalition that was formed, was formed with the WINNING party and the third place party, not the second place party and the fourth place party. So Brits could live with that for a bit.

Here, in Canada, we have no such similar scenario. We were close in 2008. But nobody liked that idea. In fact, Liberals hated the idea so much they used it as part and party to get rid of their duly elected leader and skip a leadership battle to install its current leader. That leader immediately distanced himself from the coalition.

Former deputy prime minister John Manley asked that Dion resign immediately, saying it was incomprehensible that the public would accept Dion as prime minister after rejecting him a few weeks earlier in the general election. Manley also said that a leader was needed "whose first job is to rebuild the Liberal party rather than leading a coalition with the NDP."

Several other insiders advocated moving up the date of the party leadership vote, rather than have Dion remain leader for either a potential election or coalition, while leadership contenders Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae both agreed that Dion had to quit immediately. Dion initially scheduled his resignation for the party's leadership convention in May 2009, but on December 8, 2008, he announced that he would step down upon the selection of his successor.

Bob Rae, who helped to persuade the Liberal caucus of the power-sharing deal, took over as the coalition's spokesman and planned to travel throughout the country to promote the coalition. By contrast, Michael Ignatieff, the frontrunner to succeed Dion, was said to be uncomfortable with the idea of sharing power with the NDP and receiving committed support from the Bloc Québécois. Ignatieff said that there would be a "coalition if necessary, but not necessarily a coalition," noting that the coalition served a useful purpose by keeping the Conservatives in check, but warned that the Liberals should look over the budget before deciding.After the withdrawal of his two rivals, Ignatieff was left as the sole declared leadership candidate, so he was appointed interim leader, and his position is was ratified at the May 2009 convention.

Resolution
On December 12, Ignatieff met with Prime Minister Harper to discuss the budget, with their spokesmen describing it as a "cordial" meeting.

Layton and Duceppe remained committed to ousting the Harper government,pledging that the NDP would vote against the Conservative budget regardless of what it contained. Layton urged Ignatieff's Liberals to topple the Conservatives before the shelf life of the coalition expired; constitutional experts said that four months after the last election, if the government fell, the Governor General would likely grant the Prime Minister's request to dissolve parliament instead of inviting the coalition.

On January 28, 2009, the Liberals agreed to support the budget as long as it included regular accountability reports, and the Conservatives accepted this amendment. This ended the possibility of the coalition, so Layton said "Today we have learned that you can't trust Mr. Ignatieff to oppose Mr. Harper. If you oppose Mr. Harper and you want a new government, I urge you to support the NDP".

Last week that same leader's office issued talking points dismissing any possibility of coalition. In other words, the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada is saying, we are a Liberal Party, we are moving forward as one party focusing on the needs of Canadians. Will he changed his mind? Um, he's been known to so you never know.

The point is this dear Liberals, the perpetuation of the coalition talks from the members - Yes, Sam Lavoie, you ARE now an elected "senior Liberal" in your capacity -
is signalling to Canadians that you are just too damn weak to govern and you are admitting whole-heartedly that the Liberal Party of Canada can NOT beat Stephen Harper's Conservatives. And that, my friends is the reality of the situation.

I didn't sign on to be a member of the Liberal Democrat Party of Canada.

How about if we put together a platform and send it out to Canadians and let them be the judge of who they want. How about not throwing the environment away for another generation by voting down the omnibus budget bill. How about talking about that stuff. Win some seats first.

I have news for you friends, if you go to 40 seats, it ain't gonna matter who you try to make a coalition with, you're done for four more years.

But hey, if you're void of ideas or the notion we can put together something along the lines of Kelowna, Kyoto and Kids, I guess a coalition it is.

Anywho. Carry on.