October 4th, 2007, 07:48 PM
Pretty fair and refreshing editorial from the ol' Toronto Sun:
http://www.torontosun.com/Comment/Co...4/4548334.html
Pretty fair and refreshing editorial from the ol' Toronto Sun:
http://www.torontosun.com/Comment/Co...4/4548334.html
Grossly Underrated
Posts: 4,815 
Location: In the bush somewhere near Sudbury
Location: In the bush somewhere near Sudbury
October 4th, 2007, 08:33 PM
Yet CTV news claimed he went into a meltdown when asked about religious schools funding. I'd have lost it too ... and he did an excellent job with the candour. Can Ontario handle a Premier who says it like it REALLY is?
HOWIE!
Wolf
Yet CTV news claimed he went into a meltdown when asked about religious schools funding. I'd have lost it too ... and he did an excellent job with the candour. Can Ontario handle a Premier who says it like it REALLY is?
HOWIE!
Wolf
Knows Too Much
Posts: 2,133
Location: Backwater, Ontario.
Location: Backwater, Ontario.
October 5th, 2007, 08:03 AM
Bob Rae has faded into the distant past, and I'm prepared to give the NDP another chance.
They knew not what they had inherited (just MO, all you rightys, try and control it), and got blindsided badly.
Still, "Rae Days" instead of a pink slip, weren't such a bad idea in the long run.
Anywhoo, she's a no go for the NDP this time I'm afraid; times just ain't tough enough, and the Gov-speaks have the illiterates convinced they're commies..........too bad.
Maybe IF and AFTER Tory and "Steve" get a majority, and personal taxes go up further, and corporate taxes go way down (a la Harris), and we lose health care completely, and more jobs dribble out of the country, and homelessness and hunger become more prevalent every day, we might just give the NDP a shot.
Till then, we suck it up.
Preachin to the choir here I is........
Nuggler. {"socialist, commie pinko, dirt-bag, tin-foil hat guy, defiler of young women.....and whatever"}
Bob Rae has faded into the distant past, and I'm prepared to give the NDP another chance.
They knew not what they had inherited (just MO, all you rightys, try and control it), and got blindsided badly.
Still, "Rae Days" instead of a pink slip, weren't such a bad idea in the long run.
Anywhoo, she's a no go for the NDP this time I'm afraid; times just ain't tough enough, and the Gov-speaks have the illiterates convinced they're commies..........too bad.
Maybe IF and AFTER Tory and "Steve" get a majority, and personal taxes go up further, and corporate taxes go way down (a la Harris), and we lose health care completely, and more jobs dribble out of the country, and homelessness and hunger become more prevalent every day, we might just give the NDP a shot.
Till then, we suck it up.
Preachin to the choir here I is........
Nuggler. {"socialist, commie pinko, dirt-bag, tin-foil hat guy, defiler of young women.....and whatever"}
World Police
Posts: 4,488
Videos: 1
Location: toranna
Videos: 1
Location: toranna
October 5th, 2007, 08:36 AM
Nuggler, you should make "{"socialist, commie pinko, dirt-bag, tin-foil hat guy, defiler of young women.....and whatever"}" your new signature.
Nuggler, you should make "{"socialist, commie pinko, dirt-bag, tin-foil hat guy, defiler of young women.....and whatever"}" your new signature.
Knows Too Much
Posts: 2,133
Location: Backwater, Ontario.
Location: Backwater, Ontario.
October 5th, 2007, 12:25 PM
Probably means "raper of pigs" in Polish
I would, Durka, but I kind of like "Confused us say". Although half the time it doesn't show.
There ya go.
Nuggler the defiler.
How the hell do I get rid of one of the double posts????
(Ask and ye shall receive ... double post removed for ya. Cos)
Quoting missile
Thank you Missile: I have no idea of the meaning. Unforgiven hung it on me. Has a certain "je ne sais pas", n'est pas??.......a certain ambience........with a touch of serendipity thrown in........eh?
Nuggler sounds strangely like a complimentary term
Probably means "raper of pigs" in Polish
I would, Durka, but I kind of like "Confused us say". Although half the time it doesn't show.
There ya go.
Nuggler the defiler.
How the hell do I get rid of one of the double posts????
(Ask and ye shall receive ... double post removed for ya. Cos)
Member
Posts: 60
Location: TORONTO
Location: TORONTO
October 9th, 2007, 11:00 PM
hamptons campaign was an unsuccessful one for a minority government, probably liberal. Hes a less than stellar candidate and his platform has more mention of "dalton mcguinty" than of himself. Thus, its more of a protest platform more so than anything.
