bornagainbiking's Political Rant Thread

[vid]

We're further from oil refineries and have less tank farms, so one company often has a monopoly on all the gas sold in a community. All of Thunder Bay's gas, regardless of which gas station you get it from, is Petro-Canada gas.

[Doady]

The problem is that government is subsidizing fares for transit riders, the biggest white elephant in terms of green mumbo jumbo incentives, while the motorists, the people who need the most help these days, not only get no subsidy, they have to pay extra taxes as well. In Ontario, this of course affects rural and Northern Ontario disproportionally; that's what happens when you have a provincial government that cares only about the GTA. But with NDP and PC holding the balance of power now there may be hope, and they already proposed reducing the HST on gas, though it doesn't seem like anything has come of it. Cutting gas taxes and eliminating funding for transit and other useless green programmes, that is the key to alleviating the growing financial burdens upon Ontario families. The government should govern for the vast majority, not for the small minorities of people. Maybe after the next election, with a new government, Ontarians finally see some relief.

[vid]

No, we'll just see taxes shift onto our properties and our earnings while services decline and cities become unlivable.

[Jacob]

Originally Posted by Doady

The problem is that government is subsidizing fares for transit riders, the biggest white elephant in terms of green mumbo jumbo incentives, while the motorists, the people who need the most help these days, not only get no subsidy, they have to pay extra taxes as well. In Ontario, this of course affects rural and Northern Ontario disproportionally; that's what happens when you have a provincial government that cares only about the GTA. But with NDP and PC holding the balance of power now there may be hope, and they already proposed reducing the HST on gas, though it doesn't seem like anything has come of it. Cutting gas taxes and eliminating funding for transit and other useless green programmes, that is the key to alleviating the growing financial burdens upon Ontario families. The government should govern for the vast majority, not for the small minorities of people. Maybe after the next election, with a new government, Ontarians finally see some relief.

Are you stupid? Yes, let's all just drive cars, clogging the roadways and polluting the environment until all the oil is gone. Who needs buses and trains when we can drive our planet to death, all while also sitting in gridlock with all the people who would have otherwise taken transit now adding to the growing traffic problems in Canada's major metropolitan areas. What are the people who can't afford to buy a car going to do? Is the government going to buy cars for them? And maybe we can give the high school students driver's licenses early so they can still get to school.

Of cours, people in rural communities need their cars, so why can't we just give them tax breaks while also promoting use of public transit in cities, so EVERYONE can benefit.

[Doady]

^ Well, it isn't always transit vs auto, it's also transit vs. walking. For example, if you look at the data for transport mode share for work trips, you will see that Toronto is one of the worst metropolitan areas in Canada in terms of walking mode share, yet the transit mode share is the highest in Canada.

The reason that people in the Toronto CMA use transit so much is because they can't walk anywhere. Outside of downtown, Toronto is not at all walkable, and so people must use transit to get around. It makes more sense to make suburban Toronto walkable to allow suburbanites to walk to their destination instead of wasting money on slow, overcrowded suburban bus routes with 3 minute frequency.

Bus routes with 3 minutes frequency, LRT, subways - these are expensive, and it is the fault of the planners. If planners in the GTA and other Ontario cities weren't so incompetent, the province wouldn't have to subsidize billions of dollars worth of transit to make up for their mistakes. The key is for cities in Ontario to develop in a pedestrian-friendly way, and then drivers wouldn't have that double burden of car/gas costs plus paying extra taxes to fund transit. Win-win for both pedestrians and drivers, rural and urban.

[Jacob]

I see where you're coming from, but no one is willing to walk more than 5 kilometers to work. If they must go further than that they need transit. The problem is, the GTA is very suburban metropolitan area, had it been made more dense, thus covering less area, there would be less need for transit. The real problem with transit however, is when it is provided, but not used, as such is the case here in Windsor.

