rob ford removed from office

[Phil C. McNasty]

I noticed politics have become much more toxic since the advent of the internet.

And I mean, much, MUCH more toxic!!

 

[GameBoy27]

Yup, its really great that Ford is volunteering his time to show people his knowledge of athleticism.
I'm sure they'll learn a lot, say, how to chase reporters.
Fumbling your own hand off and how to alienate your whole team.

In fact, I think its really great news that he can now devote himself full time to his charity work instead of stiffing the taxpayers who were paying his football time, transportation and support staff.

I wish him all the success on his new career.
May he never set foot in city hall again.

This is what I was talking about. Someone who tries, someone has to deal with people like you, who picks on the little things instead of looking at the big picture. Sure, Ford volunteers to help his football team but at the same time:

But of the 1,382 votes in 2009 and 2010 that were recorded, Miller missed 41.8 per cent, close to three times the percentage missed by Ford this term to date.

What the hell was Miller doing? Trying to figure out how to increase taxes? Look that up and get back to me. I'll wait for your reply.

 

[Thousand]

MattRoxx, Rob Ford just spoke the obvious. I have many cyclists friends and they all know the danger of riding their bicycle on the road. It is just common sense.

 

[GameBoy27]

If his mind is that when a bike commuter is killed "it`s their own fault at the end of the day" , then he can go eat a bag of fuck.

I think he was referring about instances like this.

https://terb.cc/vbulletin/showthread.php?410088-Another-Cyclist-Murdered

 

[frankcastle]

If he doesn't understand what conflict of interest is he doesn't deserve to be mayor.

If he gets caught for conflict of interest he doesn't deserve to be a politician.

I think he's an ass but that's just my opinion.

If I have to just look at his actions I'd have to say he's an idiot if he can't schedule meetings around his football games instead of missing them.

Attending meetings and respecting the concept of conflict of interest are key ..... but what do you expect from a guy who in his personal life carries himself like he is bigger than he really is (swearing at 911 operators, call three buses to pick up his team, driving while using a phone etc, snubbing gay and asian constituents)

 

[frankcastle]

This is what I was talking about. Someone who tries, someone has to deal with people like you, who picks on the little things instead of looking at the big picture. Sure, Ford volunteers to help his football team but at the same time:

What the hell was Miller doing? Trying to figure out how to increase taxes? Look that up and get back to me. I'll wait for your reply.

Just because an idiot is smarter than the last guy doesn't make him smart. Just means both are dumb.

 

[GameBoy27]

Just because an idiot is smarter than the last guy doesn't make him smart. Just means both are dumb.

OMG did you just say that? lol

 

[msog87]

rob ford could have easily solicited funds in secret and given political favours to donors without anyone finding out, which is what typical politicians do. ford did everything out in the open he had nothing to hide. this whole thing is so stupid and the left wing activist who started this whole thing that could end up costing taxpayers millions in the end looks like a total douche.

 

[massman]

Issues here are not left vs right. This "mayor" has a continuous track record of embarrassing behaviour, disregarding rules as "impediments" to him doing what he knows is right, using his influence as mayor inappropriately, and generally being an unintelligent one slogan buffoon. How he got elected is a mystery, and he makes GWB look like the most capable intelligent political mind of the century. My voting usually leans just barely left of centre, but I do recognize that there are times when a more conservative approach is necessary, and at the last election this was what Toronto needed. Unfortunately ford wasn't the man to do it. His stupidity and arrogance have been his undoing and if I'd voted for him I would be outraged that this is how he thinks the mayor should act. His refrain of "pinko conspiracy" shows what a simpleton he is, and proves beyond a doubt why he should not be in office, he doesn't think he did anything wrong in an OBVIOUS conflict of interest, or he doesn't understand what a conflict of interest is. Either is idiotic.

 

[GameBoy27]

rob ford could have easily solicited funds in secret and given political favours to donors without anyone finding out, which is what typical politicians do. ford did everything out in the open he had nothing to hide. this whole thing is so stupid and the left wing activist who started this whole thing that could end up costing taxpayers millions in the end looks like a total douche.

Yeah, that's exactly what so many Councillors have done in the past. Here's a couple examples, although not "technically" a conflict of interest, both Adam Giambrone and Kyle Rae are typical examples of Councillor's doing far worse than the Mayor did.

http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/08/02/14902491.html

 

[Thousand]

there isn't really a conflict of interest here. He did not personally benefited from the money. The money went to students, which is for a good cause. Would you prefer the money to go to a "consultant"?

 

[Manji]

rob ford could have easily solicited funds in secret and given political favours to donors without anyone finding out, which is what typical politicians do. ford did everything out in the open he had nothing to hide. this whole thing is so stupid and the left wing activist who started this whole thing that could end up costing taxpayers millions in the end looks like a total douche.

