Politics

Rob Ford For Mayor? Not On My Watch...
Published March 16, 2010 @ 10:59 in Politics, Toronto News ~ Toronto Focus

On March 26, Rob Ford will announce something. Speculation is he'll announce he's running for mayor of Toronto. I hope he's announcing he's quitting politics for an on-air gig at AM640.

Four years ago, after having enough of Rob Ford's Neanderthal comments, I wrote a definitive list of Rob Ford quotes. Here are a few of my favourites:

"This is an insult to my constituents to even think about having a shelter in my ward!" - April, 2002

"I don't understand. Number one, I don't understand a transgender, I don't understand, is it a guy dressed up like a girl or a girl dressed up like a guy? And we're funding this for, I don't know, what does it say here? We're giving them $3,210?" - June 2005

"People do not want government housing built in the city of Toronto. They want roads fixed, more police presence, but they don't want more government housing that will depreciate the value of their property." - July, 2005

A year after I wrote that entry, he chimed in with a beaut about bike lanes.

I can't support bike lanes. Roads are built for buses, cars, and trucks. My heart bleeds when someone gets killed, but it's their own fault at the end of the day.

Rob Ford, they seem to like you in Ward 2, Etobicoke North. Please run there. Toronto's next mayor won't be a bike lane hating, Transit City killing social conservative who promises to "cut everything but police spending to tame the city budget. Libraries, parks, whatever."

Surely we can bring accountability to city hall spending without this extra baggage and complete lack of big city vision.

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Sarah Palin Used to Cross the Border for Canadian Health Care
Published March 9, 2010 @ 16:02 in Politics

XXX Our Canadian Health Care used to be acceptable to Sarah Palin. I'm guessing she didn't pay for the services she received in this country, either.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin - who has gone to great lengths to hype the supposed dangers of a big government takeover of American health care - admitted over the weekend that she used to get her treatment in Canada's single-payer system.

"We used to hustle over the border for health care we received in Canada," Palin said in her first Canadian appearance since stepping down as governor of Alaska. "And I think now, isn't that ironic?"

The irony, one guesses, is that Palin now views Canada's health care system as revolting: with its government-run administration and 'death-panel'-like rationing. Clearly, however, she and her family once found it more alluring than, at the very least, the coverage available in rural Alaska. Up to the age of six, Palin lived in a remote town near the closest Canadian city, Whitehorse.

How does that old Alanis song go again? Well, life has a funny way of sneaking up on you..

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Taliban Mike?
Published January 1, 2010 @ 19:10 in Humble and Fred, Politics

Question Freddie P finally wrote about Stephen Harper's request to prorogue Parliament. Fred's got a hard on for Stevie, anointing him "the rational man" no matter what he says or does.

Fred's entry opened with a direct shot at yours truly. "Check out the crap going on over at Taliban Mike. I really don't know where to begin with this stuff."

That's right, Fred called me Taliban Mike. To prove a forced point, he's comparing me to that fundamentalist Islamic militia. It's a remarkably offensive stretch, but I know Fred's just playing shock jock. I'm not alone in my opinion of Harper's latest insult to democracy.

I'd like to address one commenter over on Freddie's entry. It's by Dial Twister and he/she asks:

Either you're quite willing to throw your (former?) friend, Toronto Mike, under the bus, or the two of you have a publicity pact going on.

Firstly, there's no publicity pact here. I found out about "Taliban Mike" when it showed up in my Google Reader. As for throwing me under the bus, he's done it before. We disagree fundamentally on so many things but it never messes with our friendship. His politics are a little far to the right for my liking, but he's good people and I love the peckerhead.

And no, there's no truth to the rumour that I'm keeping Humble and Fred's Fifth Podcast hostage. Dan Duran is the bottleneck there, I swear.

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Harper is Prorogue Happy and an Insult to Democracy
Published December 30, 2009 @ 17:56 in Politics

Ottawa My how time flies. Has it really been over 12 months since I made prorogue the word of the day?

Prorogue:

tr.v., -rogued, -rogu·ing, -rogues.

To discontinue a session of (a parliament, for example).
To postpone; defer.

Back then, Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean granted a request from Stephen Harper to prorogue Parliament so he could avoid a confidence vote that would have toppled his minority government. We've just learnt Prime Minister Stephen Harper will prorogue Parliament once more, this time for a two-month break.

The House of Commons and the Senate will come back in March, after the Vancouver Olympics, for a Speech from the Throne and a budget. The move will have the effect of stalling all bills currently in Parliament, including crime bills that the government had said were being delayed by the opposition.

A post-Olympic return would also shut down government committees, which would stop MPs from pursuing the Afghan detainee controversy until Parliament returned.

Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale says “if the government attempts this manoeuvre, it's a shocking insult to democracy" while NDP House Leader Libby Davies says there's no legitimate reason to prorogue Parliament and to do so would be a “political scam.” They're both absolutely right.

I rarely write about Stephen Harper anymore. Truth be told, he's not our prime minister. We've never given him a single seat here in Toronto, and he's not interested in our future support. The man has been PM for almost four years without an ounce of assistance from Canada's biggest city. That's worth something, I suppose, but it's resulted in great political malaise from those of us in the 416.

When did my country become a dictatorship? How is it that so many of my fellow Canadians continue to support this man and his government, when he continuously makes moves to curtail transparency, prohibit journalistic access and limit democracy. This request to prorogue Parliament is the last straw and completely inexcusable.

