Rational Radical

Lily mentioned one of Rob Ford’s comments re. not wanting to take in any new refugees or immigrants because Toronto can’t afford to take care of the people who are already here. I know that sounds like a racist, ignorant comment. However, the fact is that Canada is known internationally as perhaps the number one place to come illegally because we are far too compassionate to EVERYONE. That is not acceptable to our citizens, to the people who come here PROPERLY, and to the TRUE refugees.

Before we start feeling sorry for the newest round of supposed refugees, at least four of whom are pregnant, we have to look at the facts:

1) The UN has declared that Sri Lankans do not face widespread discrimination, hence they don’t meet the conditions for refugee status a priori. Some INDIVIDUALS may, but not the people as a whole.

2) People who come here ILLEGALLY should NOT receive ANYTHING from us unless there are some extenuating circumstances.

3) Hundreds of thousands of rejected refugees and immigrants are wandering around Canada because of our system.

4) How many people have helped out a homeless or mentally ill person here? How many have helped out a Native/Aboriginal family in distress here? How many have helped out children who are victims of monstrous parents here?

I’m not a non-compassionate person. I do feel terrible for refugees and anyone else who has to endure hardships. But there’s only so much any one person can do, and I believe in watering one’s own garden before one begins to harvest elsewhere. So although Ford’s statement was made in the same bombastic manner as always, contained incorrect/exaggerated facts, and was said poorly so that people could focus on the bad points rather than those that have merit or make sense, I understand his sentiment.

Other countries have re-location policies: “You want to come here? You have to live in this or that place that WE decide.” What’s wrong with that? Even CANADIAN DOCTORS have similar programs, whereby they receive incentives to move to under-services places. But because Canada/Ontario is too weak, we would never think of doing that. What is the end result? Our city, which is already bankrupt and crumbling in all aspects, will be flooded with even more people who take out far more than they give, at least for now.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I know that so many immigrants and refugees are skilled, hardworking people. It’s a travesty that our system drives many of them into jobs that don’t allow them to use their intelligence, ambition, skills or experience. I think we need more language and training programs to accommodate them. But we shouldn’t pretend that ALL newcomers are the same. If you cannot show that you have the POTENTIAL to contribute to your new society, why should we go broke accommodating you? We have to be more discretionary in our selection process so that we do not destroy a system that is already over-burdened. Because when that happens, as it already is, you don’t do ANYONE any favours.

And to be clear, I’ve written about this before: I am disgusted at people who come to Canada and bitch about everything, mock us for being too “simple” in giving them so much, get our “free” education, health care and other social services and then go elsewhere so that other countries benefit from OUR investment, live elsewhere so that another country gets to tax them, defy our laws and not spend enough time in Canada (no one ever checks), then bring in all of their family members–including many elderly people–to leech off even more of our “free” health care and social services. Oh, and let us not forget that these are the very same people who spit in our face and go back to their country to spend most of their time/money–except for their periodic returns to get “free” health care–but as soon as something fucked up happens in their misbegotten country, they scream at Canada, demanding that we spend millions of dollars to bring them here, since they are now “Canadians.”

Does this sound like a xenophobic rant? Sure it does. But I’m not xenophobic. Like most Canadians, my parents were immigrants. The most important people in my life are not Canadian-born. I appreciate the value that immigrants bring to Canada. Many immigrants are harder working than people who were born in Canada.

But none of this changes the fact that Canada, Ontario, and Toronto are all on the verge of disaster. Every expert agrees that our health care system is broken and is failing those who pay for it. Our immigration system is a scandal plagued joke. Our taxes are higher than ever and keep increasing, while our services are decreasing. This is true at all levels of government.

So before we freely let in more people to mess up our system further, let’s try to fix what we have and take care of the citizens, immigrants, refugees, etc. that are currently living here. Let’s not pretend that the emperor’s clothes look smashing. Let’s get politicians and policy makers with the guts and brains to make the right choices for everyone. And when someone is not very articulate but does speak the truth (or at least a somewhat skewed version of it), let’s not ignore his entire message just because he does not know how to communicate well. Of course, if that person truly is a racist or some other bigot, then I do not support him. But I will not dismiss someone simply because they are not politically correct enough.

Although most of this rant is not directly related to Rob Ford, it WAS started by reference to him. So I have to reiterate that I am NOT a fan of the man as a person. I do disagree with a number of his opinions. And he may very well be a bigot, rather than just someone who can’t articulate himself well. Again, if he IS a bigot, I will not support him. But if he’s merely politically incorrect, I will not let that detract from the message underneath, if it’s a message I support.

Okay, I am really torn. Each week, the Star and everyone else who is afraid of a Rob Ford Mayor are attacking the guy. How the fuck does the Toronto City Council get on HIS case for lack of integrity in soliciting PRIVATE funds–i.e., NOT tax dollars–for his charity, when every other councillor wastes TAX DOLLARS on equally questionable things, if not worse. I mean, how was society benefited by Kyle Rae’s $12,000 going away party for himself?  I could go on and on but I’d just get depressed.

In any event, readers of this site know that I’m all about CHARACTER, and Lily has rightfully questioned how I can support a man as lacking in character as Rob Ford is. He has been caught in a number of lies and says stupid things. These are reasons for me to question him.

