Advice for the Fords

[ArgoRavi]

I think that Rob and Doug Ford should hire Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos as a consultant. Anthopolous fields mediocre teams year in and year out and yet gets very little criticism from the Toronto media. Surely, he could provide the Fords with some help on how to avoid the bad press that they receive.

[Mulder]

Seems like sound advice. 50 games in and 10 back. During their recent "surge" the media went gaga over (going 7-3 in last 10 prior to this series) they only managed to gain 1.5 on the top in division. At that rate they should be rounding into form about January/February of 2014.

[1argoholic]

NOt a fan of the Ford bros but if Rob was a crackhead he's bucked the trend in a big way. He's the only fat crackhead that still has fair teeth. I think it must have been a pot pipe followed by a feeding frenzie at some fast food chain.

I agree with Ravi's comments. When everyone called the Jays front runners before the season started I could see this thios type of year unfolding. You can't buy a new team and expect to rip the league up. Maybe sod in the dome will help. haha.

[Argo57]

As it turns out "Tommy Boy" is the life story of Rob Ford. As for the Blue Jays after this season they could be left with a bunch of over priced aging stiffs that they will have trouble unloading, kind of makes you long for the days when Pat Gillick was in charge , the guy had the golden touch!!
On the bright side Toronto is still the city of champion.

[argolio]

Advice? Rob should probably stop smoking crack. Or if he can't stop, he should get someone to buy crack for him so he can smoke it at home instead of visiting the crack dealer and smoking the crack at the dealer's home. That would also greatly reduce the possibility of getting filmed smoking crack by his crack dealer (or by a member of his posse).

Doug should probably consider the possibility that the provincial Conservatives will tell him they don't want him to run in the next provincial election.

[Wobbler]

FWIW, I'm >4Mm from Toronto and in a different country, but I've heard Rob Ford's name mentioned more than once this week.

This is one of the reasons. Oh my...

[1argoholic]

Nice picture of the loser right after a huge hit on the pipe. He's all clASS!

[Midnight Blue]

Nice picture of the loser right after a huge hit on the pipe. He's all clASS!

In the entire history of civilization, a left-winger has never, not once won a political argument
against a right-winger.

Hence the natural response of lefties, for name-calling, and making fun of an opponents appearance.

For those unfamiliar with Toronto local politics, we kicked out the left in a 51-37% Mayoral election, which Mayor Rob Ford won, practically a landslide.

But keep talking, guys.

Your level of class is becoming apparent.

1argoholic, you are a disappointment.

Kozak blood? Not a chance.






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"Bloody Ti-Cat fan. Eat any good books lately?"

[T-Bone]

In the entire history of civilization, a left-winger has never, not once won a political argument
against a right-winger.

Hence the natural response of lefties, for name-calling, and making fun of an opponents appearance.

For those unfamiliar with Toronto local politics, we kicked out the left in a 51-37% Mayoral election, which Mayor Rob Ford won, practically a landslide.

But keep talking, guys.

Your level of class is becoming apparent.

1argoholic, you are a disappointment.

Kozak blood? Not a chance.






----------------------------------------------------------------

"Bloody Ti-Cat fan. Eat any good books lately?"

I live in the purple part. I couldn't care less if Ford is smoking crack or not, what has he actually done as mayor? Cut the vehicle tax and found out that all that "gravy" he was going on about, didn't exist. That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

[Will]

http://www.torontolife.com/informer/features/2013/02/22/the-flip-side-of-ford-philip-preville/

I found this article to be interesting.

Problem is he has no idea how to handle it whenever one of these scandals pops up.

[Midnight Blue]

The gravy train doesn't exist anymore.

Mayor Ford restored fiscal (monetary) sanity to City Hall, and the budget eventually had a surplus, instead of a deficit. Ford kept Toronto from approaching bankruptcy. He got rid of the vehicle registration tax, and the home transfer tax, and will be here to prevent the left from imposing new taxes and road tolls. He got rid of the Jarvis bike-lanes, which along with Dundas East and Dupont (which still exist) were simply meant to make it harder for cars to get around. Ford suggested that bike lanes should be built where they make sense (like Sherbourne, which was already planned, and now implimented). He ended the "war on the car". This war has been going on since the Eighties, when City Hall decided not to add an off-on ramp directly to the Skydome, since in their words, "it would encourage more cars."

We live in a democracy. Rob Ford is our point-man for sanity, funny as that may sound.

Sure, he looks, and sometimes acts goofy.

Personally, I wouldn't care if he was a cross-dressing transvestite, as long as he got the job done.

And there has been no evidence yet, of crack-smoking, only allegations.

The "group" responsible for get donations, has now well over the $200,000.- asked by the owners of the supposed video. But the sellers seem to have disappeared. If the video is real, then Mayor Ford should resign. Though if the video is real, he was probably just sharing some pot with some locals.