Is it too much for me to expect my prime minister to be accountable for the Afghan detainees affair? But is this a cowardly move to avoid the scrutiny of a House committee into the treatment of Afghan detainees or is this merely a ploy to gain a majority on Senate committees? Either way, it's not particularly democratic and it reeks of arrogance and politics over governance. It's vintage Harper.

To Mr. Harper: Good luck winning a majority without a seat in this city. The rest of the nation can thank us later for restricting you to minority status.

To Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean: You're where the buck stops. You have the true power here. When Mr. Harper makes his formal request to prorogue Parliament for two-months, just say no. Do it for Canada, do it for democracy, do it for me.

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Never Trust a Politician
Published November 16, 2009 @ 09:03 in Politics

thumbs down Never trust a politician. It's a kin to trusting a salesman. They'll most likely tell you what you want to hear in an effort not to alienate potential voters.

Browsing Saturday's Globe, there was a fluff piece in which several people at a party celebrating the Indian Festival of Lights were asked about their cinematic allegiances. Bollywood or Hollywood?

The non-politicians asked seemed to answer honestly. Sudhi Matholi admitted he preferred Hollywood movies. Anita Kapal wanted to say Bollywood, but admitted she preferred Hollywood because Bollywood is overdramatic. But wait until you read the answers from Bob Rae, Michael Ignatieff and George Smitherman.

Bob Rae

Bollywood is bigger, it's alive and it's having a huge impact on Toronto. I like both, but if I had to choose - there was no better movie last year than Slumdog Millionaire.

Michael Ignatieff

In this crowd, it's got to be Bollywood. I love the singing and the dancing. It lifts you up every time. There's a kind of joy there that we all need.

George Smitherman

I like Bollywood for the authenticity.

Again, never trust a politician. Authenticity is not on the menu.

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Schwarzenegger Gives Subliminal Finger to Lawmakers
Published October 28, 2009 @ 20:08 in Politics

swears When I first read this story earlier this afternoon, I thought it was a joke. I read it in Wired which isn't Onion-like in its reporting, outside of April 1. So I checked into it and learned this is in fact true.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote a veto message regarding a bill from Assemblymember Tom Ammiano. The first letters of sequential lines in the left-hand margin spelled out the words "Fuck You".

Here's the letter.

Ammiano had strongly criticized the governor in early October and reportedly told Schwarzenegger at the time to “kiss my gay ass.”

One good turn deserves another. Well played, Governator.

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American Conservatives Don't Seem To Get It
Published August 15, 2009 @ 16:30 in My 2 Cents, Politics

USA I don't know about my fellow Canadians, but I've found a great deal of the rhetoric coming from the United States regarding President Obama's health care reform to be incredibly cringe-worthy. The conservatives and anti-Obama crusaders don't seem to understand our health care model in the least.

Here's one of the many ads currently running on American television urging Americans to "say no to government run health care".

That ad makes me nauseous. It's so full of bullshit, I don't know where to start. As a Canadian, I've been served by our "socialist" health care system all of my life. I assure my American readers, we choose our own doctors. Our doctors recommend appropriate treatments and care based on their expert medical opinion.

When my right leg wouldn't let me run more than 4km, I was immediately able to see a top sports doctor, I had an MRI, a bone scan and x-rays, and that same sports doc was able to review video from an MRI I had in 2003 after tearing my ACL as well as x-rays from the early 80s when I broke my leg. My life wasn't in danger, I just had leg pain, but I still received top notch care with very little wait. Did I mention all of the above was covered by OHIP, our provincial health plan that every Ontarian receives, regardless of age, employment status or income?

I recently wrote about my trip to the hospital with a scratched eye. I was in and out in 35 minutes. When anyone in my family has needed more serious treatment, it's been dealt with appropriately and immediately. There is no government layer between us and our doctor.

The amount of misinformation I see spewing from the conservative right goes far beyond ads. Bill O'Reilly from The O'Reilly Factor on FOX News recently fielded a rather timely question from a Canadian. "Has anyone noted that life expectancy in Canada under our health system is higher than the USA?" O'Reilly's response is ridiculous. See for yourself below.

My fear is that viewers will accept O'Reilly's fuzzy math, just as they'll accept Sarah Palin's "Death Panel" comments and the fear mongering that's existed in America since Ronald Reagan spoke out against socialized medicine back in 1961.

I stumbled upon the following image while clicking links earlier this morning, and it seems to illustrate the key difference between the American left and right these days. My only objection, as I observe from north of the border, is that the term "conservatards" isn't fair to the mentally challenged. But, the point is valid.

Canada's system may not be perfect, but when compared to the United States we live longer, our infant mortality rate is lower, our per capita expenditure on health care is lower and our % of government revenue spent on health care is lower. Those, my American friends, are facts.

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Presidential Treatment: Fox Won't Air Obama Pitch Live
Published July 15, 2009 @ 21:21 in Politics, Sports

usa It's no secret I like President Obama. I still like him. He's the coolest prez ever.

Obama threw out the first pitch at the All-Star Game last night, and Fox gave him presidential treatment. Watch him deliver the pitch below and tell me how he did. It's impossible to tell whether he threw a strike, a wild pitch or bounced one in.

This camera angle is so ridiculous I almost want to suggest that Obama hedged his bets in case he blew his pitch, and asked Fox not to show the results of his pitch live. I almost want to suggest that, but this is Obama we're talking about. I have no doubt he threw a 98 mph strike.