Jabba the Hutt (AKA the current Mayor of Toronto)

[lip]

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOi2wIUCTnA&feature=related[/url]

[mbg]

Hehe... that lady who goes "he scares me!" is funny. Cheapest woman trick in the book.

[lip]

My favourite part of this rant...

"You slithering snake...you're the one who did it...I know he did it cause he's a weasel...and weasels and snakes belong in the zoo"

Class...pure class

[lip]

[QUOTE=mbg;13238586]Hehe... that lady who goes "he scares me!" is funny. Cheapest woman trick in the book.[/QUOTE]

I like the guy in front of him who has an earpiece in listening to the proceedings...Ford is so loud the guy almost falls out of his chair....hahahahaha

[MrKap]

What was it about?

I try to avoid political alignment, but I can't really see either side pulling ahead.

I mean how many times do people pull threats with "badge numbers" and who brings a paraplegic into a crowd like that?

[video=youtube;u19TXIrCUtI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u19TXIrCUtI[/video]

Maybe the guy is hacking and slashing too much, for sure... but how many of these upset people have legitimate claims?

I am not really following it. But the OPs video is about a cultural budget? I have heard about 10% cuts to police, fire, transit, ect... and the video right here is to homeless shelters, immigration, ect...

Is bipartisan the right word? Maybe it is non-partisan. I think everyone might be getting the short end of the stick? So who has the legitimate claims?

Most importantly, where is all this saved money going?

[Syne]

Rob Ford will have a lot of time to air his grievances when he's.. living..[SIZE="4"] IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!!!![/SIZE]

[lip]

These demonstrations are just for the media to get their point across...nothing is usually acheived other than a bit of media attention.
However, they are not my(our) political leaders and they have more freedom to be a bit loony...however, many of the root issues are valid.

[MrKap]

[QUOTE=lip;13238994]These demonstrations are just for the media to get their point across...nothing is usually acheived other than a bit of media attention.
However, they are not my(our) political leaders and they have more freedom to be a bit loony...however, many of the root issues are valid.[/QUOTE]

What I really meant to ask is, it seems like everybody is facing cuts. They are all valid.

Is there anyone who isn't facing cuts and was the OP video to cultural budgets?

[lip]

[QUOTE=MrKap;13239025]What I really meant to ask is, it seems like everybody is facing cuts. They are all valid.

Is there anyone who isn't facing cuts and was the OP video to cultural budgets?[/QUOTE]

Ford and his allies did a smart move by letting people voice their opinions to cuts...although it was a big joke how it was conducted. They are also quite wise in that they had a third party basically put out a document stating everything could be cut and slashed and make a worst case scenario...this way, when they only cut 1/3 of what KPMG suggested, they won't look so bad...when in reality they are cutting hard and fast. This is the same method that Snobleman (former Mike Harris education minister) used to gut services during the Harris years and this was copied from the right wing southern states US governors...

From my point I don't hate Ford because I disagree with his ideology(which I do), I think the guy is just a complete idiot and embarrassment to this great city. There are many right wing politicians and philosophers in the western world that I have a lot of respect for, I just have no respect for an idiot like Ford. He's making me think Lastman was a great leader in this city (still can't get over a sitting Mayor would have a "square" named after himself...shocking...)...

[stealth]

[QUOTE=lip;13239059]Ford and his allies did a smart move by letting people voice their opinions to cuts...although it was a big joke how it was conducted. They are also quite wise in that they had a third party basically put out a document stating everything could be cut and slashed and make a worst case scenario...this way, when they only cut 1/3 of what KPMG suggested, they won't look so bad...when in reality they are cutting hard and fast. This is the same method that Snobleman (former Mike Harris education minister) used to gut services during the Harris years and this was copied from the right wing southern states US governors...

From my point I don't hate Ford because I disagree with his ideology(which I do), I think the guy is just a complete idiot and embarrassment to this great city. There are many right wing politicians and philosophers in the western world that I have a lot of respect for, I just have no respect for an idiot like Ford. He's making me think Lastman was a great leader in this city (still can't get over a sitting Mayor would have a "square" named after himself...shocking...)...[/QUOTE]

I think thats fair to say, although i would say hes about on par with Lastman, but certainly not making Lastman look like anythign great. the big difference IMO, is Lastman wasnt hounded the way Ford is. But they both essentially created their own gaffes.
Im mostly a libertarian/conservative, and I think Ford could be conducting himself more professionally.
But I'm not toally surprised either...wasnt this the guy that got drunk and beligerent at a Jays game a few yrs ago?
Shame TO couldnt find any mayoral candidates that didnt have skeletons in their closet or at least questionable past behaviours/judgements.