I think that Hampton is a hypocrite when he airs ads talking about McGuinty's pay raise. The fact of the matter is, none of them are different when it comes to hiking their salary. The NDP's voted against it, but said hey ok we can still take the extra dollars! Some New Democrats even abstained because they wanted to vote for it but did not want to go against the party. While it is true that some of them donated the extra money to charity, alot of the ndp mpps kept the extra dollars, even after voting against it. Not only was it hypocritical, but they win either way. They get the money AND the credibility!
I know alot of NDP's are discontent with where Hampton is taking the New Democrats. He's leading them into an era of protest, not offering a clear progressive alternative. Look at his ideas for example. Lower tuition, lower taxes, higher minimum wage. He brings these great products, but fails to look at the price tag or flash the price tag to Ontarians. His Tuition idea will cost the government a couple hundred million dollars. When they asked where hes going to get the money, he says that he thinks that he will get it from grants??! In terms of lower taxes, he wants to just take money from big businesses, but how long will that maintain any balance, how much money will he take from businesseses??? At what cost? Finally, his extreme idea to raise minimum wage all at once. Of course, you can count on the star to support such an idea, being anti-poverty, but the idea is not as economically responsible or dramatic as it seems. The main demographic that would be affected by such an immediate increase would be youth, many of whom already have shelter, and the basic neccesities to live. Many of the people on or below the poverty line either a. dont work at all or b. work part time mostly, thus, it would barely help them, if at all.
He has not looked at the ramifications of such an immediate raise, which can cause less workforce participation from disgruntled businesses, actually causing an adverse effect of higher unemployment rates.
I remember reading the star article about Hampton saying how his memiors should be titled from power to protest, unlike rival rae's which was titled from protest to power. It is funny, yet true. Has he or does he plan on moving from protest to power or will he keep the party from power to protest?
Sorry, Hampton is not a realistic candidate for Premier, just opposition party. The NDP's need another leader to take them in another direction with a more economically responsible platform and agenda.
hamptons campaign was an unsuccessful one for a minority government, probably liberal. Hes a less than stellar candidate and his platform has more mention of "dalton mcguinty" than of himself. Thus, its more of a protest platform more so than anything.
I think that Hampton is a hypocrite when he airs ads talking about McGuinty's pay raise. The fact of the matter is, none of them are different when it comes to hiking their salary. The NDP's voted against it, but said hey ok we can still take the extra dollars! Some New Democrats even abstained because they wanted to vote for it but did not want to go against the party. While it is true that some of them donated the extra money to charity, alot of the ndp mpps kept the extra dollars, even after voting against it. Not only was it hypocritical, but they win either way. They get the money AND the credibility!
I know alot of NDP's are discontent with where Hampton is taking the New Democrats. He's leading them into an era of protest, not offering a clear progressive alternative. Look at his ideas for example. Lower tuition, lower taxes, higher minimum wage. He brings these great products, but fails to look at the price tag or flash the price tag to Ontarians. His Tuition idea will cost the government a couple hundred million dollars. When they asked where hes going to get the money, he says that he thinks that he will get it from grants??! In terms of lower taxes, he wants to just take money from big businesses, but how long will that maintain any balance, how much money will he take from businesseses??? At what cost? Finally, his extreme idea to raise minimum wage all at once. Of course, you can count on the star to support such an idea, being anti-poverty, but the idea is not as economically responsible or dramatic as it seems. The main demographic that would be affected by such an immediate increase would be youth, many of whom already have shelter, and the basic neccesities to live. Many of the people on or below the poverty line either a. dont work at all or b. work part time mostly, thus, it would barely help them, if at all.
He has not looked at the ramifications of such an immediate raise, which can cause less workforce participation from disgruntled businesses, actually causing an adverse effect of higher unemployment rates.
I remember reading the star article about Hampton saying how his memiors should be titled from power to protest, unlike rival rae's which was titled from protest to power. It is funny, yet true. Has he or does he plan on moving from protest to power or will he keep the party from power to protest?
Sorry, Hampton is not a realistic candidate for Premier, just opposition party. The NDP's need another leader to take them in another direction with a more economically responsible platform and agenda.
Bright Spark
Posts: 315
Location: Atikokan, Ontario
Location: Atikokan, Ontario
October 10th, 2007, 12:20 AM
I still want to find out how he used almost $120,000 in one year on travel expenses in 1998. Living about a 2 hour drive from Howie's house, it seems pretty unfathomable.
