Your wording today is very different from yesterday.
Today you wrote that "They did vote for a proud bigot". That's technically correct, and is not insulting. I have no issue with that kind of wording.
However, yesterday you wrote that they are "in favour of bigotry". That was an insult directed towards the whole segment of populace. Such attacks are definitely off-limits in today's public debates (and it doesn't even matter whether you can build a logical connection supporting the insulting statement).
That's what prompted my objection; not the way you read the election results.
Speaking about the election results, their value as indicators is probably similar in all cases. They suggest where the public is leaning, but do not give an ironclad proof of that.
No, I did not.
I wrote:
If election results are being interpreted as an iron-clad judgement on subways vs LRTs, should we also assume Scarborough residents are in favour of bigotry and deceit?
Are you agreeing the election results fairly paint Scarborough as one of the most biggoted areas of the city?
The second poll (by Forum Research) looks reasonable; the poll question isn't skewed. I can't comment on the first poll as the link does not mention the wording of the poll question.
Taking into account both the Forum Research poll (slightly in favor of LRT) and the election results (leaning towards the subway), one can conclude that both options (SSE and light rail) have certain level of support in the area. However, the majority of elected politicians are in favor of the subway. That means, either the poll is still flawed somehow (while taken in good faith; but maybe the poll sample did not really reflect the spread of opinions), or the said politicians are behind the curve and not aligned with the public preferences.
The only way to find out is to make it an election issue. Let's see how pro-subway and pro-LRT candidates perform in the coming elections.
The polls are based entirely on the preference between the subway vs LRT.
The election was about myriad issues, one of which was transit.
Ford lied about the nature of LRTs (calling them streetcars that would clog the road), and the nature of funding ('it will be paid for by the private sector and inefficiencies), among other things. People voted for Ford based on lies, so it's essentially the exact opposite of an accurate gauge on what people want, based on the actual facts.
This is why using election results as proof of approval for subways is incredibly foolish.
That local politicians want a subway doesn't really mean a thing. It's political.
If you showed Torontonians a map of London's subway system, and asked if they want something similar in Toronto, I'm pretty sure 100% of the city would say yes. Ask them when you outline the cost, usage, maintenance, etc. and the answer would be much different.
It's amazing how far this 'debate' has devolved.
