Oct 10
6
Will Toronto elect an anti-socialist mayor?
The Globe & Mail – October 5, 2010
Two and a half cheers for Rob Ford
By Margaret Wente
Sometimes, I think only a moron could vote for Rob Ford as mayor of Toronto. And sometimes, I think I might vote for him myself – especially when I recall the wretched fate of Bridgette Pinder. Ms. Pinder had the bad luck to be selected by the city as one of eight entrepreneurs to launch the Toronto a la Cart program, a plan to broaden the variety of street food beyond hot dogs and sausages. Simple. Cities license vendors all the time. But this is Toronto, where the intrusive nanny state has reached unparalleled heights. Ms. Pinder’s jerk chicken and roti had to pass inspection by armies of bureaucrats for its nutritional value, tastiness, safety and contribution to ethnic diversity. Then she was made to buy a portable food cart specially built for the city. It was massively overpriced, and it wasn’t even portable. Two years later, Ms. Pinder is bitter and broke, and hungry citizens are still stuck with hot dogs.
Rob Ford would never stand for this. And that’s why, despite the horror of my friends, Rob Ford is still leading in the polls. The large and solid Mr. Ford has all the flair, intellect and vision of a block of concrete. He’s also the only candidate who seems to get what’s wrong at City Hall. And that’s what horrifies me.
For the most part, Toronto is a remarkably vibrant and successful city. But the people who run the place have lost touch with the people who live in it. Many of those people are fed up with being hit by new fees and levies every time they turn around. The city is deep in deficit, and the traffic is permanently stalled. But City Council seems obsessed with recycling schemes, food carts and bike lanes. Mr. Ford may be as dumb as a bag full of hammers, but the last guy was a Harvard economics graduate, and look what good it did for Ms. Pinder.
Read the complete article here.