Gravydämmerung: Shooting the messenger
Apr. 24th, 2014 05:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sabotabbyThe Honourable Wife-Beater's latest kerfuffle is an example of why I think more emphasis needs to be placed on his disastrous politics instead of on his little crack hobby or weight.
To summarize the story briefly: Toronto Community Housing Corporation is the body in charge of public housing in Toronto. While frequently unresponsive and even abusive to poor, marginalized tenants—resulting, at least in one case, in the death of an elderly tenant evicted in 2013 under sketchy circumstances—its officials make six-figure incomes and are about as corrupt as you'd imagine. In part of his efforts to stop the gravy train, Ford forced the resignation of its entire board. The current CEO, Gene Jones, is an American who, up until recently, made $271,000 a year and a bunch of really interesting decisions involving hiring and firing, including hiring one of his buddies, creating a position for her, and then immediately raising her salary $30,000. Needless to say, the penny-pinching fiscal conservative Ford just loooooves this guy.
Anyway, the city's ombudsman, Fiona Crean, just released a scathing 111-page report on Jones that would cause the immediate resignation of anyone with an ounce of decency. OMG, did civic oversight just work? There was much rejoicing. I knew we had an ombudsman but didn't actually know anything about her, but this lady is my hero right now.
The Honourable Wife-Beater's response? He called for her head.
This right here—not the crack, not the drunkenness, not the public urination—this is why Ford is a shitbag. Because it's the pattern, not just with him, but with every conservative at every level of government. Preach austerity, hire cronies to waste money, and then try to muzzle anyone—journalists, scientists, ombudsmen—who point out the hypocrisy.
On a related, though less serious note, John Tory's latest is also pretty good. He's going to plant 3.8 million trees, presumably with magical money farted out by unicorns, because he cares sooooo much about the environment, but wants to cancel the proposed Eglinton bike lanes. (I try to have nothing to do with that part of the city, but I do really like the Eglinton Connects plan; it seems completely sensible and even pretty.) So, you know, anyone who votes for him should be aware that we would just be getting Ford, policy-wise, with fewer funny things that get us featured on American talk shows.
To summarize the story briefly: Toronto Community Housing Corporation is the body in charge of public housing in Toronto. While frequently unresponsive and even abusive to poor, marginalized tenants—resulting, at least in one case, in the death of an elderly tenant evicted in 2013 under sketchy circumstances—its officials make six-figure incomes and are about as corrupt as you'd imagine. In part of his efforts to stop the gravy train, Ford forced the resignation of its entire board. The current CEO, Gene Jones, is an American who, up until recently, made $271,000 a year and a bunch of really interesting decisions involving hiring and firing, including hiring one of his buddies, creating a position for her, and then immediately raising her salary $30,000. Needless to say, the penny-pinching fiscal conservative Ford just loooooves this guy.
Anyway, the city's ombudsman, Fiona Crean, just released a scathing 111-page report on Jones that would cause the immediate resignation of anyone with an ounce of decency. OMG, did civic oversight just work? There was much rejoicing. I knew we had an ombudsman but didn't actually know anything about her, but this lady is my hero right now.
The Honourable Wife-Beater's response? He called for her head.
This right here—not the crack, not the drunkenness, not the public urination—this is why Ford is a shitbag. Because it's the pattern, not just with him, but with every conservative at every level of government. Preach austerity, hire cronies to waste money, and then try to muzzle anyone—journalists, scientists, ombudsmen—who point out the hypocrisy.
On a related, though less serious note, John Tory's latest is also pretty good. He's going to plant 3.8 million trees, presumably with magical money farted out by unicorns, because he cares sooooo much about the environment, but wants to cancel the proposed Eglinton bike lanes. (I try to have nothing to do with that part of the city, but I do really like the Eglinton Connects plan; it seems completely sensible and even pretty.) So, you know, anyone who votes for him should be aware that we would just be getting Ford, policy-wise, with fewer funny things that get us featured on American talk shows.
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no subject
Date: 2014-04-24 09:23 pm (UTC)Currently very glad to be living in a country stuffed full of Ombudsmen (indeed, that invented the word), and accountability and oversight bodies and general gravy-train-riding meddlers in the affairs of the elite.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-24 09:28 pm (UTC)I had to look up the word to see if I should refer to her as an ombudswoman (answer: no; it is a gender-neutral word) and was not remotely surprised that the Swedes invented it. Learn something new every day.
And furthermore ...
Date: 2014-04-25 01:04 am (UTC)Fewer funny things and, presumably, a good deal more competence and so, even more destructive consequences. Kind of like how Obama has been an improvement on Bush II as American Expansionist In-Chief.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-25 01:47 am (UTC)Fair point
Date: 2014-04-25 02:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-25 10:56 am (UTC)Fun fact! He approved that ad that mocked Jean Chrétien's facial deformity and managed the 1993 election campaign. You know, the one where the Tories lost more seats than anyone ever.
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Date: 2014-04-25 12:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-25 09:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-25 09:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-26 03:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-26 03:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-26 10:35 pm (UTC)