bornagainbiking's Political Rant Thread

[vid]

Northern Ontario already receives far more transportation funding than Southern Ontario, though. If the per capita amount of funding for provincial highways was the same in Southern Ontario as it is in Northern Ontario, the province would be spending half a billion dollars on highways. Per year.

[eternallyme]

The most common argument I am reading is that there should be no new taxes - there would be plenty of money if it weren't for Liberal scandals like eHealth, Ornge, OLG, the Green Energy Act and the gas plants...

[bornagainbiking]

Amen!!!

Just imagine all that money could a heck of a lot of Tarmac. Or a new express rail system

[Jacob]

The new taxes, etc. should only fund the region they are introduced to, not all of Ontario funding the GTA. If people in Windsor are paying new taxes and tolls to fund transit, why should that money go to build a new subway in Toronto while Transit Windsor is left to rot with its 30 year old buses?

[Innsertnamehere]

The Libs have specified that they would only be for the GTHA, so no worries for the rest of ontario. I expect the following municipalities will be included:

Oshawa
Whitby
Ajax
Pickering
Toronto
Richmond Hill
Markham
Vaughn
King city
Aurora
Newmarket
Brampton
Mississauga
Milton
Oakville
Burlington
Hamilton

If you aren't in those municipalities, its unlikely you will be subject to the new taxes.

And I also don't expect road tolls to be a part of it either, they take a huge upfront cost to implement, meaning that funding for actual transit would likely not be able to be obtained for up to 5 years after road tolls are approved, because they have to construct the infrastructure, then pay off e construction costs. I think a sales tax and new gas tax are much more likely.

[Jacob]

that's good, but i wouldn't mind a little investment in Mass Transit here in Windsor.

[bornagainbiking]

Over the last couple years there have been several very costly scandals. This has to stop. Maybe if we focused less on the public display of cigarettes or all day kindergarten and focused on the high level of theft. Right under our noses. Supposedly while being monitored. ONGE, the power plants and ehealth, this is just the current ones and there has been many over the years under different party's.
this has to stop.
I see these huge numbers announced and we are being desensitized. Maybe we have to think of our future and our offspring, they need jobs!
If this money was put towards training and spent wisely as too much money thrown at a problem too fast, will just lead to a separate scandal. Or administrative fees.
Can you imagine how many decent paying jobs this would create and they would pay taxes. I did some quick math and the last $275 million power plant audit would be 5500 $50,000 a year jobs,
Just think of how all this coin could have helped out aging infrastructure.
Oh did Immention the green initiative and that cost.
We are not driving down a road of prosperity.

[vid]

Why can't politics be not like politics?

God. I wish my car wasn't so car like and was more like a couch or a fridge or something, you know, useful stuff. We spend too much time listening to music and not enough animals are domesticated. My spoon is too big!

[Jacob]

and i wish flying cacti would stop staring at me on my way to the bus stop every morning.

I also did some math and i really can't see how my pet cat can afford to buy another monster truck.

Now i'm going to go cut down a tree before i'm accused of being involved in a green "Scandal"

[vid]

Were it possible to do so, I would like your post.

[bornagainbiking]

Another critical hurdle!
Will there be a non-confidence vote over the true cost of the power plant issue?
The news this morning is indicating some displeasure.

[eternallyme]

The problem all parties have is that their gains will have to come at the expense of somewhere else. The path to a sustained Liberal majority can only come by solidifying the GTA, including in the inner city, probably at NDP expense. The few non-Liberal urban seats need to also swing their way.

Northern Ontario appears lost, so at least 3 to 5 seats will likely be gone no matter what. The NDP looks to have the upper hand, but the PC's might have an opportunity to enter uncharted territory if they play their cards right and stick to cultural politics.

Rural and small-town Ontario looks rock-solid for the PC's, but to try too hard in urban areas could weaken their standing there (look at John Tory) and run the risk of a Wildrose-like splinter.

How each party can win?

