If being left-handed is now fully accepted by society, why is being right-wing politically still frowned up?

Hi.

I am not just an urban daddy, I am “the” urban daddy. The one you enjoy reading about in private because you never comment, and hopefully one day we’ll get a chance to see me in person so I can thank you for the continued support and so you can see that I’m a pretty cool guy. I’m a husband and a father. I have opinions and I try to make my point(s) known without upsetting people. Truth be told, I detest confrontation. 

I’m also left-handed.

Growing up, being left-handed was… different. I couldn’t get anyone to teach me to tie my shoe laces until I was almost 7. I hold my pen / pencil oddly and I can throw a baseball with pinpoint accuracy.  I’m about as much of a lefty as one can be.  My left leg is my dominant leg, I use my right eye to look through holes even though I need to use my right hand to operate my mouse or a joystick from one of those old style video game machines.

When in University I embraced my left-ness and set up a club there for left-handed students. Received official club status, an office, some funding and we had a cause.  Did you know the left-handed seats are on the far left side of most lecture halls. Too bad if you want to sit in the middle or in the front, because if you do, you have to contort yourself awkwardly and write across your body.

Over the years, however, we, as lefties have adapted. We have become accustomed to using your right-handed scissors and we have gotten used to opening doors with our right hands. You wonder why lefties are more injury prone… That’s why.  We’re constantly going against the norms numerous times a day, each and every day.

So what’s up with the stigma of being right-wing in my political views???

That is still taboo… VERY taboo, actually.

Support Prime Minister Stephen Harper, or Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, and you’re seen as satan. I suspect, folks on the left look at us as being far right extremists, who deny women their basic rights, hate homosexuals and want to send immigrants back to their “homes”. but that line of thought is as outdated at the one saying left-handedness is akin to being a devil worshipper.

Do I assume all left-wing supporters love unions… Well, yes, actually I do. You do, don’t you?

My view to the right has always been purely market driven. Business and wealth begets more wealth, and if you want to be wealthy – the American dream – you need to earn it! Educate yourself, create something, or earn it working one job, 2 jobs… Whatever it takes. No one is going to give it to you, so don’t expect it.  No jobs for life here.

As for the typical left-wing propaganda that right-wing political views favour “traditional” marriage, do not agree with homosexuality, or are pro-life only, etc. Who are I, to tell someone who they can or cannot marry and who they can and cannot love. Who created the concept of marriage anyways?!? and why do we all need to follow it?  When I wake up in the morning I look at my family and myself and I’m way to busy to care about what others do, a sentiment among my fellow right-wing supporters. 

So what I’m getting at, is that the view that every right-wing person is an extremist, hating on others, is outdated. It should be okay to have views that lean this way, much as we, as Canadians, have tolerated the left-wing view only life to become the norm. Professors in Universities, unions, CBC and the Toronto Star. All these media sources lean very far to the left and detest those on the right not for what is being discussed but for the fact the views are not left-wing.

I worked in a union for over 10 years. I get it. I see the way unions work – not the people themselves, but the big union machine, the way they get out the message, the us vs them mentality. I see the way the unions tried to hijack the Occupy movement in order to stay relevent. I see their threats to strike, to hold the city hostage to keep their way of thinking as if it’s the only one.  I’m a firm believer that union support and union backing turns workers in non-workers for fear that they work too hard and give their “brothers and sisters” a bad name.  It’s true, and it’s garbage.

Recently I came across some blogs based on local Toronto politics and as much as I enjoy reading them, I found the majority of the posts annoyed the crap out of me. Rob Ford this, Rob Ford that… He’s cutting stuff. He was going to cut stuff… He’s a liar… He’s fat… and so it goes on. This group talks about how easy it is to run a City the size of Toronto (errr, 7th largest City in North America, folks!) and they refer back to how gret David Miller was. When I mention how horrible I thought Miller was for Toronto, they gasp and look at me like… Like I’m left-handed and it’s 35 years ago.  Like I am asking for a left-handed desk in the front or middle of the lecture hall.

The war in Toronto against the unions is not a war on socialism and it comes as no surprise to those on the right that it was gearing up this way.  We saw it in Greece and we see it happening all over the world where someone has to pay for the benefits being handed out to the citizens and with government debts and deficits growing faster and faster, instead of foregoing those benefits there is some expectation that the “rich” or the businesses will come to the rescue with their hard-earned money.

In this case, I’m not asking all left-wing take-from-the-rich-and-give-to-the-poor sympathizers to agree that this option is no longer feasible but I am asking for them to come to the table and acknowledge this is actually a problem.  I would be curious to see what they feel is the answer.

You see when I stood in the middle of the University with a petition asking for some left-handed seats to be sprinkled in the midst of the sea of right-handed seats I received full-support from almost all left-handed students and upon explaining the issue – which almost all right-handed students were not aware of – I received a ton of support from them too.  All in all, over a week, I presented over 1200 signatures.

I think the right-handed students were shocked to believe that us lefties were cast to the side and not given any choices.  Much in the same way Toronto has allowed its views on politics to be governed by the left too much, not even considering that there is a view on the right.

So I take to my soapbox again, not with the view to change the world, but just to make Torontonians aware that the news in Toronto is VERY slanted to the left and as such don’t always believe what you read.  Keep an open mind…

Related articles

• Left-Handed Products Help Lefties Think Better: Mom of Honors Student whose Grades Improved with Left-Handed Notebooks Thanks leftyslefthanded.com. (prweb.com)

 

Happy New Year! Goodbye 2011, Welcome 2012.

Hey look at that.  2011 is done and 2012 is here.  Time sure flies when you’re balancing a full-time career, three children, programs with the kids, blogging, Cityville, ball hockey, and most importantly but unfortunately equally as busy, a spouse.  It really seems like every minute of every day is accounted for and that makes for a very tired me.  Heck, I try to do all my blogging at night when everyone is asleep so that I don’t take up precious family time but I’ve been so exhausted being sick, having sick children and just plain tired that my blogging has suffered and I’m not just talking about lack of posts, I mean look at this terrible run on opening paragraph… My English teach with give me a hashtag fail on this one!

But I’m not complaining.  I love being a dad and wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.  What I would change is coming up in my very brief 2012 New Year’s resolutions for myself and wishes for the world. 

Before that, here are some stats for 2011 for this urban daddy.

Number of 2011 blog posts: 176.