What makes you think he doesn't solicit funds in secret as well?

Ford is definitely a shady character...

Ford hired a former Argo to be an aide on his staff on the taxpayer's dime but really he was hired to help coach his football team...
Now that's gravy.....

 

[Fred Zed]

Rob Ford's appeal can easily last until the end of his term as mayor.

This is the most likely scenario, meaning Rob will be mayor until the end of his term.
The upside of this is Toronto politics will be quite entertaining for the remainder of Mayor Ford's term.

 

[Thousand]

Injustice!!!

 

[GameBoy27]

Issues here are not left vs right. This "mayor" has a continuous track record of embarrassing behaviour, disregarding rules as "impediments" to him doing what he knows is right, using his influence as mayor inappropriately, and generally being an unintelligent one slogan buffoon. How he got elected is a mystery, and he makes GWB look like the most capable intelligent political mind of the century. My voting usually leans just barely left of centre, but I do recognize that there are times when a more conservative approach is necessary, and at the last election this was what Toronto needed. Unfortunately ford wasn't the man to do it. His stupidity and arrogance have been his undoing and if I'd voted for him I would be outraged that this is how he thinks the mayor should act. His refrain of "pinko conspiracy" shows what a simpleton he is, and proves beyond a doubt why he should not be in office, he doesn't think he did anything wrong in an OBVIOUS conflict of interest, or he doesn't understand what a conflict of interest is. Either is idiotic.

I love the fact that you're so happy that as long as any politician doesn't have a track record of embarrassing behaviour regardless of how much they increase taxes and government spending then they're okay. I'm sure you have no problem with Ornge, eHealth, a billion lost on moving power plants etc.

And how did Ford get elected? Simple, people tired of smooth talking politicians who continue to raise taxes, waste money and increase debt. The people who voted for him are smart with their money and expect their elected officials to be the same with their money. They know it doesn't make sense to carry a lot of debt and waste money on interest. They don't like needless spending and want their politicians to respect their tax dollars. Not piss it away like so many have in the past.

 

[GameBoy27]

What makes you think he doesn't solicit funds in secret as well?

Ford is definitely a shady character...

Ford hired a former Argo to be an aide on his staff on the taxpayer's dime but really he was hired to help coach his football team...
Now that's gravy.....

You want gravy? Guess you're not aware of all the shit that went on under Miller's watch.

http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/08/02/14902491.html

Aside from newsletter printing costs for some Councillors, Councillor Kyle Rae's goodbye party tipped the spending scales in new office budget spending.

Receipts for Rae's retirement bash at the Rosewater Supper Club confirm he wasn't kidding when he told the Sun the party would cost more than $12,000.

The longtime Councillor's farewell party pulled $12,706.74 out of his taxpayer-funded office budget including $9,000 for hors d'oeuvres and food stations at the Rosewater, $1,119 for A/V equipment and a 15% gratuity of $1,350.

Boy, what a field day you'd have if Ford ever did that eh?

 

[msog87]

What makes you think he doesn't solicit funds in secret as well?

Ford is definitely a shady character...

Ford hired a former Argo to be an aide on his staff on the taxpayer's dime but really he was hired to help coach his football team...
Now that's gravy.....

my point is if ford was doing anything corrupt in this specific instance he would have kept it hidden. he made the simple mistake of using that letterhead and his enemies exploited it.

 

[GameBoy27]

my point is if ford was doing anything corrupt in this specific instance he would have kept it hidden. he made the simple mistake of using that letterhead and his enemies exploited it.

I agree with your point but he should have known better. He brought it on himself. That said, I think the Judge should have another option, like a fine etc. This is not the type of thing a Mayor should get turfed over, whether I like him or not. Kind of like getting a speeding ticket for 3 km/h over and losing your licence for a few years. Hey, you were speeding!

Rob Ford isn't smart enough to scam and abuse the taxpayers like so many others are. We should be happy about that.

 

[MattRoxx]

You've got to be kidding

And how did Ford get elected? Simple, people tired of smooth talking politicians who continue to raise taxes, waste money and increase debt. The people who voted for him are smart with their money and expect their elected officials to be the same with their money. They know it doesn't make sense to carry a lot of debt and waste money on interest. They don't like needless spending and want their politicians to respect their tax dollars. Not piss it away like so many have in the past.

