Rob Ford - Why the Supervillian?

[Irishmonk]

Miller did a great job in building this city..

I agree. He's the best mayor we've had since Crombie. Unfortunately, he may be an aberration in post mega-city politics. If Ford wins it will be Suburban Regressives 2: Urban Progressives 1. Maybe some day the Lastman and Ford lovers will finally get the Detroit they've always wanted--lots of nice empty freeways and great infrastructure for a city of 1 million.

 

[Hipster Duck]

toronto won't change a bit,no matter who's in power. ford is a choice for those that are fed up with the bullcrap others are pushing. he speaks with conviction

You know who can speak with conviction? I can speak with conviction!

"I demand that we get to work building my patented cardboard rocketship so that we can put a colony on Pluto by 2012!"

You see? It can be a completely unrealistic promise that has no basis in reality but who cares as long I say it with enough conviction!

 

[adma]

you mentioned firemen, I never made that comparison

again, I never said they liked fire,I wrote FASCINATED with fire,lmao...you twisted my words again

dum dee dum dee dum

I hope you can read the ballot card

May I tell you something, drone? Between your lack of capitalization, your lack of spacing after punctuation, and your resorting to crutches like "lmao", your posting technique is execrable. Of course, if you write like the 13-year-old twerp you may or may not be, you probably haven't ever encountered the word "execrable" before...

 

[SlickFranky]

ford is a choice for those that are fed up with the bullcrap others are pushing. he speaks with conviction

This is mostly accurate. The 30-35% percent that will vote Ford will do so because they are angry and are fed up with city hall's 'antics'. I don't think it's generic anger though. I think the 'bullcrap' they're 'fed up with' is singular, and nearly unanimous among his followers.
I have a theory....

Without a doubt, the city made huge strides under Miller, is firmly pointed in the right direction, and is clearly a better place to live than it was ten years ago. But I think the only thing they see is the vehicle registration fee and land transfer tax. Even though both bring in much needed revenue, and nudge the city toward less car ownership and less investor-fueled property value inflation, they just see the word TAX!!! and take it as a personal slight.

Am I missing something? This is the crux of the whole election is it not? What other issue is attracting people to vote Ford? Nothing he has said or done since making this point clear has effected his polling numbers one way or the other.

Trying to steal supporters by echoing that stance won't work. Whatever Smitherman says, Ford's the guy that they believe will actually do it. Maybe Pants (as the only one clearly saying he will not repeal those fees) should explain to the people why those taxes/fees exist, why they need to remain in place, and how they are a net positive helping to make Toronto a better city.

 

[GraphicMatt]

I think the third of the population that's Very Angry with Miller is a kind of political phenomenon that inevitably results from a progressive regime. Essentially, by truly trying to accomplish a number of city-moving things, Miller put a spotlight on the bureaucratic nature of city politics. Mistakes are an inevitable part of trying to do things. And with mistakes come waste and delays and whatever else.

What I think people don't get is that the Rob Ford-ian alternative to Miller projects isn't to do them better. It's to not do them - or anything - at all.

 

[adma]

Perhaps the UT-centric metaphor for Ford's support base might be those who are sick and tired of being smeared by the aA/Freedvile pointy-headed design-elite crowd as Chedingtonistas, McMansion-dwelling vulgarian philistines, EIFS addicts and what have you. They're the ones who think this

is more beautiful than this

When repeatedly poked, they attack.

 

[archanfel]

I am sorry. Just what did Miller do that make you guys like him so much?

 

[nfitz]

I am sorry. Just what did Miller do that make you guys like him so much?

Off the top of my head, without thinking about it ... replaced most of the buses in the city, replaced all the streetcars, all the subway trains, except the ones that were only 10 years old. Expanded the Spadina subway, building the subway under Eglinton, increased bus frequencies, extended bus hours, built BMO field to land MLS team, cancelled the incinerator, solved for garbage problem for a generation, has kept tax rates lower than the suburbs, we've seem growth in the city - I haven't see so new office towers downtown for years, the City of Toronto act, cleaner parks, more services, less vagrants downtown, redeveloped Union station

I'm sure most of the candidates could do some good work. I'm quite convinced Rob Ford would only disgrace us all, and slow down the city. The guy isn't the sharpest knife in the draw ... will he even understand the budget issues? His work on council suggests he just ignores complex issues. If he has his way, we could be seeing endless TTC strikes ... and more gridlock.

 

[adma]

I am sorry. Just what did Miller do that make you guys like him so much?