Approximate number of Tweets: 2700

Approximate number of new visitors to this blog: 18,000

Most read blog posts:  Posts on the Canadian live-in caregiver program, the Ontario election and just about anything political which resulted in me being pro-conservative and my series on IVF.

Most commented: My post on changes to the live-in caregiver program.  I have a new post coming out soon on this exact topic.

Where did you all come from?  The majority of my views came from www.facebook.com, www.twitter.com and www.,atomicreach.com.  Of course subscriptions and just coming to my URL were far and away the most common.

Geographically, you’ve come from everywhere in the world.  That’s cool.  Also cool is the fact that some of you take the time to “like” me on Facebook and when I periodically drop by to see if you’re a blogger too, I see things that humble me (and make me think you’ve made a mistake) when you’re list of likes include; Lady Gaga, Green Day, MTV, Politics, and me.    

It’s all quite crazy, and a lot of fun.

So my 2012 New Years resolutions:

• More quality time with my wife – including more frequent date nights!
• Drink more water
• Exercise regularly and not just 2-3 times per week.
• Regular push-ups and sit-ups.
• Update my work wardrobe… Quickly.  I have longer than normal arms and pretty big shoulders from working out periodically so as a result I have a hard time getting dress shirts that fit.  As a result, I have them custom made through www.maxwell.com and in that area, I’m doing great but I’ve got nothing else… Socks, pants, jackets… Old and boring.
• More pictures on my blog, including a picture of me to replace Linus’ yucky kitty picture.
• Squeeze in some courses into my already packed schedule.  Either complete me CMA or CSC… Not sure which or where or how, but soon.
• Find greater consistency. 
• Get the job done – even the yucky tasks and fast.
• Change for the sake of change.
• Get a real URL

Now for some general wishes for my city and my sports teams:

• Toronto Maple Leafs @Leafsbb20 Either make a trade for a bona fide 1st line centre to boost scoring or trade your most expensive players and make a run for a top 5 pick and try again next year with Coach Wilson. 
• Playoffs for the Leafs, Raptors, Jays and Argos.  We know the Toronto Rock compete night in, night out, but these other franchises are stuck in a rut it would appear to me.
• Peace in the Middle East.  No more settlements.  No more rockets.  It’s time for all sides to grow up.
• Syria and Russia… You;’re next.  Corruptions must go.
• Rob Ford, you know I support you, but stop making it easy for the left to attack you.  You need to get control of your public image and do it fast.  That means lose some weight, stop drinking so much, and be clear and upfront with your intentions.  If you failed or made a misstep, it’s okay.  The right support you.  We just find it hard to defend you on that other stuff you’re not managing well enough.
• Check out my stuff at www.pinkandbluebaby.com
• I hope my wife completes her holistic nutritionist courses and gets her business up and running.  She’s a super smart cookie (you didn’t think the kids got that from me, right?) and has great ideas.

What are your resolutions and wishes for your family / community?

 

And for the new readers, I periodically like to (re)introduce myself to you all.

My name is Warren and I’ve been blogging here since 2004, or just over 775 blog posts.  I post about my family, politics, coffee and things that annoy or piss me off.    I’ve been married just over 10 years and my wife and I have 3 children; Linus is 7, Stewie is 5 and Berry is 2.  I refer to my oldest as Linus because he reminds me of the character from Peanuts who carries his blanket around everywhere he goes for security.  Stewie is named after the character from Family guy because we are convinced this child is going to kill us with that sweet yet intense personality.  Berry, well, she’s like a strawberry.  Cute and sweet.

My wife and I have masters degrees, so we expect a lot from our kids, especially them to behave and respect others.  In a recent post I was having a conversation with Linus about respect and he told me it was the second most important thing in the world, next to not dying when you are born.  See.  Our kids get it too…

Linus is a whiz with numbers.  Scary good with them.  He also likes to trace out items with his fingers and touch items to get a feel for them.  He’s a hands on kid who is as smart as he wants to be and as goofy as he possibly can be.  He gets the goofiness from, ahem, me.

Stewie seems to be amazing at whatever he does.  Besides being the same height his brother was at the beginning of this school year, Stewie is catching Linus at karate, swimming, piano, reading and pretty much whatever else he can get his hands on.  This kid waits for no one and the more goofy Linus is, the more amazing Stewie becomes and that’s an understatement.  Stewie, if you recall from previous posts, was ready to quit Senior kindergarten because it was “boring”.

Berry… Ahh, sweet Berry.  She looks like Linus but has a little more of Stewie in her.  At just 2-years-old her vocabulary and comprehension are through the roof.  She can count to 10 in Tagalog, Spanish, English and pretty soon Hebrew and French.  She forgets nothing and talks like she is 4.

I work in the taxation industry, so you may see some tax posts go by, although I try to keep them together on www.intaxicating.wordpress.com.  That’s my tax resource blog.

To sum me up, I hate to lose more than I like to win.  I believe in the good in everyone and I hate conflict.  I will go out of my way to make others feel comfortable to compensate for the many years I was uncomfortable, shy and reserved.  I’m not that anymore… Not at all.  When I tell me staff I used to be painfully shy they laugh at me…

I have 2 sides to me.  The public, professional side and the angry sports side.  Polar opposites.

 

So welcome 2012.  Welcome to all my readers, I hope you have a wonderful 2012 too, and if there is anything I can do for you, feel free to comment on a post, or drop me a note at realurbandaddy@gmail.com  

You can subscribe to my posts, you van like me on Facebook and support me on Circle of Moms, or Top Blogs or anywhere else my blog pops up.  It’s those clicks that tell others that you appreciate my writing and just reading my stuff and sending notes on Facebook or in person tell me you read my stuff and I truly appreciate that.

All the best in 2012.

The urban daddy!

 

So how then, do we clean up this mess?

Boy, am I frustrated. I see tweets, status updates and posts on Facebook from all these really smart people – much smarter than me – who have all the solutions for how to handle Toronto’s almost $800 million dollar budget shortfall.

The common theme: Ignore it. David Miller ignored it and he’s a lawyer. He’s smart. He probably even goes into libraries. GASP. Rob Ford is fat. Him and his brother don’t use libraries. Therefore they don’t know what they are talking about.

David Miller was a New Democrat in every sense of the word. Rob Ford is (shame) Conservative. Ford runs a business and wants to run Toronto like a business. Toronto is NOT a business cries the left. Toronto is our city. Toronto is also our city that is going bankrupt because it does not have enough money to meet its current obligations.