[vid]

The issue isn't that the GTA isn't dense enough, it's that it isn't mixed use enough. Too many people live too far from jobs.

[toaster]

Originally Posted by Doady

If planners in the GTA and other Ontario cities weren't so incompetent, the province wouldn't have to subsidize billions of dollars worth of transit to make up for their mistakes. The key is for cities in Ontario to develop in a pedestrian-friendly way, and then drivers wouldn't have that double burden of car/gas costs plus paying extra taxes to fund transit. Win-win for both pedestrians and drivers, rural and urban.

Really, though. You expect someone in Sudbury, or even Ottawa to walk through the horrid winter storms in January. I don't think any kind of planning could stop people from driving, or taking the "billion dollar" transit options to get even a few blocks away in our Ontario winter conditions. It's just the way it is. It's also why many transit systems in Ontario have reduced service in the summer, the other reason, of course, being student ridership.

[vid]

In the summer I'll walk a mile to the grocery store. In the winter, I take the bus 8 blocks to the library.

[bornagainbiking]

Sounds a bit harsh?
According to a bulletin issued to members of the Hamilton-Wentworth unit of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, non-compliant teachers may be fined up to $500 a day, have their name published in a union publication or have federation services or their right to hold office suspended.

Teachers are also instructed to contact local union officials if they’re aware of a colleague who’s not toeing the line.

How will they collect the fines? Just wondering. Also rat off a peer, good way to make an enemy.
This is going to get real UGLY.

[vid]

Scabbing (working while your coworkers are on strike, thus subverting their efforts) is also a good way to make enemies, though.

Even worse is telling someone you'll follow a legal agreement and then ignoring that legal agreement to impose your own policies, but then, Ontario is a Canadian government, so this shouldn't really surprise anyone. Breaking legal contracts is one of the only things our governments are good at these days.

[waterloowarrior]

they may not be able to enforce this http://www.wellandtribune.ca/2012/12...to-union-fines

[eternallyme]

They need to make a strict rule: if they go on strike, they get fired and replaced.

[vid]

Replaced by who?

[bornagainbiking]

Oddly enough the air traffic controllers in the states thought the same way.
There are a heck of a lot of part-time new teachers who would love a full time job with benefits.
Maybe we can import some from Greece?
EAs are just that.
This will get interesting and expensive and the lawyers will make a killing. Bet they are glad they supported the current regime to get in.

[wolfewood]

Jesus... only teachers can be beloved by all when they take our brats off our hands for a few hours everyday only to be called greedy when they have the nerve not to ask not to receive a pay cut and the right to bargain collectively.

[bornagainbiking]

Teachers appealed to the public Saturday to help them fight for collective bargaining rights at an underwhelming rally.

Fewer than 200 teachers, other school workers, activists and union supporters came to city hall at 10 a.m. Saturday to stress that their fight with the provincial government is about more than wages, pensions and sick days.

Great turnout! Why should the public get involved when there are more than 200 teachers and other staff in the GTA or in this case Hamilton, Niagara and Halton.

As for taking the brats off our hands, it's the law and they are paid a tidy sum plus other perks. Banked sick time is not a right. Very very very few jobs have this gift in their CA. Toronto city workers lost it about 4 yrs ago.

[wolfewood]

And everyone who bitches about "Oh I lost this!" and "Why don't I get that? They shouldn't!" can enjoy their race to the bottom.

I'm not getting into an argument but if you want your kids well educated and taught by well-strung educators, pay for good salaries and a good education budget. If you don't, save me the trouble and move to the States.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by wolfewood

Jesus... only teachers can be beloved by all when they take our brats off our hands for a few hours everyday only to be called greedy when they have the nerve not to ask not to receive a pay cut and the right to bargain collectively.

you said it.

[eternallyme]

Illegal strike coming by elementary teachers in Ontario public schools on Friday. This is getting out of hand...we need a new government and the union needs to get lost...a small number of radicals are running the entire movement now!