Taxes

No one likes paying taxes.  But only the silliest of us would argue that no one should pay them. The real debate seems to be about who should pay them and how much should they (not us) pay.

The most recent discussion on who should pay what erupted this week when Metrolinx - formally known as the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority published suggestions as to how funds should be raised for the proposed new and greatly improved transportation system for the greater GTA. Those suggestions included a five cent tax added to every litre of gas or an increase in the GST. The response from the citizens of Ontario was instantaneous and outraged. The reasoning was clear. The rest of Ontario should not have to pay for Toronto's subway system.

While I can appreciate that those who live somewhere north of Huntsville or perhaps to the east of Belleville might argue with some minimal justification that they seldom directly use Toronto's services, the majority of people living in southern Ontario are effected by and effect what happens in Toronto. If we watch Canadian television programs particularly the news - those programs originate from Toronto; our large newspapers are published in Toronto, and the provincial government's affairs, banking systems and hospitals are managed (I use that word somewhat loosely) from that city. Whether I like the city or not does not matter, if Toronto did not exist we would have to invent it. Contrary to the opinion of some people Toronto may not be the center of the world or even Canada but it is critical to the success of the province.

Perhaps therefore it is not unreasonable that we should help pay for the services they need so that they can do what they do more efficiently. But we protest when it is suggested that we do so.  It would seem to me that our thinking is somewhat paradoxical. Those of us who live in smaller cities or rural areas and take great pride in our organic markets and our minimal attempts to live a "greener" lifestyle. Some of us also brag about having escaped the rat race of a major urban center. But we are able to maintain this lifestyle and we are able to avoid the big city only because other people do not. Someone has to work in downtown Toronto.  There is a logic in the efficiencies created when thousands and thousands of people share infrastructures. Those efficiencies cannot be duplicated elsewhere in scattered small communities.

There is a second reason as to why us helping to pay for an improved transportation system helps us in the outlying areas.   If the air above Toronto is polluted - that pollution will drift somewhere. No matter how arrogant I may be about my "greenness"  I need to help other people have the same opportunity to be green. For folks in the GTA part of the solution is leaving their cars at home because there is a reliable transportation system. People will only do that when the transportation system is fast and affordable.

Other cities have innovative ways of encouraging folks to use transit. London, England taxes all cars that drive into the downtown core, Calgary (whose light rail line is powered by wind turbines) offers free C train rides within the downtown core while Spain, China and Japan all use high speed trains that allow people to live a hundred miles away and still commute into work. We need an effective transportation system within southern Ontario and whether we like or not, we are all going to have to contribute towards it.

On being a salesman

I don't like being a salesman of my own product. I am quite comfortable talking in public about program or policy development - sometimes trying to convince my solutions might have some validity. But it is an entirely different thing standing in front of the public and suggesting to them that they should part with their presumably hard earned money. While it is a rush when someone buys something, I am always worried that they will find a fault with it when they get home or that it won't last as long as I (or they) think it should. I have far too much personal angst about my abilities to be a good salesperson.

However yesterday I  buried those feeling of insecurity and went to the local Saturday Farmer's Market to sell my weaving. Actually I have been trying to do arrange it for a few weeks. The parking lot outside the Memorial Center is a large one but it is generally packed with vendors. There is no room for new vendors unless someone cancels. There is a building that some people use but I don't like it. The building feels dark and there are relatively few stalls inside. I suspect that the majority of the people who come to the market do not ever look inside. I wanted to be outside, in the sunlight and where there were lots of people walking by. On Thursday I was told that there had been a cancellation and if I could be there at 6:30 Saturday morning - I could have a spot. I spent most of Friday running around packing up my stuff. Loading all of my stuff including the two frames into my little Toyota Yaris is a bit of a challenge.

