Many people outside of Toronto were surprised that what is generally considered a progressive city would elect a man like Rob Ford as mayor. I never voted for Rob Ford or his brother Doug, but I certainly understood why he was elected. He was Donald Trump the politician before Trump ran for politics.
Ford, like Trump but on a smaller scale, was rich man that appealed to the average person on the street that struggled to get ahead. They are anti-establishment but in a strange way members of the elite that people rail against.
Jack Layton and Rob Ford were polar opposites. Rob Ford was loved by the people that Layton claimed to fight for. Layton was a longtime Toronto city councillor before he ran for federal politics. Layton had his followers and won enough elections but he was never loved in the city. He claimed to fight for the poor and disaffected but his followers were the downtown arts crowd. Not the poor in distant suburbs of the city, Ford appealed to those people. His followers were the anti-arts crowds.
Ford coached an inner-city football team, bought them their equipment out of his own money. He took their phone calls. He got his hands dirty helping the little guy. No one thought that Jack Layton was going to take your call, or volunteer at a local rec centre. And if he did it would have been for political gain. I still remember watching the Hockey Gold medal game at the Olympics on TV. Jack Layton was at Wayne Gretzky's bar and the CBC had a camera at the bar, After every Canada goal the CBC would show the crowd reaction at Gretzky's. There was Jack staring directly into the camera and on one occasion moving a woman out of his camera shot. It was concocted and pathetic. Ford was the anti-Layton. For all of his enormous faults Ford was genuine. He went to sports games because he loved sports, not for political gain.
I thought that Ford was a bad mayor and set back transit at least 10-years. When it came to his personal problems you could not trust a word he said, or that of his brother Doug. But I was never embarrassed he was our mayor. I was endlessly amused by his antics. Ford was a likable guy.
I can tell you precisely when Ford won the mayor's office. It was the day that the previous mayor, left leaning David Miller, caved into outside city workers that were on strike. We had a long city-wide strike in the heat of the summer. There was no garbage collection and the parks were used to collect trash. The vast majority of the people in the city supported the city's position in holding out against the strikers. The city started to win, over 200 new strikers crossed the picket line every day, the city was about to break the union and then Miller caved. From that moment Miller was done and citizens rebelled. They wanted the anti-Miller and it was Rob Ford.
I can tell you that most people in Toronto are going to miss Rob Ford's antics. It would have been an epic election had a healthy Rob Ford taken on Mayor John Tory next election.
Friday, 25 March 2016
Let's Take Back Our Parks
I'm calling on the silent majority of Torontonians, that do not own a dog, to rise up and take back our parks from dog owners.
Yesterday I was returning home from the local Tim Horton's with a cup of Joe, walking without malice or rancour, when I was verbally assaulted by a large brown Lab. The dog was tied tightly on a short leash to a railing. Without warning, or provocation, the dog loudly and aggressively barked at me. I thought briefly and seriously of giving the dog a quick kick to the underside. That would have been a fair and justified lesson to the dog to blame its owner, not strangers, for being tied up in the cold.
Dogs are dumb and loyal to a fault to their owners. I'm not an expert but I would rate them just below sheep in animal IQ. I don't tie up animals to fence posts, in the freezing cold, while I sit idly in a warm restaurant. Dogs refuse to blame their owners so they lash out at other humans. It's my fault that your owner is a heartless prick.
I'm not allowed to own a dog in Toronto. Only assholes are granted dog licenses. Now this is anecdotal evidence because I'm not aware of the actual law, but I have never seen a dog owner that was not an entitled asshole in the city. It would be too much of a coincidence if there was not an actual law.
I live in the west end of downtown Toronto, near Stanley Park. The city paid around $250,000 to construct an off-leash dog enclosure in the park. Dog owners do not pay extra taxes, this money comes from general revenue. Would it make sense for dog owners to pay let's say $100 a year for each animal for constructing off leash parks and general dog shit removal? Sure, but dog owners are an entitled bunch and if they had their way, would have the rest of us pay them to raise their dogs. Dog owners would have you locked indoors and only come out on occasion to buy milk and beans.
If you told a dog owner that they should use the off-leash enclosure when their dog romps around a city park, they would laugh in your face. The entire park is off-leash to them. In fact all city parks, my condo lawn, sidewalks and anywhere outdoors is an off-leash area. I was walking down King St yesterday and menacing off-leash dog was growling at strangers while its owner was rooting through his SUV. Bystanders were clearly intimidated and the dog owner was oblivious.
I'm not going to kick your dog, but I am taking back my park. I'm proposing that non-dog owners in Toronto join me in my crusade. Let's start by making the off-leash enclosure at Stanley Park a Frisbee Golf course. I'm open to other ideas. Let's then take this revolution citywide.