Toronto needs to balance its books. Most in this city would agree. However the way to balance the books differs greatly across the spectrum. The view from the left is to not touch social programs and keep that spending set, but make up the difference by taxing the “wealthy”. Let those SOB’s pay! Good for nothing rich folks. The right, however, want to look at what the City is really responsible for, and trim some of the fat associated with the city’s duties. Do we need 32 librarians making over $100,000/year? Probably not.

I feel the biggest issue here is that people from the left think that Mayor Ford wants to cut, cut, cut and that once all the social programs are cut there will be nothing left for the poor, but that could not be further from the truth. What the Mayor as said repeatedly – however maybe not clear enough – is that the City needs to look at what the city offers first and foremost to see if the city needs to be in that line of business.

Should the city be funding parades? Should the city be contributing money for festivals? How about checking into city run organizations to make sure that there is enough work for the staff to do and that all the positions are needed. Not only is that fiscally responsible but it is morally responsible for this Mayor’s office and city council to do these checks and balances since the majority of the funding they get is from taxes of you and of me.

And as for the fact that there seems to be some sort of tie in between the “rich” and “conservatism”, it might have something to do with the fact that those who have more money pay more taxes. End of story. Sure they may pay less income tax than others, but property taxes are huge and growing and then there are all the additional consumption taxes that are being gathered from this class of Torontonian. To piss them off could mean a sudden mass move from Toronto to surrounding areas and their tax dollars too.

Surely even those on the left who want equality among all citizens even can admit that having wealthy and ultra-wealthy in the city is a boon for the rest of us as their taxes go a long way to keeping this city moving.

So I have clearly given a lot of thought to the predicament the City of Toronto is in, and I look around the world at countries in deep financial hardship like Greece – due to their unions and retirement at 52 years old – and Iceland, and all the countries seeking bailouts, then I look south of our border to the US where there is a deep divide between the democrats and republicans over how to get the US out of trouble and I worry.

I worry that in Toronto we are going to get caught up in the troubles they have in the US and that is going to delay out way out of this crisis and eventually push it on to our children and their children.

I think socialists, liberals and conservatives alike can all agree that there are few viable options aside from either cutting spending or increasing revenues.

Every time Toronto’s mayor, Rob Ford announces he is looking at ways to cut expenditures, he has always said that; “Toronto does not have a revenue problem”, at which point, up pop the socialists who demand that he not cut anything that they like. They say no to libraries, zoo’s, farms, the TTC, programs, grants… the whole lot. As a matter of fact, I have not heard one viable way to get out of this mess from any of my friends on the left.

I wonder if in 1974 when Riverdale Farm was closed for almost 5 years, if residents blamed the mayor and said that the local government was chasing away tourism or taking the “culture out of Toronto”. I happen to think that the 1.8 million visitors to Riverdale might be better to turn their tourism dollars over to the Toronto Zoo which desperately needs funds too, or is that thinking too far forward? Does the City even need to run the Toronto Zoo? Does the City of Vaughan run Canada’s Wonderland? No, it’s run by private interests. Paramount Canada’s Wonderland, I believe.

Yes there are more Tim Horton’s than Libraries in Councillor Doug Ford’s ward, but there are 3 within a few blocks of each other and that seems like a waste. I know on Avenue Road, there were 3 TD Banks within 3 blocks of each other and fast forward a year later, now there is one amazing state of the art branch and the other 2 locations were sold off and taken as a huge profit to the bank. Why can’t the city do this without getting flack for wanting to destroy the culture of the city. He’s not closing ALL the libraries… He’s consolidating them and putting the city in a better position to upgrade the remaining ones.

My point… Even though some things are done a certain way, it doesn’t make it right. Would you consider moving to a new house without selling your old one? No, because it doesn’t make sense, so keeping old outdated libraries just because Margaret Atwood thinks it is important – as an author – doesn’t mean it makes sense.

I think it’s time we, as Torontonians take her words and the words of others for what they are… Opinions of interest groups. Atwood has an interest in libraries as an author – probably not the same interest she has in selling her books, but she has a cause. As a staunch supporter of the NDP and their policies, it is her requirement to stir the pot at City Hall in order to make the Ford’s look goofy. Much in the same way other interest groups have stepped forward to gain support for their causes. I would never consider Atwood for the mayor of this city, much in the same way I would not look to the Ford’s to write children’s books.

Can anyone truly stand back and watch something they believe in or like be cut for the betterment of all of society? Heck no. I think if Atwood took a step back and realized the dire straights the city’s financial records are in she would give a second thought to all options for reducing expenses and if she has a better solution that cutting waste, then let’s hear it.

I, for one, as a conservative, think that putting our head in the sand and hoping this goes away is the worst approach to take and I do object to increased taxes because I already pay a lot, but if after exhausting all means for cutting expenses, increasing my taxes for a short-term to make ends meet is the only way to balance the books, then sign me up and fast.

As a citizen of Toronto who has participated in this process by being involved in residents groups, considered running for city councilor and helps my community in any way needed, I just want to know that the current mayor has looked under every rock for ways to save money before coming to me for more taxes. Yes, I do pay more because I choose to live in a bigger house in a nicer neighbourhood, and that is my choice. Paying additional taxes to keep 3 libraries open 3 blocks from each other is wasteful and I wouldn’t waste that kind of money personally, nor would I expect my staff or my employer to accept that kind of waste, so why would I tolerate that from the City that I live in.

So my message to you, mayor Ford, is to keep finding ways to save the city money, keep those programs open and keep helping others. If after all your work you still need some additional tax money from me, I will gladly pay it and consider it money well spent, helping those less fortunate.

It’s a welcome change from the previous left-leaning governments who spend, spend and spend without a substantial plan on how to pay for everything.

The last thing we need right now are special interest groups gathering resources to protect their own interests and not look at the big picture. We are one city. One large city in deep financial crisis. If we take the Atwood approach: She had this to say in the Toronto Star; “Expressing contempt for creative people turns people away from Toronto as a venue, and that’s a pretty serious consideration. If you’re thinking of having a convention, you’re thinking of having a concert, you’re thinking of going to a festival, and that’s the attitude? Why wouldn’t you spend your dollars somewhere else.” So she takes the attitude that if getting finances in order means touching anything “cultural” then stay away from Toronto. So she really does not like Toronto if she is that closed minded to want to damage the city she weeks ago cared so deeply for.