Oh and I live Downtown too.


Ka' Pla !









-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Bloody Ti-Cat fan. Eat any good books lately?"

[T-Bone]

http://www.torontolife.com/informer/features/2013/02/22/the-flip-side-of-ford-philip-preville/

I found this article to be interesting.

Problem is he has no idea how to handle it whenever one of these scandals pops up.

Thank you. It was nice to read something relevant instead of the sideshow circus that has been going on at city hall the last two weeks. That crap is getting quite tiresome.

He got rid of the home transfer tax.

Not yet.

[Midnight Blue]

http://www.torontolife.com/informer/features/2013/02/22/the-flip-side-of-ford-philip-preville/

I found this article to be interesting.

Problem is he has no idea how to handle it whenever one of these scandals pops up.

Just read that. Thanks, Argofan87. And good luck with your studies!


EDIT : I was wondering about the Home/Land Transfer Tax, T-Bone. I knew it was delayed, but thought it was eliminated. Hopefully soon.


--------------------------------------------------------
"Bloody Ti-Cat fan. Eat any good books lately?"

[Midnight Blue]

By the way, 1argoholic :


I may have been severe in the last line of my previous comment toward you.

While I considered for a split-second deleting it, I decided to let it stand,

since it came out of my mouth.


At the very least, you owe me a shot or boot to my head, for questioning your blood/lineage;

If you prefer (since dueling has been outlawed in Canada for quite some time), I have a pair

of foam-covered Japanese practice swords (as well as several real bokken), or can get a pair

of Kendo bamboo-swords.


(By the way, a famous Japanese Swordsman, once won a real duel against a real opponent
wielding a real sword, by using only a bokken, which he carved out of an oar, on his way across
a lake, to the fight.)


And one can always call a duel, a "friendly sword-practise." If someone gets hurt - oh well.

This is the way they got around the law before.



In any case, since I opened my mouth, I am prepared to face to consequences.



Ka' Pla !

[argolio]

In the entire history of civilization, a left-winger has never, not once won a political argument
against a right-winger.

Hence the natural response of lefties, for name-calling, and making fun of an opponents appearance.

For those unfamiliar with Toronto local politics, we kicked out the left in a 51-37% Mayoral election, which Mayor Rob Ford won, practically a landslide.

That depends on if you think Ford really is a conservative. I think he's a populist, and just tells people what they want to hear using simple soundbites. Not unlike PC leader Tim Hudak and NDP leader Andrea Horwath provincially.

And for the record, it was Ford 47.1%, Smitherman 35.6%, and Panatalone 11.7%, which may be a landslide (no clear definition exists), but the only definitively left candidate was Pantalone.

The gravy train doesn't exist anymore.

Mayor Ford restored fiscal (monetary) sanity to City Hall, and the budget eventually had a surplus, instead of a deficit. Ford kept Toronto from approaching bankruptcy. He got rid of the vehicle registration tax, and the home transfer tax, and will be here to prevent the left from imposing new taxes and road tolls. He got rid of the Jarvis bike-lanes, which along with Dundas East and Dupont (which still exist) were simply meant to make it harder for cars to get around. Ford suggested that bike lanes should be built where they make sense (like Sherbourne, which was already planned, and now implimented). He ended the "war on the car". This war has been going on since the Eighties, when City Hall decided not to add an off-on ramp directly to the Skydome, since in their words, "it would encourage more cars."

We live in a democracy. Rob Ford is our point-man for sanity, funny as that may sound.

Sure, he looks, and sometimes acts goofy.

Personally, I wouldn't care if he was a cross-dressing transvestite, as long as he got the job done.

And there has been no evidence yet, of crack-smoking, only allegations.

The "group" responsible for get donations, has now well over the $200,000.- asked by the owners of the supposed video. But the sellers seem to have disappeared. If the video is real, then Mayor Ford should resign. Though if the video is real, he was probably just sharing some pot with some locals.


Oh and I live Downtown too.

By law the operating budget must be balanced. You can argue Ford slowed down the rate of increase in spending, but he hasn't kept Toronto from bankruptcy for the simple reason that we were never even close to approaching bankruptcy.

Yeah, we live in a democracy, which means Council is the ultimate arbiter. Ford tried to bypass Council and rule through his executive committee too many times, and in the end democracy revolted and bit Ford on his derriere. Ford's failure as mayor has been his inability to create a winning coalition in Council, or to even try and do that. And he really mishandled the transit issue.

The problem with the video is Ford's known stance on drug users is diametrically opposed to what is alleged to be on the video. It's also not "some locals" on the video but, allegedly, hardcore drug dealers.