Howie is a good guy (I always seem to run into him at the Emo fair, and he's always chatty despite me not agreeing with his politics), but the man has a temper and comes off as a whiny baby far too often to be taken seriously; it sadly takes away from the few good ideas he offers. It's the same problem the guy who is running NDP in our riding has: articulate and intelligent, but also whiny and without original thought.
I still want to find out how he used almost $120,000 in one year on travel expenses in 1998. Living about a 2 hour drive from Howie's house, it seems pretty unfathomable.
Howie is a good guy (I always seem to run into him at the Emo fair, and he's always chatty despite me not agreeing with his politics), but the man has a temper and comes off as a whiny baby far too often to be taken seriously; it sadly takes away from the few good ideas he offers. It's the same problem the guy who is running NDP in our riding has: articulate and intelligent, but also whiny and without original thought.
Quote:
Hampton offers apology for rant:
Travel expense story hurt me, NDP leader says
By Joel Ruimy Toronto Star
701 words
27 June 1998
The Toronto Star
SA2
A3
English
Copyright (c) 1998 The Toronto Star
NDP Leader Howard Hampton was picking up the pieces yesterday following a bizarre end-of-session episode that saw him cry on the evening news and angrily confront two Queen's Park journalists in their own offices.
"I've had better days," Hampton ruefully told The Star yesterday after personally apologizing to one of the two journalists, a CBC-TV producer.
He insisted his reaction, including the tears, came in response to what he says his staff are calling "assassination."
"They're (the media) out to stick you with a moniker, no matter whether it's justified or unjustified, (that) you will never live down in politics," the 46-year-old lawyer quoted NDP staffers as saying.
The affair began Thursday, the last day of the session before the Legislature's summer recess, with the release of a report of MPPs' expenses for the 12 months to March 31.
The report details taxpayer-funded spending on travel and accommodation for each of the 130 MPPs. Hampton, whose Rainy River riding sits on the Manitoba border, was first on the list with a total of $118,556.
…reporters questioned Hampton on his first-ranked position - and on the fact that his wife, Sudbury-East MPP Shelley Martel, also claimed $34,292 for travel and for accommodation in Toronto, bringing the couple's total to $153,000. That includes $22,000 for a downtown Toronto apartment.
MPPs are allowed a dozen trips a year each between their ridings and Toronto for family members. Hampton claimed 11 of them, most with the couple's children, and Martel all 12.
When a reporter suggested that Hampton and Martel, who together earn more than $180,000 a year in salary on top of the travel allowance, were "double-dipping," Hampton seemed to lose it.
Tears welling in his eyes, he angrily asked reporters, "Surely you won't deny me the capacity to take my 3 1/2-year-old daughter home with me . . . surely you don't deny me the opportunity to take my ((baby) son home with me."
That night, TV newscasts across the province showed clips of a distraught Hampton talking emotionally about his young children. The reports also listed his and Martel's total travel costs.
Minutes after CBC-TV aired the story, an angry Hampton, followed by four nervous aides, strode the brief distance between his office and that of CBC-TV, where producer Rita Tonelli was working alone.
"It became very clear, very quickly, that he was upset," Tonelli told The Star yesterday. "And at that point, when I noticed there was an entourage with him, I started to feel quite intimidated."
Tonelli said Hampton "wasn't verbally abusive (but) . . . did use the f-word . . . in a rant."
Hampton also grew teary-eyed in her office and accused the producer of treating his wife as an "appendage" instead of a "duly elected member in her own right."
Minutes later, Hampton and his aides visited the office of Richard Brennan, correspondent for Southam News and a nine-year veteran of the Queen's Park press gallery who serves as its president.
"I was half-way or three-quarters through (writing) the story and out of nowhere, Howard Hampton, leader of the third party, the New Democratic Party, shows up, standing over me, glowering down at me, and says, 'Can I read your story?' "
Brennan said no and asked Hampton to leave - twice. The NDP leader did.
Tonelli accepted a Hampton apology call yesterday. Brennan didn't get one.
Hampton admitted using a profanity in Tonelli's office.
"Yes, I said it was f---ing gutter journalism and it was."
Asked if the story damaged him, he said: "Absolutely."
Travel expense story hurt me, NDP leader says
By Joel Ruimy Toronto Star
701 words
27 June 1998
The Toronto Star
SA2
A3
English
Copyright (c) 1998 The Toronto Star
NDP Leader Howard Hampton was picking up the pieces yesterday following a bizarre end-of-session episode that saw him cry on the evening news and angrily confront two Queen's Park journalists in their own offices.
"I've had better days," Hampton ruefully told The Star yesterday after personally apologizing to one of the two journalists, a CBC-TV producer.