“You start with tossing off latte drinkers, gay Pride and bicycle riders and me, what’s the message? The message is: ‘We don’t want you people here.’ I’m sure Hamilton or Burlington or Oshawa would be very happy if some of those festivals and conventions moved there. Why shouldn’t I spend my creative dollar in New York if I’m not welcome in Toronto?” Does she really take herself that seriously that she thinks people are going to stop spending their money in Toronto because a Councillor doesn’t know who she is? Really, Margaret? Does she also think that all the large corporations and organizations in Toronto are going to pick up their people and ship them to Oshawa or Guelph because the City of Toronto wants to cut waste? That has to be the dumbest comment I have ever heard. No wonder the Star carried this story.

Maybe there is a bit of irony in the fact that Ford, as Toronto mayor wants to stop funding non-core items, yet Atwood who has become an opponent to the mayor’s office was busy writing, “in the woods, without electricity,” last week when this all stated. She wasn’t even in the city! So who is she speaking for? The downtown elite, or herself?

I think every time I see someone criticize the mayor’s office for being thorough investigating ways to save money in the city and for looking at core business services they are cutting off their noses in spite of their faces. Is it really so bad that they want to balance the books now… For good, so that your children and your children’s children won’t be saddled with your debt and our parents debt wondering why we didn’t do anything when we had the chance.

I suspect if this was left to fester again, in Miller-like fashion, future generations will be calling us the greedy generation – too caught up in our own self interests to help others.

 

What is on your radar?

Here are some items on my radar right now which may or may not make their way into a real blog post down the road;

1. I understand there was a shooting at the Caribbean Carnival (formerly Caribana). Some idiot shot one of the dancers then fired into the crowd while ignoring the police telling him to drop his gun so they shot him.

WOW.

I think he set back the carnival 10 years.

I’m not sure if the police killed him or not, but if they didn’t he should pay the organizers a lot of money for ruining what looked like a great event.

2. Rob Ford went to this event. He didn’t go to the Gay Pride parade but he came here. Oh boy… This is going to be a wonderful Ford-bashing week by the lefties.

3. Roberto Alomar was elected into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame last weekend and today in Toronto at the Blue Jays game the team held an on-field celebration to honour him.  I remember Alomar for the game-tying home run in the playoffs off of Oakland A’s ace relief pitcher and a player I detested growing up, Dennis Eckersly. I also remember Alomar for spitting in the face of an umpire. What I didn’t remember was that he was only a Blue Jay for 5 years. I thought it was much longer and when I searched his stats on the net I was surprised to know that he played for the Orioles for 4 years with Cal Ripken Jr, and then with the Indians, Mets, White Sox and finally retiring after signing with the D’Bax. I knew he came from the Padres to the Jays but the rest I could not recall. Odd.

4. Is it just me or do watermelons suck this year? I recall reading and blogging about a field of exploding watermelons from China – the result of too much water and genetically modified melons with thinner rinds – and I think about every melon we’ve had this year which has been over ripe and lacking of any real flavour. Maybe the melon farmers should go back to the real melon seeds and sell a tasty product and not mass produce garbage.

If I took back every crappy melon to the store I bought it, I would not have paid for any this year.

5.  Hey, look at that!  It’s August 1st today, and that means we’re in the stretch run for back to school… Already. Man do Toronto summers go fast, especially when the first month is all rain, and the previous month no rain and a ton of heat. 

With the fall coming that tells me it’s time for;

• vacation
• taking the kids apple picking
• taking the family to see beautiful fall colours
• back to school shopping
• the CNE!

6.  In what I feel is a mistake that could happen in Toronto if the “Downtown Elite” got their way, the President of the US agreed to raise the debt ceiling for the states.  What that means???  It means they are prepared to take on more debt without going bankrupt.  This ostrich like behaviour is going to come back and bite them in the ass big time and will for sure prolong the recession. 

Until both the republicans and the democrats agree that lavish spending and ridiculous compensation for CEO’s and professional athletes are brought back down to earth, the recession will not end.  Since a recession is essentially a view of public confidence in the economy the government has to appear to be doing something to equal the playing field before we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Case in point… HSBC.  Last week they cut 10,000 jobs, and this week 25,000 more.  I can’t see a company as well run as that shedding 35,000 jobs and then suffering, so that tells me they have 35,000 more positions than they needed.  WOW.  That’s a huge hit to the workforce no matter where the jobs are located.  And this is just one example.

7.   Ford recalled 1 million trucks due to faulty gas tanks and socialists everywhere are prepared to descend on Toronto City Hall looking to blame either Rob or Doug…

 

Caution: Pro-Rob Ford rant inside this blog. Do NOT read if closed minded or if you think a response of “Well, he’s fat” is acceptable.

I like to pose this question to the many brilliant people I encounter on a daily basis in person or read online and hear their response. My experience has been that irrespective of one’s lot in life, be it rich, poor or middleclass, the response I get is usually the same.

Question: On what do you want your tax dollars spent?

Granted most people I know would admit – especially if they own or rent a home in a city like Toronto – that our taxes are too high and a reduction would help make ends meet, but take a few minutes and think about it.

You are a home owner in Toronto. You are paying the highest property taxes in Canada, a smidgen under 8% (as per a 2008 study ranking Toronto’s rates as the Canada’s highest), as well as numerous other taxes and user fees. Taxes to register your car, taxes to buy a plastic bag, taxes disguised as fees to take programs, go to the hospital, and the list goes on. Simply, Toronto is one of the most expensive cities to live in in the world.

So as a homeowner with a car and kids – kids I pay double for schooling, I might add (once for the private school they attend and once again for the public school they do not attend) – and who like many work very hard to earn enough to pay my taxes and still have some left over with which to support my family, I am perplexed whenever I hear people complain about Mayor Rob Ford’s efforts to introduce some fiscal responsibility. I can’t help but wonder what these people do for a living that provides them with so much extra cash that they can afford to watch it flushed down the drain by an irresponsible municipal government, as we have seen throughout the last seven years under Mayor Miller’s regime.

Recently a story broke on Facebook of all places stemming from some fringe news publications that Rob Ford voted against HIV grants and that makes him a homophobe. After a quick Google search, I located the originating article on a gay and lesbian magazine and of course, the way it was written, it makes Mayor Ford look like he is senile. Anyone reading this article would have to wonder why the Mayor is being so cruel. If the author’s intent was to pose Ford as hating the gay and lesbian community in Toronto, then it was a huge success. If, on the other hand, the author thought she was producing a piece of credible and responsible journalism, then she failed miserably.