Saturday I was at the market by 6:15, got my spot and started to set up. It takes me a lot of work to get things set up. Assembling the two display frames is tricky in that there are too many pieces and not enough hands. None-the-less by just after 7:00 I was ready to sell. One on side of me was a friend who Makes, sells and demonstrates hula hoops and on the other side a person who was selling meat pies, baking and maple syrup. Across from me was a locally well known person who sells freshly made ethnic food and beside her was a person selling apples and fresh asparagus. On the other side of her was someone playing classical guitar. It was a good spot to be in.

 

 It was good except it was cold; people were getting set up wearing multi-layers of clothing or else winter jackets. I, or course, was wearing my sandals. It was also very windy. Someone told us that they were forecasting gusts of up to 40K which is a lot. People with awnings were having to hang on to them so that they didn't blow away in spite of the fact that they had extra weights tied to the bases. One of the stronger gusts blew over my rug display frames. The rugs all ended up the ground. I was forced to rearrange things and reduce the "sail potential" of the frames.

My feet were cold but I, for some reason, need to spin barefoot. It just does not feel right doing it with shoes on. I wanted to spin so that people might feel more comfortable coming over to my disply. I think I am too big and perhaps hairy for people to easily approach me. If they see me spinning they might be curious enough to look at my stuff. And that strategy worked. I had lots and lots of people visiting me, touching the rugs and remarking how soft they were. In fact my fellow exhibitors on either side of me suggested that I should charge people just for the privilege of touching my stuff! I also had a lot of business cards taken. I don't know why or what people do with them but I will need to get some more printed up.

It was generally a really fun day. People seemed to enjoy me taking about washing wool in my bathtub and the general state of my house. People particularly seemed to love my comment about the large swirls of dust bunnies, some of which are large enough to lose small children in, drifting through my house. I sold a shawl, a large bag and a few little purses. It was a bit less than I had hoped for in my fantasies but I had a number of people ask me if I was going to be there again as they were interested in buying something but wanted to think about it. I had lots of very positive comments and my fellow vendors remarked how busy I was. So I am happy - still filled with angst but satisfied.

Packing up was started by 1:30 or 2:00. As more and more booths disappeared (they were clearly more practiced in the art of dismantling than I), the gusts became even stronger. It was a lot of work taking things apart. By the time I got the stuff into the car, and then back out of the car and up the stairs into my apartment I was exhausted. I am going to spend time this week improving my display system so that it is easier to get assembled and perhaps more importantly disassembling it.

Perhaps I can be a good salesman..... don't know if I want to but it is the only way that I am going to get rid of my stuff. So when given the chance I will keep on working on those skills.

 

Underdog #2

In spite of my comments in the previous blog about the importance of citizens being active in demanding answers from their government I am becoming somewhat uncomfortable with the media's attack on Toronto's mayor. I don't like Rob Ford, I don't like his policies, I don't like his approach to budgeting and I don't like his apparently absolute assumption that his way is not only the right way, it is the only the way. While he may be a great dad or even a great football coach, I think he may be a buffoon of the highest order with few if any redeeming political characteristics or values.   

None-the-less he is being picked on by the media and now by late night television hosts from the US. Three reporters have reported that they saw a video of him smoking crack cocaine. To be clear it was  two reporters (who report to an editor and a board) and one on-line reporter from a self published internet publication who saw it. No one else has. People both in the media and within the political world of Toronto are demanding that Ford stand up and either deny the validity of the video or else admit that he has a problem.  He did that the first day and has since chosen not to talk about it on apparently the advice of his lawyer. Given that he frequently seems to open his mouth before he engages his brain, that was probably good advice.

There are, in my mind, two separate problems with the attacks on Ford. One - only three people have seen the video. If it does exist and even if it is a clear as the three reporters indicate, that does not mean that it is true. I suspect that even I could, given the sophistication of computer software available, make a reasonable realistic video. Do you remember the video that went viral last year of an eagle swooping down on Mount Royal in Montreal and snatching a child? It was totally untrue. It had been manufactured by some students. I suspect one can make almost anything look true for 90 seconds.