Ford got elected by duping enough people into believing he could pay for new subway lines without raising taxes. And apparently all it took for some voters was a $60 bribe. He also said he could lower taxes by getting rid of "gravy" without cutting services, another Big Lie.
See, I think those who were tricked into voting for Ford should be mad at him, not defending him. He lied about everything, he lied during testimony, and he continues to be a spoiled elitist who doesn't care about anyone or anything beyond his own driveway.
He even lied about The Sun and threw them under the bus in an attempt to excuse his own mendacity.
Oh someone's summed it up quite nicely here:

http://torontoist.com/2011/07/ford_thing/Ten Things About Rob Ford[/b]
1
Toronto faces real budget challenges, but we are not in the midst of a budgetary crisis. Our credit rating is strong; our debt level is reasonable relative to the value of our assets; and the opening pressure on our budget, while substantial, is no larger than in previous years—when we dealt with that pressure without resorting to wholesale service cuts.

2
Yes, Rob Ford broke campaign promises. He said “no service cuts, guaranteed” and then “no major service cuts,” and then “no service cuts in 2011,” and now “these are not service cuts but efficiencies.” This is meaningless babble. Ford campaigned on a platform whose major plank was that we could reduce the size of our budget and its impact on our tax bills without losing services. There is no reasonable interpretation of the words “efficiency” or “service” under which that claim is true.

3
It was naïve to believe Rob Ford when he made those promises. Ford was not, when he hit the mayoral campaign trail, an unknown quantity. A veteran councillor, we had years of voting records to refer to which demonstrated his views more clearly than his campaign slogans did or could. Ford voted, year after year, against all grants to community organizations. He voted, year after year, against service expansions and transit projects and… just about everything. It’s wrong for a candidate to campaign on falsehoods; it is also naïve—at best wishful thinking, at worst willful blindness—of voters to believe campaign promises that fly in the face of a candidate’s record in public office. It is nothing short of pitiful that the candidates who ran against Ford were unable to use his record against him decisively. He is at fault for breaking his word. We are at fault to the extent that we believed him in the first place.
...
8
The above statements are true whether or not you think they applied to David Miller’s administration. They describe real problems whether or not they applied to David Miller’s administration. And two wrongs don’t make a right.

ps Remember the Porltands plan with monorails and ferris wheels? LOL.

And if that source is too "lefty", the Globe and Mail's Marcus Gee analyses and explains Ford's self-inflicted downfall

The judge, Charles Hackland of the Ontario Superior Court, found that the mayor showed a “stubborn sense of entitlement” about his football charity and “willful blindness” about the conflict-of-interest rules.

Those two phrases neatly sum up the flaws of this mayor. Mr. Ford won election in October, 2010, on a wave of anger at waste and mismanagement at city hall. If he had conducted himself with a minimum of care and restraint, he might have been a successful leader of Canada’s biggest city. The public, by and large, were behind his drive for a more frugal, more customer-friendly government. Many voters liked his regular-guy persona, too.

What they missed was a dangerous strain of arrogance. This was the mayor who called senior civil servants to his office to demand paving and other repairs outside his family business in Etobicoke. This is the mayor who used publicly paid workers in his office to help coach his high-school football team. This is the mayor who called the head of the Toronto Transit Commission to complain about a late bus that had been pulled out of service to pick up his football players. And this is the mayor who wanted the city’s accountability officers reformed out of existence when some of them questioned his conduct and policies.

Here was a guy who ran as a man of the people but acted as if he were above the limits that apply to ordinary mortals. For Rob Ford, the rules were always for somebody else. Nowhere was that clearer than in the case that led to Monday’s damning court judgment. While he was still a lowly member of city council, a position he held for a full decade, the city’s Integrity Commissioner found that he had used his status as councillor to solicit funds for his private football charity. Among the donors he approached were lobbyists and a company that does business with the city. The commissioner found that seven lobbyists or clients of lobbyists who had donated to the football charity had either lobbied Mr. Ford or registered an intent to lobby him.

 

[massman]

I love the fact that you're so happy that as long as any politician doesn't have a track record of embarrassing behaviour regardless of how much they increase taxes and government spending then they're okay. I'm sure you have no problem with Ornge, eHealth, a billion lost on moving power plants etc.

And how did Ford get elected? Simple, people tired of smooth talking politicians who continue to raise taxes, waste money and increase debt. The people who voted for him are smart with their money and expect their elected officials to be the same with their money. They know it doesn't make sense to carry a lot of debt and waste money on interest. They don't like needless spending and want their politicians to respect their tax dollars. Not piss it away like so many have in the past.

Actually I didn't say I would be happy with any of those things. You are starting to sound like a GWB wannabe "either you're with us, or aginnus"
My point is, regardless of your political leaning, anyone who wants to be a political leader MUST be 1) fit to represent their voters 2) intelligent enough to know the issues, and how to deal with them beyond "we're taxed too much, and it's all you lefties' fault" and 3) know the rules and play by them.

If you read carefully you would see that at the time of the last election I thought that TO government needed to swing right. The problem is Ford was probably the worst person to do it. Not only is he incompetent, he is unstable, egomaniacal, and thinks that "because I'm mayor, I can do whatever TF I want" without repercussion.