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Permalink Reply by John L on September 21, 2010 at 10:41pm

Agreed. I expect an "anyone but Ford" movement to begin shortly. Otherwise, as you say, we are screwed.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Holloway on September 22, 2010 at 2:06pm

Yes, I think this recent poll is out of whack; but it might be a good thing, I'm seeing your idea ("anyone but Ford") in lots of different places, (http://www.torontocannotafford.com/) ..and 2 really popular discussion this morning in facebook

I chimed in late yesterday:
October 25th Toronto, you chose the next Mayor: loser, loser, stoolie, loser, nut job. Now pick!
(http://filter--blog.blogspot.com/2010/09/october-25th-toronto-you-chose-next.html)

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Permalink Reply by Sarah on September 22, 2010 at 11:01pm

If you want to stop Ford, you need to pick your candidate and get out there and support them. Make sure you vote and all your friends and family vote too!

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Permalink Reply by Stan on October 10, 2010 at 12:24pm

It seems like a classic con game: after a time of economic hardship the citizens are demanding CHANGE and they (the powers that be) present us with a hard nosed common-man kind of guy who promises to look out for the little guy (see: germany in 1933, USA under Bush Jr, Harper in Canada). But in reality these guys make secret deals with the corporations.
By his arrogant attitude you just know Ford will stuff council with his business buddies and make secret deals. The privtization platform is a ruse. It translates into: I will sell off citiy services to my business buddies (think: a 16 billion dollar no-bid fighter jet contract from harpo, or new prisons, this kind of idea).


Stop kidding yourselves: we live in the era of corporations now. Every politician now, at local/provincial/federal levels will be 100% pro-corporate. If you think that hydro/taxes/sewar/services costs are NOT going to rise by 5-10% each and every year...well care to bet money on it? The War on Middle Class is well underway.

p.s. I do not like Smitherman either.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Holloway on October 13, 2010 at 5:50pm

What Stan said.

"Like"

:)

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Permalink Reply by Leslie Barns on October 13, 2010 at 9:13pm

You mean the corporations that hire people that come into Leslieville to purchase and upgrade homes, and help build a better neighbourhood? Or the communist-run arms-length government organizations that employ greedy unions that automatically strike every 3 years?

I say give privatization a shot at every job out there.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Holloway on October 15, 2010 at 12:48pm

communist-run?

greedy unions?

automatically strike?

That garbage strike was worse than when my cat died. ;)

I disagree. Here's a metric I see in your "neo-con" thinking:

Jealousy:

Like sports fans who have a love/hate relationship with their hero's - they resent the professional pay the elites get and that might be rooted in their failed attempts at sports themselves, something they blame their fathers for, not giving them enough support or something. That blame game becomes away of thinking for the rest of their lives.

Guilt:

Perhaps rooted in the love/hate they have for their parents and ultimately for themselves they feel guilt - about everything. There are starving people everywhere and it's our fault - what with this lazy, opulent and waisteful life we lead.

Hubris:

What's needed today - goes the thinking of these hateful minded people - is to bring down the leaders, the winners, the people who are doing better than they are (because they have a positive outlook on things?). People with good jobs because, for example, their forerunners fought to organize unions against terrible, dangerous and under paid working conditions. People who lead in our communities are made scapegoats - not for what they have done - but for what they represent - they are doers and thus the establishment.

On the other hand, I see the time we live in like this:

This is the most democratic moment in the history of democracy. Corporate power, not represented by individual entrepreneurs, but by soulless corporate systems, hare discovered a "function", a "truth" over the past 20 years: Less government = More corporate power - which equals, in the long run, the same bad working conditions that lead to the union movement during the early days of the industrial revolution, and during the Great Depression. Union and civil rights movements that lead to this middle class world we are experiencing now - and the strong democratic institutions we take for granted every day.

Which, ironically, are an odd bi-product of free enterprise with out government regulation that the neo-cons champion today --- from a period in our history before labour law , health and safety law, universal health care, social safety nets etc., etc., etc. --- that were established to balance the inequities cased by unregulated free enterprise.

Just 2 years ago global corporations proved again that deregulation results in 'pirate style' business, the kind of shell game economics (thievery) that caused the financial collapse and the loss of 500,00 good job out of the Ontario economy - and almost caused a global great depression in our time - prevented by the way, with a MASSIVE intervention by government.

My take - for the record. :)

mh

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