Since the article was clearly slanted, I sought out another source… a less biased source. Unfortunately I was unable to find one. I did find an article in the Toronto Star, but their coverage was also far from unbiased. The Star piece did give me an idea what the problem was.

You see, my friends who love bashing Rob Ford for being overweight (which is discrimination, I might say) and who clearly love paying taxes, there are two sides to every story and the truth lies somewhere in between. It seems Mayor Ford was not specifically voting against providing grant money to HIV programs – six of them – as this article would have you believe, but rather he was debating the “grants programs,” which gives taxpayer money (that would be your money and mine) to a broad variety of community organizations. Yes, some of these organizations work to prevent violence while others focus on improving the lives of seniors, immigrants, the disabled and the poor, but some of these programs also provide recreation services the city doesn’t.

At issue here was that this committee had recommended that the city give 259 groups a total of $7.2 million of your tax money. Before this large sum of money was going to be shipped out to these groups, Ford wanted council to vote on it so he could be seen to be voting against them. This would show the taxpayers of Toronto that he respects the money we earn and the taxes we pay.

I’m sorry if you think it is wrong of me to not want to support these groups, or any of the 252 groups this City gives my tax dollars to. I don’t know them. It’s not personal and I surely don’t have anything against them or the people who use these programs, but as a member of working / owning Toronto, I don’t want my tax money going there when the roads are a mess, the parks falling apart and there being not enough money to get some transit in the city and set up proper bike lanes where cyclists can ride them – far away from cars. I would like to know where these dollars are going, specifically, like on a menu, or at the very least, I would like to know that City Council knows what these organizations do and be able to provide me some confidence that it’s not just money being thrown away.

Organizations that get City funding should be held to a higher standard. Audits, safeguards, the whole 9-yards. I want these organizations to know that the funding that comes from the “City” is actually your hard earned dollars and my hard earned dollars and they should not be fooling around with our cash.

To me this is a no-brainer. I know others will read this and send me comments calling me a defender of the right (thank you!) or a friend of Rob Ford, but I did vote for Ford. I voted for Rob Ford because it was getting expensive to live in Toronto with my three kids, and own a house here and drive to work because my job is outside the city and there are no reasonable transit options for me. I don’t hate downtown Toronto… I just want the residents who cry that it was the “905″ that voted in Rob Ford, that really if you take a step back, it’s the homeowners, the families, the middle and upper-middle class in Toronto who have businesses that employ you or your relatives and it’s this “class” that works hard to have disposable income so we can go out for dinner and stimulate the economy. Pretty sure I’m still onboard here from my economics classes in University… Someone has to spend money back into the economy so that money can keep the city moving, keep people employed and provide money to organizations, like these 252 who received grants. On the other hand, someone has to be watching out to make sure there is money left over at the end of the day to keep in the local economy to keep Toronto working. Ford is doing that. Miller did not.

Rob Ford as Mayor doesn’t mean the rich get a free ride. How is that possible in this city? Cyclists didn’t have to pay the $60.00 a year “fee” to register their cars that David Miller put in. How about punishing those who buy a home in Toronto by increasing property taxes every time there is a shortfall. G-d forbid we look at waste and cut back when we have this whole population who we can tax.

I find it’s the same group of people over and over again who complain about Conservatives and their policies… All conservatives do is tax the middle class and give tax breaks to the poor. Uh huh. I’ve heard that a thousand times from everywhere. Well, I’d like to know what tax breaks the rich have in Toronto, because if you mean a $50,000 property tax bill, then let them have the breaks. Oh, I know. It’s those damn corporations that the Conservatives love to support. The corporations that provide jobs for you and me and the corporations owned by shareholders – also you and me – who invest hoping to get a decent rate of return. It’s these damn corporations that socialists detest so much… Once they finish working there.

Maybe one day when the socialists rule again and taxes start popping up, Corporations pack up and move outside Toronto, then and only then will it be clearer that having someone out spending money stimulates the economy, it keeps businesses open, and people employed. People spending money keeps Toronto prosperous and keeps the money in Toronto where it can be spent again and again. It this continued attack on the “rich” whom I am assuming is people who have gone to school (University at a minimum), own a home, a car or two, have a decent job (or two) and still find time to go out for dinner, maybe send their kids to private school and who work hard to give to their families – then these people are not going to want to stay in Toronto. Then what? A welfare state. Is that better? Everyone should be equal, no matter how much someone tries to better themselves compared to someone who has decided to do nothing with their lives. There must be a reason for that person who is not working, or wants to live in the street. It’s not their fault, it’s society’s fault and we should all contribute to help them get on their feet and bring down that stupid, eager rich person or that damn corporation with all their money. How dare they amass such wealth while there are poor… And the beat goes on.

But I guess no matter how well I can articulate my point, or how you like to look at the job Mayor Ford is doing for Toronto, all I can say is this: If he continues to look at every expenditure the city makes and continues to find fat and trim it, he is a shoo-in to get re-elected next election. I feel better knowing that the taxes the city taxes from me – which I could be spending on my family – are being spend in a fiscally responsible manner to make this city a better place for all citizens and not the same Robin Hood policies (tax the rich and give to the poor) that we had for seven years under Mayor Miller.

Let me decided where I want my taxes to go, or if you cannot, at least don’t spend more than you have and then raise my taxes to cover it.

And yes, Rob Ford is fat. So am I. What does that have to do with allocation of fiscal resources?

I’m starting to understand that when you are in a poker game and you have only one card – even if it is only a 2 of diamonds – you have to play it. Even if after all the bluffing you still lose.

Special thanks to Toronto’s own Lazy Photographer Dave for his contributions and fabulous edit job.

You can see his work by clicking on his URL through my blogroll on the right.

 

Some random stuff you will probably discuss at the water cooler, kitchen sink or breakfast table…

So my new blackberry talks to me. Out of nowhere, I must press a button and the fucking thing starts talking to me, asking me to issue a voice command and when I yell back at it, “Shut the fuck up” it calls one of my colleagues… Each and every time, same guy. I think I need to find a different swear word for it.
__________________________________________
For some strange reason by year and a half old daughter HATES the bath. Sure, it’s been coming over time but now she breaks out into a cold sweat whenever we say “bath” or “shower”. She also hates the morning poo cleanup which I think is a result of the cold wipes in her girly bits. I’d hate that too. Last time I went to clean her she said to my wife, “Bad Daddy”. Great.