I have read that there are a number of relatively sophisticated processes that one can do to determine if a video has been tampered with or manipulated. I think we need to check out the video before we decide to hang the guy from the nearest light post. So given the fact that in Canada someone is innocent until proven guilty - I think we need to cut the mayor just a little bit of slack.  Is there anything that he could say to prove his ignorance? I don't think so. I think he could deny substance abuse until the cows came home and people would still want him to say more.  We need to see the video before we make a decision.

However the second and in my mind far more serious problem with all of the hullabaloo to get him to speak on this issue is what happens if the tape is purchased and it is found out to be a hoax? All of the right wing ultra conservatives will stand up and cheer, all of those who are sitting on the fence in terms of Ford's values and policies will swing over to his side, and all of those who are secretly inclined to cheer for the underdog ( I know I am not the only one) will feel vindicated and support him in the next election.

If the video is proven to be false then we have just given him a free get-out-of-jail card for the next time he screws up. He will become the mayor who can do no wrong and when he does mess up (and you know he will) no one will believe it. So back off just a little bit and wait for the proof. People don't need to work so hard make Rob Ford stumble. It he is given enough slack  he will do it all by himself.

Underdogs??

I have a natural inclination to support the underdog in almost any contest whether it be political, business or even sports. It is such an overwhelming urge that a number of years ago when a political party that I had supported had finally been elected to run the province (probably the only time a party that I voted for actual won an election), I started to feel sorry for the Conservatives. In that case I did manage to control my tendency to support those on the bottom, but the temptation was far more powerful that I would have imagined. I was almost glad when my party lost the next election. I also generally avoid picking on people when everyone else is picking on them. It feels in some ways a lot like bullying. It also feels like it is too easy to kick someone when they are down.

So I am conflicted as to what to do/say about the Senator from Prince Edward Island. Even the Conservative media (such as the Sun News Network) are having a hard time finding anything good to say about Mike Duffy and his understanding of basic accounting rules.  According to all reports he has double dipped and manipulated his expense statements so that he could receive as much money for expenses (paid by us taxpayers) as possible. Libel laws prevent me from using the word "fraudulent" but it certainly seems that way. I normally would not bother to join the public outcry. It is being done by so many that it hardly seems worthwhile. Not only is my voice somewhat (or completely) irrelevant but it feels like I am ganging up on poor Mr. Duffy. Not my style at all. I could almost feel sorry for the guy. The last thing I want to do is to spend any more time thinking about the stories coming out of Ottawa. I, given my genetically endowed urge to support the underdog, may feel an irresistible need to defend him.

However during the At Issue Panel discussion on the CBC National News on Thursday, one of the participants suggested that one of the reasons why the shelf life of some of these issues is so short is that Canadians don't keep pushing for answers. That comment changed my mind about picking on public people who have done something wrong. It is not bullying to keep on demanding answers. It is, in fact, just good citizenship. We need to know that if people make mistakes (I am being generous here) that they can be held accountable. We need to know that the rules of how one manages one's life are applied consistently across the board. We need to know that those who refuse to follow those rules can be and will be punished. If one steals $5,000.00 - according to the Criminal Code of Canada - the maximum penalty could be ten years. While normally I would be happy with an honest answer and the loss of his job (and benefits), it strikes me that if we started to incarcerate some of our politicians perhaps they would start to obey the law. I am not usually a believer in the concept of deterrence as being an effective method of preventing deviancy but we seem to have tried everything else.

The real question for me is what to do. There was a time when I would have thought about writing to the Prime Minister to express my concern/displeasure. However the last time I did that, not only did I not get a response (except an e-mail from some low level staffer who promised that the PM would be informed) but I got on the Conservative's mailing list! Most of it is just junk mail but last weekend I was invited to sign the Prime Minister's wife's Mother's Day card because she is such a wonderful mother. Not quite the response I was looking for.

We don't need some special Parliamentary committee holding meetings for months and months. Can't we, as shareholders in this corporation called Canada, just give the information to the RCMP and suggest that they investigate?

Maybe I should start a petition demanding a trial for Duffy?