Though I bet Ford will not resign even if the video turns up and is proven to be legit.

[Midnight Blue]

That depends on if you think Ford really is a conservative. I think he's a populist, and just tells people what they want to hear using simple soundbites. Not unlike PC leader Tim Hudak and NDP leader Andrea Horwath provincially.

And for the record, it was Ford 47.1%, Smitherman 35.6%, and Panatalone 11.7%, which may be a landslide (no clear definition exists), but the only definitively left candidate was Pantalone.

By law the operating budget must be balanced. You can argue Ford slowed down the rate of increase in spending, but he hasn't kept Toronto from bankruptcy for the simple reason that we were never even close to approaching bankruptcy.

Yeah, we live in a democracy, which means Council is the ultimate arbiter. Ford tried to bypass Council and rule through his executive committee too many times, and in the end democracy revolted and bit Ford on his derriere. Ford's failure as mayor has been his inability to create a winning coalition in Council, or to even try and do that. And he really mishandled the transit issue.

The problem with the video is Ford's known stance on drug users is diametrically opposed to what is alleged to be on the video. It's also not "some locals" on the video but, allegedly, hardcore drug dealers.

Though I bet Ford will not resign even if the video turns up and is proven to be legit.

Mayor Rob Ford won at 51%, unless the numbers were subsequently revised downward, after the election. I'll look into it, not that it really matters.

As for being a Conservative, if Rob Ford isn't a Conservative, then I don't know who is.

And it is great the the budget must be balanced by law, for if that is true, then this is the first time that the budget has been balanced by law, for a small eternity.

As for creating a "winning coalition" on Council, Mayor Ford would do a lot better without a bunch of disruptive, vengeful, self-entitled, obstructive lefty councillors, opposing him at every move.

The people of Toronto are not unaware of this. I suspect he will be re-elected with an even greater percentage of the vote. We Conservatives do not answer telephone polls. Most of us work for a living, or run businesses.

Bring on the next election !


Ka' Pla !

[Mulder]

I live in the purple part. I couldn't care less if Ford is smoking crack or not, what has he actually done as mayor? Cut the vehicle tax and found out that all that "gravy" he was going on about, didn't exist. That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Argofan87's post and article outline it pretty clear. The stuff you don't see published anywhere has saved the City tens of millions of not more. There was no single source of gravy.
Beside's IMO,I think more people voted for Rob Ford for his Subway's platform, which was voted down by council, not the mayor.

[Will]

The part I agree with the most in that article is that the last thing Toronto needs is the other extreme (Olivia Chow); she might not come with the baggage that Ford did, but the map that T-Bone posted is very telling and very truthful. The suburbs won't be fond of Chow just as the inner city isn't fond about Ford.

[argolio]

And it is great the the budget must be balanced by law, for if that is true, then this is the first time that the budget has been balanced by law, for a small eternity.

As for creating a "winning coalition" on Council, Mayor Ford would do a lot better without a bunch of disruptive, vengeful, self-entitled, obstructive lefty councillors, opposing him at every move.

The people of Toronto are not unaware of this. I suspect he will be re-elected with an even greater percentage of the vote. We Conservatives do not answer telephone polls. Most of us work for a living, or run businesses.

All municipal operating (and school) budgets are balanced everywhere in Ontario. They were under Miller, and they were under Lastman. How they get balanced at the end of the fiscal year might differ -- at times Lastman, Miller, and even Ford got advances from Queen's Park to balance the books.

Ford, like any mayor, only gets one of 45 votes in Council. His obligation as mayor is to create coalitions on Council no matter who is there. There isn't the party politics of Ottawa or Queen's Park where you can get your entire agenda passed with a majority government. Municipal government is different. Mayors have to be able to work the room and twist some arms.

As for the next election, let's see who runs first.

Argofan87's post and article outline it pretty clear. The stuff you don't see published anywhere has saved the City tens of millions of not more. There was no single source of gravy.
Beside's IMO,I think more people voted for Rob Ford for his Subway's platform, which was voted down by council, not the mayor.

Transit was a factor, but by far the "gravy" issue and the backlash from the garbage strike were the main reasons Ford won.

Ford signed an M.O.U. (Memorandum of Understanding) transit agreement with the province in 2011. It specified that Council had to vote on it but Ford never brought it to Council. He foolishly thought he could run transit from his executive committee. And in 2011 Ford was actually winning votes.

By the time 2012 came, Council was worried the province would pull $8.4 billion of transit funding, so they voted to revive the plan that was approved by the previous Council. Rob Ford has been in a tailspin ever since.

[Ron]

I may have been severe in the last line of my previous comment toward you.

While I considered for a split-second deleting it, I decided to let it stand,

since it came out of my mouth.

I always assumed you typed with your tongue.