But today, I had to renew my license stickers and saw the SCAM that is the “Drive Clean Test” that I’m forced to do, as well as the $60/year registration tax. Both of these charges are nothing for me financially, but on principle they stink because they truly are just a tax grab. And my car is quite new yet I’ve had to test it TWICE so far. Yet, I’ve seen many old, disgusting cars driving around for years, so this is obviously a poorly thought out program that is easily defrauded and thus is not helping the planet in any way. Yes, it’s a provincial tax grab but I know that many idiots on the City Council support it because they’re clueless. Again, I’d gladly pay for it if it actually was run properly and could be shown to have a positive effect.  As for the registration tax, that’s all Miller I believe. The registration is $74 and the tax is $60??? How the fuck does that make sense? Do the math.

Anyway, every time I see my money get wasted by any level of government that has a certain mindset and arrogance and entitlement, I look for who embodies different principles. Rob Ford does. Tim Hudak (leader of the provincial Conservatives) does. And I’ve said it many times, beginning YEARS ago before McGuinty lost in his first attempt to defeat Mike Harris: McGuinty has absolutely no principles, no ideals, no ethics, no ideas, and no clues. All he can do is present himself as the “anti-_____” and then change his mind every time he sees an opportunity. And this province is getting it. The question is whether we’re willing to give the Conservatives another chance, in light of the chaos and hatred perpetrated against humanity by the Evil Mike Harris for 2.5 terms. I know that *I* can’t vote for the Conservatives, but neither would I ever vote for McGuinty. Arrrggghhh…

But at least I can vote for Ford, who I know will be open and transparent when it comes to government dealings. And he’ll piss off all those councillors who forgot that they work for us. And I think he’ll get more people interested in city politics than we’ve seen in a long, long time.  For those reasons, I’m going to overlook his faulty character and vote Ford. I feel this is a confession of sorts…I know it’s a rambling diatribe to say the least…

Joy sent me a story that has been bouncing around the city today.

Basically, we’re already getting spiked by the government on Hydro due to mismanagement–look at your bill lately? Look at some of those odd charges–and HST, but now we’re going to pay to subsidize big businesses’ use of electricity. It’s “only” about $50 per year, but the principle sucks. Why not zap all those businesses that keep their lights on and A/C running all night? Calculate what it SHOULD cost them to do business reasonably, then charge them when they go above and beyond that. If a business can’t simply turn off its lights at night, it deserves to be nailed.

Instead, homeowners who are doing everything we can (some of us…my neighbours certainly aren’t) to conserve energy are still getting fucked over. It was just a few months ago that the Ontario government admitted that it lied about the new metres and pricing system saving money. Remember what they claimed? Use electricity at off-peak hours and you’ll SAVE. No, even if you do that and cut down usage by 15-20% on top of that, you’ll STILL see an increase in your bill, BEFORE the HST debacle. But as long as big businesses get a break, we should all be happy…fuckers.

The Portlands Energy Centre in Toronto can generate enough electricity to power approximately 500,000 homes. (STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO)

http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/848684–hydro-hike-looms-with-break-to-industry?bn=1

How many chances does one person deserve? If you know for a FACT that a scumbag is going to repeatedly breach probation and simply walk out of minimum security “prisons,” do something about it! Yes, I know this guy hasn’t murdered anyone…YET. But when you lock someone in a room and ask for sex, you are on the path to some nasty shit. Not to judge a book by its cover or anything, but I think the picture below says it all. The full story is in the COMMENTS section below.

Joshua James Turner, 26, was arrested Saturday for alleged probation violations. (HANDOUT)

First, Toronto City Council ignored its own lawyer’s advice in 2008 and voted to cover two councillors’–Giorgio Mammoliti and Adrian Heaps–legal fees of $74,402 and $64,757, respectively. Now, the city is wasting even more time and money appealing a ruling saying that they were in the wrong. Fuck anyone who voted for this. Find out if your rep voted for this and then vote them out of office. Simple. This City Council is out of control and may be even more corrupt than the folks in Vaughn, which is saying a LOT.

Fuckers–aside from Doug Holyday, who is pressing a motion to get them to pay the money back. Of course Mammoliti and Heaps won’t have to pay a cent, since this IS the most generous trough in Canada. Fuckers.  Oh, and did I mention that City Council is full of tax-stealing fuckers?

I have to admit that I’ve been reading the online version of the Toronto Sun more recently because it covers stories closer to me geographically.  Yeah, the level of writing and analysis is usually quite low, but if it covers a story the other papers aren’t, I’m all for it. The article in the COMMENTS section below should make your blood boil. It is a slap in the face of all GOOD people that an ARGUMENT FOR THE DEATH PENALTY is allowed to walk the streets freely (for periods at a time) so close to the people whose lives he ruined when he murdered an innocent victim. Read on and be disgusted…

Anton Lorenz, left, and Sandra Quigley. (Toronto Sun file photo)

At the bottom of this post is a picture and brief story about an Argument for the Death Penalty. He was in Canada illegally (surprise) and wasted millions of our tax dollars on legal aid as he kept firing his lawyers in a case where he raped and murdered one woman while on bail for raping another woman…Only in Canada, one of the most lenient and ridiculed countries in the world.

However, for every piece of shit like this animal, there are amazingly wonderful people like Brianna Smrke, who received 100% in all eight of her last classes in high school, while volunteering in her spare time! Fuck Paris Hilton and her ilk (okay, too late). Every parent needs to teach their children about this remarkable young woman. KUDOS!  I just wish I could get her picture up here.

The COMMENTS section contains the rest of these STAR stories. I hope as much success for Ms. Smrke–which I know she’ll attain–as I do pain for that savage.

William Imona-Russel, 32, was convicted of first-degree murder Tuesday.