Yesterday I was returning home from the local Tim Horton's with a cup of Joe, walking without malice or rancour, when I was verbally assaulted by a large brown Lab. The dog was tied tightly on a short leash to a railing. Without warning, or provocation, the dog loudly and aggressively barked at me. I thought briefly and seriously of giving the dog a quick kick to the underside. That would have been a fair and justified lesson to the dog to blame its owner, not strangers, for being tied up in the cold.
Dogs are dumb and loyal to a fault to their owners. I'm not an expert but I would rate them just below sheep in animal IQ. I don't tie up animals to fence posts, in the freezing cold, while I sit idly in a warm restaurant. Dogs refuse to blame their owners so they lash out at other humans. It's my fault that your owner is a heartless prick.
I'm not allowed to own a dog in Toronto. Only assholes are granted dog licenses. Now this is anecdotal evidence because I'm not aware of the actual law, but I have never seen a dog owner that was not an entitled asshole in the city. It would be too much of a coincidence if there was not an actual law.
I live in the west end of downtown Toronto, near Stanley Park. The city paid around $250,000 to construct an off-leash dog enclosure in the park. Dog owners do not pay extra taxes, this money comes from general revenue. Would it make sense for dog owners to pay let's say $100 a year for each animal for constructing off leash parks and general dog shit removal? Sure, but dog owners are an entitled bunch and if they had their way, would have the rest of us pay them to raise their dogs. Dog owners would have you locked indoors and only come out on occasion to buy milk and beans.
If you told a dog owner that they should use the off-leash enclosure when their dog romps around a city park, they would laugh in your face. The entire park is off-leash to them. In fact all city parks, my condo lawn, sidewalks and anywhere outdoors is an off-leash area. I was walking down King St yesterday and menacing off-leash dog was growling at strangers while its owner was rooting through his SUV. Bystanders were clearly intimidated and the dog owner was oblivious.
I'm not going to kick your dog, but I am taking back my park. I'm proposing that non-dog owners in Toronto join me in my crusade. Let's start by making the off-leash enclosure at Stanley Park a Frisbee Golf course. I'm open to other ideas. Let's then take this revolution citywide.
Tuesday, 15 March 2016
The Bond March 2016
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| The Bond Almost Topped Off |
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| Drywall Added To D'Arcy Unit |
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| You Can Make Out Bathroom Door |
Donald Trump
Fascinating comments from DonaldTrump tonight after winning the Florida primary.
I find it interesting that he keeps talking about rebuilding the US military when the US spends more than the next 7-largest countires combined in military spending.
He rightly talks about taking care of returning veterans, but fails to mention that it was the Republican congress that blocked increased spending in medical treatment for vets. A bill that was co-sponsored by Bernie Sanders. It was like when Sarah Palin blamed Obama for her son beating up his girlfriend. He was suffering from PTSD as a returning vet. Ignoring the fact that it was her party that refused to increase benefits for returning veterans.
He actually said that the US needs to look after rich people so that they can look after America.
This is an area that I notice in Canada and the US. The poorest people, particularly white people who are under-employed embrace rightwing politics. It goes back to the Reagan Democrats. Trickle down economics. Look after the rich and elite and you will benefit from their table scraps. They will get richer and some of that wealth will trickle down to you. Blame immigrants, non-Christians and foreign capitalists for your lack of success. Never mind that the elite business owners are the ones that took advantage of free trade to move your company to Third World countries, with cheap labour and lax health & safety standards. Trump will give them a stern talking to and convince them to make their products in America.
The other favourite line of the Conservative movement is that Trump will protect second amendment rights. There is no attack on gun rights in America. Obama is not trying to take away your guns. When George W. Bush bankrupted the American economy, started wars under false pretences, almost lost the auto and banking industries, his great defenders claimed that his job was to keep America safe. Except for 9/11. After 7 1/2 years Obama has kept America safe. He gets no credit for that.
What is Trump going to do to replace Obama care. Is he going to take health care away from millions of people? What is his plan? When he deports millions of people, where are his corporate friends going to find cheap labour? Where is America going to find people to pick crops and work menial jobs? He is going to kick out the Muslims, until he can figure out what to do with them. Why do I suspect that Muslims from Saudi Arabia will be exempt from that rule?
Trump is also going to rip up the Iran deal. Of course there is no plan to replace it. He is upset that Iran was paid $Billions to sign the deal. Of course the money was Iran's to begin with but was frozen by the UN and US. Never mind that the deal was negotiated with all of the US major allies.
Trump's only plan to make America great again is his superior negotiating skills. He is going to talk the Mexicans into building a wall and convince American companies to build their products in the USA.
I find it interesting that he keeps talking about rebuilding the US military when the US spends more than the next 7-largest countires combined in military spending.
