Lower taxes are good for Toronto!!

While lower taxes are good for Toronto, the fact that lower taxes can only follow through planned reductions in public spending should come as no surprise. To taxpayer's chagrin however, the few remaining 'left-leaning Miller Gang' councillors responsible for pillaging the city treasury for the last seven years have made clear they have no intention of carrying out their mandate and are reduced to 'grandstanding' to deflect public ridicule. They are refusing to otherwise balance the books as ravaging services thus reducing debt seems to be anathema to these folks!

While there is certainly enough blame to go around, to expect the taxpayer to accept an onerous tax increase is hypocritical! Despite Naomi Klein's attack on nearly everybody in her 'War on Activism' tirade, Canadians, specifically Torontonians have certainly not earned the moniker 'draconian' when you consider that we are generous by nature. But when ballooning debt service costs are the number 3 item on the list of expenditures and poised to oust Police as the number one item, this cannot continue and something has to be done!

But getting back to Miss Klein's sanctimonious and disingenuous insult, to earn 'draconian', consider how Wikipedia describes Draco, an Athenian legislator, who codified the laws around 600 BC, the first time the Athenian laws were put down in writing. Although details of his legislation are now unknown, the laws which treated rich and poor alike for the first time were notoriously harsh (hence the adjective ‘Draconian’) with nearly all offenses; including idleness, I might add punishable by death.

Of course, those who hurl around the 'draconian' charge probably do not know that Draco's laws were considered 'just' at the time. For the first time in Athenian law, the codes were written down so folks would know what was legal and what was illegal, thus they could avoid inadvertently breaking the law. Also, it is said, the government finally took responsibility for enforcing punishment for crimes, thus ending the need for vendettas.

When asked why he decreed death as the penalty for most offenses, it is said that Draco commented that small offenses deserved death and he knew of no punishment more severe for great ones and now more than 2,600 years later, the adjectival form of his name 'draconian' is still tossed around in Toronto anytime someone decries injustice.

Alas, Ford's election pledge to Stop the Gravy Train does not include a death sentence for those who still want to spend more than they bring in so no one can get away with hurling the charge of 'draconian deficit cut', either. On the other hand, considering the unconscionable level of recidivism practiced in Toronto during Miller's reign, 'draconian' punishment might have a  certain appeal in some quarters. Lamentably, capital punishment is not on the table for discussion, only non-criminal matters of spending less taxpayer's money.

What should be condemned though is the current 'draconian deficit' in Toronto; $4.4 billion dollars in net debt that constitutes a death sentence on our kid’s and their kid's future prosperity, not a 'draconian deficit cut'. Metaphorically speaking, when the ship started sinking, one would have thought that these 'left-leaning' folks would consider actually pumping out more water than rushed in. One is left to wonder if they even knew how to 'stabilize' a 'draconian deficit' that ballooned on their watch!







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B.C. does what we can't,

by: Jonathan Jenkins, Toronto Sun,

 

August 27, 2011,

 

With BC taxpayer's rejecting an onerous HST; despite Premier Clark's warnings of dire consequences, has the moribund McGuinty campaign been dealt a terminal setback? Ontario Finance Minister, Dwight Duncan's assertion now that Ontario voters approve of his HST, even though McGuinty originally campaigned against it may prove to be another in a long list of bad decisions and may just spell the end for the McGuinty Liberals.

With B.C. residents performing their democratic right, should Ontarians be given the same opportunity? True blame for this mess rests only with the Liberals; BC and Ontario. They made their beds and now they get to lie in them!

 

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Rights dispute exposes deep rifts at OFL,

by: Tony Van Alpen, Toronto Star,

 

August 25, 2011,

 

A combined union revolt against OFL President Sid Ryan has clearly served to silence the voice of organized labour in this province with five unions cutting their per capita payments to the OFL in half that forced staff cuts; weakening effectiveness!

 

While support for Ryan was strong in January 2010 when he took over at the OFL, it is suspected that his slide began in earnest when he lead the disastrous G20 Riot Parade that June. Is it possible that his antics provided a needless boost to the election campaigns of Rob Ford and Stephen Harper?

 

It can't be discounted that Ryan has become an embarrassment to organized labour so will the unions forgive Ryan or has the time come for new leadership? We will all know at the OFL leadership vote this November.

 

Tar sands anger spills,

by: Reuters, Toronto Sun,

August 22, 2011,

While a small group of environmental doomsayers gather outside the White House, President Obama is faced with a momentous decision! Should he abandon the very people who brought him victory or will he change course and protect America's future energy needs by minimizing dependence on foreign oil? Developing the Keystone XL Canadian/American pipeline will no doubt generate enormous economic activity, creating more than 100,000 American jobs; high-paying construction jobs in the short and long term as well as generate over $5 billion in new property tax revenue for bankrupt states but if the President does not grant approval, then we will no doubt start selling our oil to China, India, and other countries that will bring no environmental benefit to the United States, bring further misery to American workers and to make matters worse, further increase U.S. energy dependence on oil produced by tyrannical regimes. President Obama has some severe soul-searching to do in the fall!

 

 

Ford begs for provincial cash,

by: Jonathan Jenkins and Antonella Artuso, Queen's Park Bureau, Toronto Sun,

Thursday, August 18, 2011,

 

Without a doubt, Mayor Rob Ford's prospects for success in eliminating or at least reducing the outrageous debt left by the Miller Gang are dim unless Premier McGuinty agrees to reject the Rand Formula, like four other provinces have done! Otherwise, labour peace when negotiating fair wages for city employees may be at risk! Archaic regulations forcing private and public employers to deduct a portion of the salaries of all employees within a bargaining unit, union members or not, to be paid to the union as union dues treats all worker's as hostages and is not fair to those workers who do not want to join a union! Over 600 city workers crossed the picket line during last summer's garbage strike despite former Mayor Miller's policy of union appeasement by not providing replacement workers to clean up his mess. Has the time come to respect worker's rights? Mayor Ford's promise to 'stop the gravy train' needs this onerous legislation repealed or certainly, tense days loom on the labour front for city employees.

 

Prisoners fed lunch for $1.29,

by: Ian Robertson, Toronto Sun,

August 17, 2011,

While some may lament that a sandwich with 25 grams of protein is an embarrassment to our criminal justice system, the fact remains that jails smell, can be a dangerous place and sometimes have little furry things scurrying around but, if conditions are so bad, why do people keep coming back?

We have a systemic problem, especially with three-for-one time credits now considered an entitlement by criminal defense attorneys that will not be resolved until we change our methods for dealing with criminals as 'turnstile' justice got us here and it's time to change direction.

Ford set to ask premier for cash,

by: David Rider, Urban Affairs Bureau Chief, Toronto Star,

August 17, 2011,

Without a doubt, Rob Ford's prospects for success in his meeting on Wednesday are dim unless Premier McGuinty agrees to reject the Rand Formula, like four other provinces have done! Otherwise, labour peace when negotiating fair wages for city employees may be at risk! Archaic regulations forcing private and public employers to deduct a portion of the salaries of all employees within a bargaining unit, union members or not, to be paid to the union as union dues treats all worker's as hostages and is not fair to those who do not want to join a union! Over 600 city workers crossed the picket line during last summer's garbage strike despite former Mayor Miller's policy of union appeasement by not providing replacement workers to clean up his mess. Has the time come to respect worker's rights? Mayor Ford's promise to 'stop the gravy train' needs this onerous legislation repealed or certainly, tense days loom on the labour front for city employees.