———————————————————————-

I see Canada Post wants to strike… Overall volume is down 17% from 2006, they have a 3.2billion dollar deficit, yet the unionized workers want a 3.3% raise this year, and 2.75% in the next 2 year, in addition to job security. As Jack Layton would say, “hashtag fail”. It’s too bad Rob Ford is just the Toronto mayor and not the Prime Minister of Canada. Starting wages are $23/hr and would be $26/hr. #Shame. The workers should realize postal carrier are going the way of the VCR and Canada Post should find a way to keep the mail moving while sorting out this mess.

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Actual conversation between myself and a former colleague at the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency).

CRA: I’m bored.

Me: I could use some help researching some tax matters

CRA: Naw! I don’t wanna work.

Me: I really could use some help. I have some tough aged matters I’m trying to sort out.

CRA: So call business windows, 1.800.959.5525.

Me: Really? Can’t I just speak to you.

CRA: I’ll only answer one general question, nothing account specific

Me: Well, it’s account specific… Thanks anyways…

Yes sir, with no shred of a lie. I’m okay with that, it’s not this person’s fault, it’s the system, right?

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Staff member was at 15,000 steps at the end of the day and quite proud of it. I just cracked 10,000. Boldly, I pledged to surpass his total tonight. He laughed at me.

Damn.

That meant I would actually have to do something once the kids went to bed and my wife off to her book club. So after getting some work done on, oh yes, cost basis reporting, I grabbed my stuff and headed out for a run. Now I’m writing this post at 19,000 steps. I’ll have to find a kind, gentle way to point it out to him. He he.

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I also took the opportunity today to bring in ice cream sandwiches for the whole upstairs at my office today since it was so damn hot. One of my staff posted it somewhere, possibly Facebook, possibly just in an email to a friend, and it read; “This is why I love my boss”, and it had a picture of the ice cream. You know, I’d love my boss too if I got ice cream. Yeah (not that I don’t love my boss already, but there is room for ice cream after dinner and always room for more love for giving ice cream).

—————————————————————————–

When the Atlanta Thrashers move from Atlanta to Winnipeg shouldn’t Commissioner Gary Bettman go too? How long until he tries to put another team there?!? 10 years?

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Happy Birthday to my wife today! You look incredible and 10 years younger than me… Keep it up.
—————————————————————————————
Why are sales people / wait staff so fucking rude all the time. Don’t they know that they lose customers that way? Don’t they care? Does anybody care?
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When was the last time you paid a compliment instead of bitching? It’s so much easier to bitch someone out than it is to comment on how hard they work or how much you appreciate them.
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Why are there so many songs about rainbows? And what’s on the other side?
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Where are the Rob Ford haters now?

As 2011 rolls along (project 365, as someone called it) I’m wondering where all the Rob Ford haters are right now. They sure have been quiet since the kerfuffle over Don Cherry calling them “pinkos”. I hope they were not actually offended?!?

I gather they are quiet because since Ford took power he has;

Made the TTC an essential service.
Put Councillor (future mayor and my old City Councillor) Karen Stintz in charge of the TTC
Removed the $60.00 “fee” (I prefer to call it a tax) on registering a vehicle in Toronto
Moving to remove the Land Transfer Tax
Announced he is moving to remove the bag tax of $0.05 for plastic bags purchased in Toronto (if council wants to)
Stopped sending our garbage to Michigan.
Cut Councillors expense accounts from $52,000 a year to $30,000 a year(the taxpayers money councillors spend on stuff)

And he announced that he is not anti-bike and will be unveiling more and safer bike routes for the biking community in Toronto.
He is not done considering a light-rail / subway for Eglinton connecting Scarborough to the airport
and his resolution for 2011 is to lose sme weight.

Not bad.
Saving us taxpayers some money and removing stupid hidden taxes put in place by David Miller.
How awful of him…
I remember the night of his election people tweeting that they were going to move out of Toronto because this was going to destroy the city… Yup.

So I’m going to take a moment and put on my left-wing hat, and figure out how I would reply to this post.
I would probably reply with this comment, saving you all the time to have to type it for yourself;

“Yes Urban Daddy, you right-wing capitalist bastard, he’s cutting taxes but how is he going to pay for services? I’ll tell you… He’s going to cut services and apply userfees!”

Well, Lefties (and I am left-handed so do be offended) I would like present this case in my defense of not wanting to tax the rich to give to the poor… Your hero, David Miller put in place all these taxes and fees because he wanted to point out how poorly the previous mayor treated the city and to pay for all his giving to make every Torontonion equal… Then upon stepping down from being mayor, in order to preserve his “legacy” he announced that he left the city better than it was when he took over, with a surplus! Pardon me.
surplus would mean his additional taxes needed to run the city were either a cruel joke or a huge miscalculation of the debits and credits at City Hall.

That’s like me running a free swimming pool, then suddenly charging users $10.00 a visit because without it the pool will have to close, then after doing this for 5 years saying, Look everyone, I have $2 million extra dollars in the bank”… Not nice!

So I for one am happy that for dinner last night there was no gravy. Staying away from that stuff can help me shed some pounds… That and not wearing pink!

BEAUTY!

 

How You Came to me, Part II

In light of all my posts in the recent Toronto Municipal election, I expected a ton of search engine hits which were political in nature and I was not disappointed.

What did make me laugh, however, were the REALLY odd terms which brought people here.

I feel like sharing tonight.

Here is the list beginning with the most frequent used search term(s), then a dash (-) then my comment;

dusan kralik ward 23 – This of course brought people here to check out my piece on my friend Dusan, who came in 2nd in Ward 23.

urban daddy – Errr, that’s me!

reasons to vote for rob ford – People who typed that into Google would be very happy if they read my many posts on the reasons to vote for Rob Ford.

nescafe encore chicory – Yes, I did write a post on this coffee – which is my favourite instant coffee, but might be surpassed by Starbucks VIA Colombia.

beth mclellan ward 21 – Beth ran in my ward, and while she got some positive publicity, she came a distant 4th in the polls.  Better luck in 2014 Beth.

urbandaddy.com – If you searched this and wound up here, I’m sorry.  Tell that website to change their URL!

captain lou albano - Geez… Still.  What’s the fascination with Captain Lou?  Sure I get thousands of hits a year to my post about his life and death, but people please…

toronto george smitherman donor list – First of all, I’m not on this list, secondly, if I had it, do you think I’d be hiding it like George still is…

why you shouldnt vote for ford – Yeah, this site is not going to please you if you are looking for reasons to NOT have voted for Rob Ford…

will rob ford cut transit – Well, I can’t see him removing transit already in use, and I cannot see him allowing another St.Clair fiasco, so you might want to ask him instead of asking Google.