He rightly talks about taking care of returning veterans, but fails to mention that it was the Republican congress that blocked increased spending in medical treatment for vets. A bill that was co-sponsored by Bernie Sanders. It was like when Sarah Palin blamed Obama for her son beating up his girlfriend. He was suffering from PTSD as a returning vet. Ignoring the fact that it was her party that refused to increase benefits for returning veterans.
He actually said that the US needs to look after rich people so that they can look after America.
This is an area that I notice in Canada and the US. The poorest people, particularly white people who are under-employed embrace rightwing politics. It goes back to the Reagan Democrats. Trickle down economics. Look after the rich and elite and you will benefit from their table scraps. They will get richer and some of that wealth will trickle down to you. Blame immigrants, non-Christians and foreign capitalists for your lack of success. Never mind that the elite business owners are the ones that took advantage of free trade to move your company to Third World countries, with cheap labour and lax health & safety standards. Trump will give them a stern talking to and convince them to make their products in America.
The other favourite line of the Conservative movement is that Trump will protect second amendment rights. There is no attack on gun rights in America. Obama is not trying to take away your guns. When George W. Bush bankrupted the American economy, started wars under false pretences, almost lost the auto and banking industries, his great defenders claimed that his job was to keep America safe. Except for 9/11. After 7 1/2 years Obama has kept America safe. He gets no credit for that.
What is Trump going to do to replace Obama care. Is he going to take health care away from millions of people? What is his plan? When he deports millions of people, where are his corporate friends going to find cheap labour? Where is America going to find people to pick crops and work menial jobs? He is going to kick out the Muslims, until he can figure out what to do with them. Why do I suspect that Muslims from Saudi Arabia will be exempt from that rule?
Trump is also going to rip up the Iran deal. Of course there is no plan to replace it. He is upset that Iran was paid $Billions to sign the deal. Of course the money was Iran's to begin with but was frozen by the UN and US. Never mind that the deal was negotiated with all of the US major allies.
Trump's only plan to make America great again is his superior negotiating skills. He is going to talk the Mexicans into building a wall and convince American companies to build their products in the USA.
Saturday, 13 February 2016
A Fugitive From Justice
Don't tell M that there is a reward on my capture dead or alive. I'm probably safe from a deadly encounter because I'm just too big for the slight M to drag my corpse to the sheriff.
My crime was inadvertent. At least that is my story. It is not advisable to be a shoplifter and work in a Mall. I'm a Mall worker at Toronto's Eaton Centre and I get the store discounts to prove it. One would think that regular discounts would discourage absconding of merchandise without tendering currency in exchange for goods and services.
I thought that I got away with it until my co-worker noticed a reward sign in the store. They were looking for a middle aged man with what she thought was luxurious hair. But it turned out to be ludicrous hair. While there are a few middle aged men in the Mall with bad haircuts, it does narrow the field somewhat.
My crime was small and went unnoticed. I'm not going to give a full confession here as it may be used against me. Let's just say that I purchased a series of items and one of the smaller items was hidden from the view of the checkout person. It left the store unpaid for. Now I didn't notice the crime until much later and by then the item was already gone. It was too awkward at that time to fess up. I can tell you as a small consultation that the item was less than $3 and I have dropped $hundreds in that store.
Word of my crime has spread in the office. It has increased my street cred. Let's just say that the underwriters in my office are giving me a wide berth in the cafeteria. It reminds one of the bad George Costanza from Seinfeld.
Living in downtown Toronto you hear a lot of police sirens. I have to confess that every time I hear a siren I get a little jumpy. Being a fugitive from justice is not all guts and glory, but you may want to cross to the other side of the street if you see me coming.
My crime was inadvertent. At least that is my story. It is not advisable to be a shoplifter and work in a Mall. I'm a Mall worker at Toronto's Eaton Centre and I get the store discounts to prove it. One would think that regular discounts would discourage absconding of merchandise without tendering currency in exchange for goods and services.
I thought that I got away with it until my co-worker noticed a reward sign in the store. They were looking for a middle aged man with what she thought was luxurious hair. But it turned out to be ludicrous hair. While there are a few middle aged men in the Mall with bad haircuts, it does narrow the field somewhat.
My crime was small and went unnoticed. I'm not going to give a full confession here as it may be used against me. Let's just say that I purchased a series of items and one of the smaller items was hidden from the view of the checkout person. It left the store unpaid for. Now I didn't notice the crime until much later and by then the item was already gone. It was too awkward at that time to fess up. I can tell you as a small consultation that the item was less than $3 and I have dropped $hundreds in that store.
Word of my crime has spread in the office. It has increased my street cred. Let's just say that the underwriters in my office are giving me a wide berth in the cafeteria. It reminds one of the bad George Costanza from Seinfeld.