[Piro21]

[QUOTE=MrKap;13239025]What I really meant to ask is, it seems like everybody is facing cuts. They are all valid.

Is there anyone who isn't facing cuts and was the OP video to cultural budgets?[/QUOTE]

The biggest expenses on the budget aren't facing any real cuts, with no actual reasons why. We have too many cops compared to other cities, the highest paid police in the country, and a low crime rate brought on by this city's overall prosperity, yet Ford would rather take stuff away from little kids instead of making a logical budget adjustment.

[url]http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1034315--budget-axe-shouldn-t-spare-police-fire-services-city-manager-says?bn=1[/url]
[quote]Mayor Rob Ford said councillors have to “look under every rock” for savings to eliminate Toronto’s annual deficit, but added: “I want to protect our police . . . that’s at the bottom of the list.”[/quote]

There's a fire station near my house with a truck that zooms off at the drop of a hat, yet there are barely any fires or emergencies worth noting for it to go to. I've seen where it's ended up a few times, and every time the scene is swarming with emergency vehicles from all three branches sitting idle because the situation doesn't warrant the overkill response.

[stealth]

[QUOTE=Piro21;13241253]The biggest expenses on the budget aren't facing any real cuts, with no actual reasons why. We have too many cops compared to other cities, the highest paid police in the country, and a low crime rate brought on by this city's overall prosperity, yet Ford would rather take stuff away from little kids instead of making a logical budget adjustment.

[url]http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1034315--budget-axe-shouldn-t-spare-police-fire-services-city-manager-says?bn=1[/url]


There's a fire station near my house with a truck that zooms off at the drop of a hat, yet there are barely any fires or emergencies worth noting for it to go to. I've seen where it's ended up a few times, and every time the scene is swarming with emergency vehicles from all three branches sitting idle because the situation doesn't warrant the overkill response.[/QUOTE]

Good points, but you have to consider that NOONE is going to have the balls to take on the police. 2 reasons: 1) the union is too powerful 2)the optics are too dangerous. 1 incident like a kid getting shot in a drive by, will have the bleeding hearts (and media) crying that the mayor has blood on his hands because it was all due to the cutbacks to police by the mayor. So effectively, some areas are almost untouchable by budget cuts.
Dont get taken in by the Stars phony display of concern. If he cut police and firedepts instead theyd be lambasting him for compromising public safety while leaving luxuries like swimming pools open. You cant win with this smutrag. Any time funds are re-directed, someones going to be upset. And The Star will be there to capitalize on that negativity.

[konfusion666]

[QUOTE=stealth;13241058]Shame TO couldnt find any mayoral candidates that didnt have skeletons in their closet or at least questionable past behaviours/judgements.[/QUOTE]

Thompson was good.

[Piro21]

[QUOTE=stealth;13241286]Good points, but you have to consider that NOONE is going to have the balls to take on the police. 2 reasons: 1) the union is too powerful 2)the optics are too dangerous. 1 incident like a kid getting shot in a drive by, will have the bleeding hearts (and media) crying that the mayor has blood on his hands because it was all due to the cutbacks to police by the mayor. So effectively, some areas are almost untouchable by budget cuts.
Dont get taken in by the Stars phony display of concern. If he cut police and firedepts instead theyd be lambasting him for compromising public safety while leaving luxuries like swimming pools open. You cant win with this smutrag. Any time funds are re-directed, someones going to be upset. And The Star will be there to capitalize on that negativity.[/QUOTE]

The media is obviously only interested in pandering to the broadest possible audience, just like the politicians, but the arguments are good ones. Places like Manitoba have much higher crime rates due to their economic prospects, yet the media doesn't scream about the crime there because people are used to it. The police union forms an obviously self-interested voting bloc that's all too willing to prey on the public purse, but how many of it's members actually live in Toronto? If Ford was running for mayor of Milton or something then their votes would count for more, so there really is no reason for him to back them as much as he is besides supporting his barbecue buddy Harper's strategy of buying police votes for the conservatives.

He's gutting the city's most essential services in favour of needless overspending on the largest expenses the city has. Whether or not it's because of some personal belief of his or because the higher-ups are pulling his strings, these actions show him to be both a complete failure at being a proper mayor and a proper fiscal conservative. 'Respect for taxpayers' my ***** . Just another useless politician willing to completely **** the public in favour of ******** political ideology.

[stealth]

[QUOTE=konfusion666;13241352]Thompson was good.[/QUOTE]

not good enough so as to not have to defer to Smithers.