1717 avenue road 2010 – Yup, this monstrosity is almost complete and believe it or not it almost cost Councillor Karen Stintz her seat.  Shame considering that moron who hijacked the process still remains nameless…

is george smitherman a daddy – Yes.

toronto google street view garbage – You really expect to come to this quality website in order to see street view of garbage?!?  Dude, if the street view shows garbage, it’s been picked up already… Duh!

work permit starbucks canada hrsdc? – Do you need a work permit from Human Resources Social Development Canada to drink in Starbucks or work in Starbucks?  Well, it depends… Where are you and what are you drinking?!?

capt lou albano and cindy lauper – The only search term worse that just Captain Lou…

dusan kralik + liberal party – Bet you left here disappointed… Dusan is NOT a member of the Liberal machine!

can i vote out of the area in live – Like for President of the US?  Or you live in the boonies and want to vote for Mayor of Toronto… This answer is a resounding no!  Puhleeze…

toronto vote tax impact – Convoluted search terms like that brought you here.  Sucker!!!  Try again.

trip to the dentist for a filling – Thanks for sharing…

dusan kralik urban daddy – He is NOT the urban daddy, but a friend of urban daddy.

why i should not vote ford – You should not vote Ford because you researched policies of the other 23 candidates for Mayor and found one that better suited your needs, not because some guys blog tells you otherwise… Oh, shit… That’s not good to point out.

urban daddy people who work there – Umm, me.  Just me.

will rob ford toronto mayor cut summer – I guarantee, Rob Ford will NOT cut summer.

10 reasons to vte for rob ford – I’ll give you one reason… A vte for Ford will give you your “o” back.

why should i vote for george smitherman – You too were disappointed because the only reason I would have posted on this blog was the prevailing reason those on the left used, that Rob is fat…  So if you knew that already, you wasted your time here, but thanks for the hit. 

robert ford campaign promises ttc – News flash… We already have the TTC in Toronto.  Plus all candidates wanted to improve the better way.  In order to optimize your search you probably should have typed, “Rob Ford campaign promises for the TTC”.  That way you could hit all the left-wing media and bloggers who would tell you that he wants to rip it up. 

why dont my boys want to play sports – Maybe because you google it looking for an answer instead of asking them… Do you even have kids?!?

adam vaughan fraternity – That would be Alpha, Beta, Nerd.  And yes, Vaughan wants to remove the frat houses on U of T grounds.  But you lefties voted for him instead of Mike Yen… I don’t want to say I told you so.

george smitherman ehealth - Scandalous.  $1 billion dollars of taxpayers money wasted under his watch, you stupid Torontonians voted for him anyways.  What that tells me is that those who live in the downtown core are either too far left of centre to have any hope, or they voted with their eyes and not brains.  Then again, maybe they’re just that rich and wealthy that they don’t care about paying REALLY high taxes for REALLY shitty services…

chicory instant coffee 70s – I did write a post on Encore instant coffee earlier, but someone is having a flashback on the 70′s.  Dude!

dusn father mine by j.r. ward com on aud – The person who typed this was not speaking English at the time…

All in all, thank you for your visits.

Feel free to leave comments.

Cheers!

 

Three Strikes and You’re Out! Why Torontonians Should NOT Vote for George Smitherman.

So you live in Toronto, or surrounding area, and all you know how to do is to vote for the Liberals, I get that. I really do. But I think this time around, you are going to have to take a really hard look at who you are voting for if you cast your ballot for George Smitherman on October 25th.

Let’s put aside some of his past transgressions and look at the newest matter which came to light.

Let’s cast aside the campaign asking you to vote for George because Rob Ford is fat. Forget that Ford had a run in with the law and was intoxicated at a hockey game. I know many of you who still follow sports stars like Tiger Woods, or Kobe Bryant, and even celebrities who have done much worse. Plus seriously… How do these personal matters impact Ford’s ability to run a city budget?

They don’t… Unless you are a frequent drinker of the Liberal cool-aid, then it matters who the rest of the world is going to view Ford. Personally, I care more about the condition of our roads and what programs I can take my kids to, than what the Mayor of Calgary (for example) thinks of Ford.

Still with me?

Good.

Let’s make strike 1 for the George the eHealth scandal. He refuses to talk about it because, why? It makes him look bad as a leader. Heck, if I was him, I wouldn’t talk about it either. But it happened under his watch. Sure maybe not the whole billion dollars, maybe it was only $750 million dollars, but wouldn’t you like to be able to squander those kinds of funds without having to be accountable for it?

Strike 2. Well strike 2 came a couple days ago when the Auditor General Report came out showing that the Ontario Health Ministry granted “millions [of dollars] in sole-source contracts while Smitherman was in charge of the file. This health ministry approved at leat $9.5 million dollars of untendered consulting contracts between 2004 and 2009 – Smitherman was the health minister from late 2003 until June 30th, 2008.

But Toronto is Liberal-town, so Smitherman’s response…He said eHealth was not created while he was minister. Not his fault. And for the huge consulting contracts given to those on his inner circle? The ones given without taking bids from other companies? They were all legit. And he expects you to believe him. Rob Ford is fat, remember…

Maybe I’m so pissed off that people are going to vote for Smitherman, not because he has wasted billions of dollars of your tax money and my tax money, but because I never became a Liberal insider and set up my own “consulting” company.
If I did, I’d be rich!

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/10/07/smitherman-sole-source634.html#ixzz135zPSPyN

But heck, the last strike against Smitherman came via the Toronto Star of all places – the Liberal media centre who has endorsed Smitherman on numerous occasions. The Star, you see, does not like the secrecy that Smitherman has surrounding his campaign donation list.

Both Rob Ford and Joe Pantalone have released their campaign donor lists, but George Smitherman is refusing to divulge his until after the election.

Ford’s campaign figures show that he was able to raise about $700,000, Pantalone about $850,000. Both are well under the $1.3 million limit. Smitherman’s campaign, however, says it won’t release his list early, as has been the tradition in the past two elections, but will do so “in compliance with the law” after Monday’s vote. That leads me, and the Star to wonder, what is George hiding?

Robert MacDermid, my former professor at York University, who taught me law and electoral reform, also doubles as an expert on election and party financing, said in the Star and on AM640 this morning that citizens deserve to know who is giving to which campaigns and Smitherman’s decision to hold off on releasing his donor list does a disservice to voters.