Living in downtown Toronto you hear a lot of police sirens. I have to confess that every time I hear a siren I get a little jumpy. Being a fugitive from justice is not all guts and glory, but you may want to cross to the other side of the street if you see me coming.
Negative Interest Rates
There is speculation that Canada will be the next country where the central bank sets negative interest rates. This forces reluctant banks to lend money. Right now banks and corporations are sitting on piles of cash.
It bothers me when interest rates are cut by the central bank and my mortgage company the Royal Bank increases mortgage rates. Punishing the good credit clients because they are too scared to lend money. I have been with RBC for 35 years. They have had mortgages, car loans, credit cards and lines of credit with me for decades. I have never defaulted. In fact it would be impossible to default because I have asset backed loans. I'm risk free and they have made a ton of money from me. Not so much as a thank you or "how do you do?" from them.
The Canadian economy is stagnating. The $dollar tanking and oil prices are in free fall. Only the construction and housing markets in Toronto and Vancouver are healthy. If the housing market crashed we might as well hand in our First World papers and join the Third World community of nations.
The biggest mistake I made was conservative investing in the TSX. I believed in Republican dogma and bet on Harper over Obama. It cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars. The NYSE outperformed the TSX by a wide margin. I'm a patient investor and I never panic. I have made tons of money on the panic investing of dummies. The same dim bulbs that sold their stocks after 9/11. Believe in the cyclical nature of the stock markets and invest long term. It is tried and true formula.
I believe in stimulus spending on infrastructure by governments. I don't believe that taxes are an evil thing. After George Bush nearly bankrupted the US economy, Obama's stimulus brought stability to the markets and rescued entire industries. Now America has to lower its spending. Harper tried the opposite, he reigned in spending hellbent on a balanced budget. He provided no stimulus and relied on an oil boom to float the economy. When oil prices collapsed his house of cards tumbled and the Canadian economy is in crisis. Trudeau is about to let the deficit increase with infrastructure spending to stimulate the economy.
There are two sure investments in Canada guaranteed to make you money. Real estate in Vancouver and Toronto. I own a couple of pieces of Toronto real estate. On top of that investment I use one as a domicile for my aching feet.
I have read for the past decade about the imminent collapse of the Toronto housing market. Like clock work you can count on articles on two topics in the national newspapers. One is an article written by a Brian Mulroney flunky that the former PM was misunderstood and the other about the collapse of Toronto real estate.
Toronto real estate will continue to boom. Constant immigration, urban sprawl and longer commute times will keep the money train on the track. In retrospect I should have invested more in real estate and less in the TSX.
It bothers me when interest rates are cut by the central bank and my mortgage company the Royal Bank increases mortgage rates. Punishing the good credit clients because they are too scared to lend money. I have been with RBC for 35 years. They have had mortgages, car loans, credit cards and lines of credit with me for decades. I have never defaulted. In fact it would be impossible to default because I have asset backed loans. I'm risk free and they have made a ton of money from me. Not so much as a thank you or "how do you do?" from them.
The Canadian economy is stagnating. The $dollar tanking and oil prices are in free fall. Only the construction and housing markets in Toronto and Vancouver are healthy. If the housing market crashed we might as well hand in our First World papers and join the Third World community of nations.
The biggest mistake I made was conservative investing in the TSX. I believed in Republican dogma and bet on Harper over Obama. It cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars. The NYSE outperformed the TSX by a wide margin. I'm a patient investor and I never panic. I have made tons of money on the panic investing of dummies. The same dim bulbs that sold their stocks after 9/11. Believe in the cyclical nature of the stock markets and invest long term. It is tried and true formula.
I believe in stimulus spending on infrastructure by governments. I don't believe that taxes are an evil thing. After George Bush nearly bankrupted the US economy, Obama's stimulus brought stability to the markets and rescued entire industries. Now America has to lower its spending. Harper tried the opposite, he reigned in spending hellbent on a balanced budget. He provided no stimulus and relied on an oil boom to float the economy. When oil prices collapsed his house of cards tumbled and the Canadian economy is in crisis. Trudeau is about to let the deficit increase with infrastructure spending to stimulate the economy.
There are two sure investments in Canada guaranteed to make you money. Real estate in Vancouver and Toronto. I own a couple of pieces of Toronto real estate. On top of that investment I use one as a domicile for my aching feet.
I have read for the past decade about the imminent collapse of the Toronto housing market. Like clock work you can count on articles on two topics in the national newspapers. One is an article written by a Brian Mulroney flunky that the former PM was misunderstood and the other about the collapse of Toronto real estate.
Toronto real estate will continue to boom. Constant immigration, urban sprawl and longer commute times will keep the money train on the track. In retrospect I should have invested more in real estate and less in the TSX.
Sunday, 7 February 2016
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