Maybe, as per the post above yours, save us from the unilateral tyranny of the "Chedingtonistas, McMansion-dwelling vulgarian philistines, EIFS addicts and what have you".

And if that's who you'd side with, I'd gladly get an axe and turn you into what she's wearing.

 

[jn_12]

I am sorry. Just what did Miller do that make you guys like him so much?

Off the top of my head, without thinking about it ... replaced most of the buses in the city, replaced all the streetcars, all the subway trains, except the ones that were only 10 years old. Expanded the Spadina subway, building the subway under Eglinton, increased bus frequencies, extended bus hours, built BMO field to land MLS team, cancelled the incinerator, solved for garbage problem for a generation, has kept tax rates lower than the suburbs, we've seem growth in the city - I haven't see so new office towers downtown for years, the City of Toronto act, cleaner parks, more services, less vagrants downtown, redeveloped Union station

Allow me to continue: Waterfront revitalization efforts, Nuit Blanche, Luminato, increased infrastructure funding (put pressure on feds/province), put the focus on progressiveness (bike lanes - even if the goal fell short, increased density, etc), Mayor's Tower renewal project, his environmental strategy (green roofs, increased canopy, etc), City Beautification Strategy...

Seriously, people are going to look back in a few years at Miller's time in office and realize just how much he did and how much of it was positive and will have changed Toronto for the better. Yes, there were issues like the street food venders, but the intention was there to at least try to give Toronto something that had previously been ignored. You're never going to bat 1.000, but I don't think many mayors have hit as many homeruns as Miller has. To me, Toronto is a better place because of him, not in spite of him.

 

[archanfel]

Off the top of my head, without thinking about it ... replaced most of the buses in the city, replaced all the streetcars, all the subway trains, except the ones that were only 10 years old. Expanded the Spadina subway, building the subway under Eglinton, increased bus frequencies, extended bus hours, built BMO field to land MLS team, cancelled the incinerator, solved for garbage problem for a generation, has kept tax rates lower than the suburbs, we've seem growth in the city - I haven't see so new office towers downtown for years, the City of Toronto act, cleaner parks, more services, less vagrants downtown, redeveloped Union station

I'm sure most of the candidates could do some good work. I'm quite convinced Rob Ford would only disgrace us all, and slow down the city. The guy isn't the sharpest knife in the draw ... will he even understand the budget issues? His work on council suggests he just ignores complex issues. If he has his way, we could be seeing endless TTC strikes ... and more gridlock.

Yet we probably have more complains about the TTC than ever. A perfect example of throwing money at something doesn't always solve the problem. We need a disciplined work force and Mr. Miller have proven over and over again he is not capable of delivering that. We also need a disciplined fiscal policy and Mr. Miller have proven over and over again he is not capable of delivering that either. Having said that, I would rate him above the guy who would never raise taxes and then gave us a premium.

More importantly, 34% of the city is so angry that they would even vote Mr. Ford in. That's just scary.

I also feel Rob Ford would be a destructive force. However, it's about time we stand up to the unions. And to be honest, the best thing the government can do is to uphold the law and then stay out of working folks' ways (and wallets). Rob Ford is a child and would at least bring back some common sense into the government. I am not so sure about him as the mayor though. A leader and a henchman requires different qualities. I think Mr. Ford would make a good waste fighter, but not so much as the leader of a mega-city. That's why I am still an undecided voter.

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

Seriously, people are going to look back in a few years at Miller's time in office and realize just how much he did and how much of it was positive and will have changed Toronto for the better.

Umm no. Whether you like it or not most people will remember the tax increases and new taxes under Miller...nothing else

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

Allow me to continue: Waterfront revitalization efforts, Nuit Blanche, Luminato, increased infrastructure funding (put pressure on feds/province), put the focus on progressiveness (bike lanes - even if the goal fell short, increased density, etc), Mayor's Tower renewal project, his environmental strategy (green roofs, increased canopy, etc), City Beautification Strategy...

Yeah but how much is that is really due to Miller himself? Do we know?

 

[Gavin]

I also feel Rob Ford would be a destructive force. However, it's about time we stand up to the unions.

Rob Ford plans to expand the police budget (read: expanding the police union) and replace streetcars with buses requiring approximately 2.5x more drivers (read: expanding the TTC union).

So how exactly is he "standing up to the unions"?

 

[GraphicMatt]

He also wants to give TTC workers a guaranteed raise every three years. He's said so repeatedly and even voted for the measure that would make it so.