“It’s a shame that he’s done that. It’s a statement about how he views strengthening municipal campaign financing, which needs to be strengthened,” MacDermid said. “It makes you wonder where he stands on this issue — and what he’s got to hide.”

While it’s unclear why Smitherman is keeping his list secret for now, MacDermid suggested that poor record-keeping is not likely to blame.
“It wouldn’t be sensible to say that it was some sort of shortcoming in their record-keeping. Campaigns keep pretty diligent records of who gives money,” MacDermid said.

Is this not the same George Smitherman who on his website, right here in fact; http://www.georgesmitherman.ca/issues.html#opengov asks you to vote for him because there is a “lack of transparacy at City Hall”.

Follow the link to his website. “Mayoral candidate George Smitherman wants to take action on transparency and local democracy.” He uses words like; open government” and “open standards”. He wants “open data access” and to “open up the whole process”.
He just doesn’t want to open it up for you to see. Until he is elected, of course.

George, that is strike 3, and you are out!

Now, who is Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty going to blame during the provincial election next year when Conservative leader Tim Hudek comes calling about the waste, and additional taxes that have been allowed under the Provincial Liberal Party??  That is why Hudek will be the next Premier of Ontario.  The “gravey train” stops here, Ontario!!!

He’s going to blame you, George. Especially when our energy bills come out in the winter and we see that massive increase. That was under your care as Energy Minister, right George? Tax and Spend!

Then all the Liberal-lovers in Toronto can take a huge sigh of relief that they voted for Rob Ford.

 

Say it aint so, Joe. City Councillor Joe Mihevc Tells me who NOT to Vote For.

Not too long ago we moved.

We moved into a better area – for us – with younger families, lots of parks and programs, and mainly to be within walking distance to my son’s school (this year, and both boys school next year). We moved to our 15 year house.

An important part of this move, for me, included finding some new volunteer activities within my community to take part in.  My new City Councillor, Joe Mihevc, from all that I could see and heard, had been doing an awesome job. There is plenty to like in this ward – at least in my part.

So with an election coming, voting for Joe really was the only choice.  I looked at all the good in this ward, and that there appeared to be an acceptable, qualified candidate, and Joe was a shoe-in.

But not every Councillor is perfect, so I started asking my neighbours what they thought about Joe’s work in our community and I was hearing things about delays in getting things done, that he pays too much attention to the south side of the ward, that the streetcar right-of-way cost $100 million istead of $20 million, and I was able to make a determination.  Joe was good for my ward.   I reached out to Joe and was overwhelmed with the response time and information I received from him and from his office, and I look around my piece of the ward and it looks pretty special to me, so I’m not sure where the negative buzz is coming from.

In the back of my mind, I really wanted to reach out to Joe and find out if he would work with Rob Ford, who I will be supporting as Mayor of Toronto, but I also did not for fear of what Mihevc might have to say.

So I decided to not ask that question, and vote for Joe in a couple weeks…

That was until today…

Today, I received this email from Mihevc.

Please read it.

 To me, it says that if Rob Ford is Mayor I (Joe) will not be able to work with him.

This disappoints me greatly.  Now I want to ask Joe if he intends on stepping down if he wins as does Ford?  or will he continue to support us, the constituents in his ward who also voted for a right-wing, get stuff done, stop wasting my money mayor. Aside from advising everyone to not vote for Joe Pantalone (David Miller II) I get a negative feel from this email – intended or not – and that is going to make me reconsider my position.

Say it ain’t so Joe… Why? Why? Why?

So here is what he sent…

“Dear friends and neighbours,

Over the past several months, I have had countless conversations in various settings with folks around the issue of the next mayor of the City of Toronto. I can tell you that I have struggled deeply with this question. I have committed to residents in Ward 21 that I would make a decision around who I will be endorsing for mayor before Thanksgiving. Now that the advance polls are open, I feel today is an appropriate time to announce my decision. I hope my decision will provide some food for thought for those of you who are also struggling with this question.

From my point of view, it is absolutely imperative that I/we do everything possible to stop Rob Ford from becoming mayor. This is a powerful driver for me. Rob Ford and his associates would destroy so much that we value about our city – its diversity, animated neighbourhoods, care for the newcomers and the poor, our quality of life. Very simply, and without getting too personal, I have watched him for the last 10 years as a colleague on Council, and Rob does not have the skill set required to lead a complex city hall and its agencies. Simple one-liners, an angry persona, a divisive disposition is not leadership and will only hurt Toronto. Under Rob Ford, City Council will not function, our city agencies will be in disarray, economic development will be hurt and our city will suffer in many ways.

I know some residents are supporting Joe Pantalone. I do feel that Joe would make a fine mayor and that he has the skills, smarts, and experience to lead the city. The stars, however, have not aligned for Joe as revealed in the polls. Given the strength of Rob Ford in the same polls, and given the need to have all hands on deck to defeat him, I believe that this is a time for Torontonians to rally around a single candidate who has the best chance of defeating Ford. Joe Pantalone’s standing in the polls requires us to look elsewhere. To say this frankly is very difficult for me as I have known and worked with Joe for 20 years and can affirm that he is a person of integrity and that his work has really built the city. It is not Joe’s moment right now and he is not in a position to defeat Ford. Thus people of good will who are committed to community values have to speak up and act in a very pragmatic way.

I have known George Smitherman for over a decade and do believe that he has the skill set needed to make a good mayor. Further and key to my position, he is in the best position to win. In endorsing George, I am not endorsing everything in his platform, though there are many pieces of his platform (around public transit expansion, commitment to the arts, commitment to neighbourhoods, support for community groups, economic development and support for environmental initiatives) that I find attractive. I believe that Council will be able to work with George, agreeing on many issues and disagreeing where appropriate. He will need a good Council to work with him, and an active citizenry to build the city. I am open to that work. I have spoken to George personally in preparation for my endorsement and am convinced that he has the city’s best interests at heart.

I make this endorsement with the best interests of our community, Ward 21, and of our city in my heart and mind.
Sincerely,

Joe Mihevc
www.joemihevc.ca”

Well there is always Beth Mclellan;

https://kscheuer.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/beth-mclellan-ward-21-candidate/

Or, Peter Nolan is the Rob Ford endorsed candidate.  http://votepeternolan.ca/my-issues

Or even Shimmy Posen…

Basically Joe, everyone can be replaced…

Why Joe, Why?