Liberal majority - Only reasonable path at this point looks to be by gaining back the inner city (not easy) from the NDP (like Parkdale-High Park and the Hamilton seats), while preventing any leakage of suburban seats to the PC's or NDP and try to pick up a few that they managed to snare away (like Thornhill and Newmarket-Aurora). Rural and northern Ontario look to be out of their reach. (Likelihood ranking: 3rd)

Liberal minority - To remain in a minority position, minimize losses to the NDP in urban seats. Pickup opportunities would be slim in that situation anyway. Rural and northern Ontario mean nothing to them to get this far, so they can fall below deposit level without any damage done if a minority is good enough. (Likelihood ranking: 1st)

PC majority - Difficult on their own to say the least. Most likely they will need help from the NDP to split the vote in the 905 area (and even a few Toronto seats could fall their way as a result) and win them with 35-45% of the vote, while maintaining their stranglehold on rural Ontario. Trying too hard to win urban voters could result in alienating their rural base, resulting in a Wildrose-like splinter. Breaking into Northern Ontario would make their life easier, which is not a normal tactic but would be culturally more receptive. (Likelihood ranking: 4th)

PC minority - They could probably win a minority by winning the few remaining rural or semi-rural seats (i.e. Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, Essex) and by reaching at the edges of the 905 without going too far. Some help from the NDP might even get them to a minority with few gains. But they would never get much done in a minority position... (Likelihood ranking: 2nd)

NDP government - Who knows? There are no obvious paths to such, but they do have lots of potential in a protest situation. The easiest route would be to shut the Liberals down, without letting the PC's make up ground in the suburbs. But they would need to win seats with absolute majorities in most cases (or close to), and that runs the risk of splitting votes. For Horwath to be Premier, she would need to decimate the Liberals most likely. (Likelihood ranking: 5th)

[Jacob]

NO! i want it in 2014 so that i can vote

[SteelTown]

Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals jump into first-place tie with Tories: poll

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2...ries_poll.html

Premier Kathleen Wynne’s minority Liberals have jumped into a first-place tie with Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives at the expense of Andrea Horwath’s New Democrats, a new poll has found.

The Liberals and Conservatives are each at 36 per cent while the NDP has slipped further behind to 24 per cent, with Mike Schreiner’s Green Party at 4 per cent, according to the Forum Research survey for the Star.

............

Because of voting concentration, Bozinoff calculates that if the poll results held up, the Liberals would win a majority of 59 seats in the 107-member legislature while the Tories would win 38 and the NDP, 10.

Including Speaker Dave Levac, the Liberals currently hold 51 seats, the Tories 36 and the NDP 18, and there are two vacancies.

This latest poll reveals that Wynne’s left-leaning Liberals are continuing to siphon support mostly from Horwath’s New Democrats. Since taking over from former premier Dalton McGuinty in February, she has been slowly reversing the Liberals’ fortunes.

[vid]

I wouldn't be surprised. Hudak is a mildly retarded gaffenik and it seems some of his negativity has been rubbing off on Horwath lately.

[bornagainbiking]

So how much will be used to buy support? As for the Green initiative, maybe one person vehicles could use the HOV lanes for a price. So if you can afford it forget about GREEN, you can buy your way in.
Car insurance rates should have been looked at years ago, for the sake of the tax paying consumers. Fleeced and allowed to do it.
Stay tuned for this afternoon.

[Jacob]

^I don't like the idea of paying to use HOV lanes, they are a carpooling initiative and a way to move buses faster in some places, not a rich people express lane.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by Jacob

^I don't like the idea of paying to use HOV lanes, they are a carpooling initiative and a way to move buses faster in some places, not a rich people express lane.

Why not convert the entire 401 Express Lanes to HOT?

[vid]

Originally Posted by bornagainbiking

Car insurance rates should have been looked at years ago, for the sake of the tax paying consumers. Fleeced and allowed to do it.

Government forcing private business to charge less than it thinks is fair? I believe that is called "communism", you commie!!!!

[bornagainbiking]

Easy bud. Maybe a bit of proper decorum. We may not agree or ever agree on anything, but I did my time defending my country and the right of free speech. So maintain your views but limit the name calling. respect! SVP.