Miller gives up

I must admit, I didn't see it coming. I though David Miller had a little more fight in him - and would have made a campaign out of things in the next municipal election.

However, in the end, a mayoralty that began with deception is coming to a close with one. Of course, there has been much lying in between.

The lie that started it all was the motivation behind stopping the bridge to the Toronto City Center Airport. Miller definitely had his eyes on getting the feds to cough up the land to the city for free - despite his claim that he wanted the airport to remain sleepy and little.

In reality, Miller tried to choke the airport from getting paying traffic, or funds from Ottawa. Recall Globe columnist John Barber's caterwauling over Ottawa subsidies to the airport. (We can all be grateful that Barber is off the city beat - and for the most seems to have disappeared altogether.) It's not as if Ottawa doesn't subsidize transportation agencies!

In the mean time, the city was trying to stiff the airport with a massive tax bill.

Why can't the Millerites be honest? Miller could have easily sat down with the feds and worked out a price for the airport land. His strategy was built on an obvious lie - and the feds figured out his game pretty quick. There aren't too many willing dupes around.

Now Miller begins a long mayoral swan song. I'd like to give Miller the benefit of the doubt and believe that his decision was family related. However, this strains credulity. If Miller were enjoying public adulation and the polls that would go along with it, he'd be running for re-election in a heartbeat.

Iggy visits RIM - and just doesnt get it

Michael Ignatieff - now leader of the Liberal Party of Canada for three-quarters of a year or so - is beginning to show it.

Show what you might ask? Well the early onset dementia that has struck the likes of Ken Dryden and John McCallum.

Iggy toured Research in Motion (RIM) earlier this week.

RIM is the maker of the Blackberry line of smartphones. The company was initially funded by private venture capital - before offering shares to the public.

So what does Iggy have to offer after the visit - the old ideas of big government and intervention. As reported by Terence Corcoran in the Financial Post (see enclosure link)

"On Tuesday, after a visit to the Waterloo headquarters of Research In Motion (RIM), he explicitly revived the old slogans of Canadian economic nationalism, berating the Harper Tories for failing to rescue Nortel and allowing vital Nortel technology to be sold to foreigners."

How can an intelligent man tour what has been billed as the "world's fasted growing company" - one that has succeeded independent of government, and on the merits of it's people and products - and yet come up with nothing more than the worst of his party's failed old ideas.

Governments have never succeeded at information technology. Iggy should read George Gilder's account of the founding of Micron Technology. Trouble is, being in the LPC saps the old axons. I'm not sure Iggy could comprehend anymore.

Streetcar kills cyclist

Will all the hullabaloo about Michael Bryant, the fact that another Toronto cyclist has died - at the 'hands' (er I guess - at the wheels) of a TTC streetcar - has not attracted much attention. The Star didn't bother to cover this - at least there is nothing showing on its website. However, it did make the reputable news sources - such as 680 News and The National Post.

The cyclist died on Spadina. He apparently turned into the path of the streetcar that was coming through on its own phase. The implementation of the 'LRT' on Spadina is a proven disaster. It has a further drawback of being confusing for other users of the road. No doubt, the 66 year old man just didn't understand the signal system.

So - guess what. The TTC is setting up the same thing on St. Clair West - and in the proposed 'Transit City' lines. There are going to be more deaths - needless deaths. The streetcars really aren't to blame. Let's hold the LRT dogmatists to account.

Innies and Outies

If you watched the German film The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) from 2006, you'll have an inkling of of the cruel way a socialist state divides society between the 'ins' and the 'outs'.

Now this is happening in own our socialist state: The City of Toronto. In the aftermath of the civic strike earlier summer, known communist John Cartwright and his so-called Toronto and York Region Labour Council, left mayor David Miller off the invitation list for reviewing this year's labour day parade. In addition, he dis-invited a number of councillors who voted against the negotiated agreement.

This is the way of the world under socialism. Being right or wrong, be talented or untalented, voting your conscience make no difference. Everything is driven by who you know and haven't pissed off.

Mayor Miller crashed the event. In some ways, he is due credit for standing up to these bullies. On the other hand, a better idea would be to revoke the parade permit next year and put on something that is more inclusive.

Bryant video sheds more info

Looks like there was a straightforward reason that Michael Bryant was driving on the wrong side of the road - there was a construction crew blocking the road.

Now, the city does need to rebuild each roadway periodically - but there is no sane reason that Bloor has to be such a mess, and for that matter, for such an extended period.

Could this be just another Millerite schemes to purposely block traffic? If so, is it Harvard grad David Miller to blame for the death rather that Harvard-man Bryant?

The biggest scandal appears to be that the deceased was wanted on scores of charges in Alberta. Yet the police let him go on his not-so-merry drunken way? What do the Toronto police do these days anyway?

Tragedy on Bloor

I'm not a big fan of Michael Bryant - he being a former cog in the 'What haven't we banned yet' McGuinty government. Just so he could be in the game, Bryant decided to ban pit bull dogs. Wow - I feel so much safer.

From all reports, it seems that Bryant just lost it. However, just put yourself in his shoes.

You're driving with your wife when an intoxicated cyclist decides to pick a fight with you - and grabs onto your headrest and wont let go. How would you react? I'm not sure.

Unfortunately, in Hogtown, this scenario is all too likely. For the most part, we no longer suffer the squeegee kid curse to the same degree. However, all the squeegee kids from years back seem to have graduated to being belligerent, angry, law-breaking bicycle couriers.

I'm quite an avid cyclist. I must say, only about 20% of the 'good' cyclists obey any type of traffic law. The average bicycle courier is far worse.

Now where is Howard Moscoe to help us out by regulating these vagabonds?

More on green bin muck

Fresh off launching a libel suit against The Toronto Star, the city is "re-introducing" it's green bin program. OK - technically, it's a city official who is suing the paper. If you believe that, maybe you'd like to buy some investments from Bernie Madoff?

Our cash-strapped municipality has sprung for full-page ads in local papers. For example, see The Mirror dated August 28th.

So the city needs to reintroduce the bins? I don't think most people need that - there are plenty of odorous reminders. Strike or no strike, things can get pretty stinky in Hogtown towards garbage day - given a little heat and a paucity of breeze.

The ads remind people what items should not be placed in the green bins. Among these are:

- dead animals,
- carpets, and
- clothing

hmm - someone must have gone to a fair bit of effort to fit a carpet of any size in a green bin.

Now - dead animals - why not? They are completely organic.