He insisted his reaction, including the tears, came in response to what he says his staff are calling "assassination."
"They're (the media) out to stick you with a moniker, no matter whether it's justified or unjustified, (that) you will never live down in politics," the 46-year-old lawyer quoted NDP staffers as saying.
The affair began Thursday, the last day of the session before the Legislature's summer recess, with the release of a report of MPPs' expenses for the 12 months to March 31.
The report details taxpayer-funded spending on travel and accommodation for each of the 130 MPPs. Hampton, whose Rainy River riding sits on the Manitoba border, was first on the list with a total of $118,556.
…reporters questioned Hampton on his first-ranked position - and on the fact that his wife, Sudbury-East MPP Shelley Martel, also claimed $34,292 for travel and for accommodation in Toronto, bringing the couple's total to $153,000. That includes $22,000 for a downtown Toronto apartment.
MPPs are allowed a dozen trips a year each between their ridings and Toronto for family members. Hampton claimed 11 of them, most with the couple's children, and Martel all 12.
When a reporter suggested that Hampton and Martel, who together earn more than $180,000 a year in salary on top of the travel allowance, were "double-dipping," Hampton seemed to lose it.
Tears welling in his eyes, he angrily asked reporters, "Surely you won't deny me the capacity to take my 3 1/2-year-old daughter home with me . . . surely you don't deny me the opportunity to take my ((baby) son home with me."
That night, TV newscasts across the province showed clips of a distraught Hampton talking emotionally about his young children. The reports also listed his and Martel's total travel costs.
Minutes after CBC-TV aired the story, an angry Hampton, followed by four nervous aides, strode the brief distance between his office and that of CBC-TV, where producer Rita Tonelli was working alone.
"It became very clear, very quickly, that he was upset," Tonelli told The Star yesterday. "And at that point, when I noticed there was an entourage with him, I started to feel quite intimidated."
Tonelli said Hampton "wasn't verbally abusive (but) . . . did use the f-word . . . in a rant."
Hampton also grew teary-eyed in her office and accused the producer of treating his wife as an "appendage" instead of a "duly elected member in her own right."
Minutes later, Hampton and his aides visited the office of Richard Brennan, correspondent for Southam News and a nine-year veteran of the Queen's Park press gallery who serves as its president.
"I was half-way or three-quarters through (writing) the story and out of nowhere, Howard Hampton, leader of the third party, the New Democratic Party, shows up, standing over me, glowering down at me, and says, 'Can I read your story?' "
Brennan said no and asked Hampton to leave - twice. The NDP leader did.
Tonelli accepted a Hampton apology call yesterday. Brennan didn't get one.
Hampton admitted using a profanity in Tonelli's office.
"Yes, I said it was f---ing gutter journalism and it was."
Asked if the story damaged him, he said: "Absolutely."
Bright Spark
Posts: 315
Location: Atikokan, Ontario
Location: Atikokan, Ontario
October 10th, 2007, 12:28 AM
I'm surprised so many people in Southern Ontario are pro-Howie. Howie Hampton would sell you out for the interests of the North the second he could pass legislature. Cheaper power, transfer of offices, special grants to promote industry, disproportionate representation, disproportionate funding, take your pick. It would all be great to us up here, but I digress.
Quoting lone wolf
The second he started to push the $10 an hour minimum wage, any semblance of credibility he had with anyone making more than minimum wage was flushed away.
Can Ontario handle a Premier who says it like it REALLY is?
I'm surprised so many people in Southern Ontario are pro-Howie. Howie Hampton would sell you out for the interests of the North the second he could pass legislature. Cheaper power, transfer of offices, special grants to promote industry, disproportionate representation, disproportionate funding, take your pick. It would all be great to us up here, but I digress.
Grossly Underrated
Posts: 4,815
Location: In the bush somewhere near Sudbury
Location: In the bush somewhere near Sudbury
October 10th, 2007, 12:58 PM
So what's wrong with the North getting a little of its due? South has done quite well off us. ONR would never have been built had there been no gold to inflate Toronto's worth. Lakefront land would be reasonable if Toronto people didn't feel the need to pee in our pools. Howie has a temper? There's a problem with that? I can think of a few Toronto asses I'd like to boot too.
Wolf
Quoting snowles
Hows about you getting the unions to back off on their own membership wage and concession demands so costs didn't climb beyond the reach of non-union folks, minimum wage earners - and ESPECIALLY those of us who have to get by on ODSP?
The second he started to push the $10 an hour minimum wage, any semblance of credibility he had with anyone making more than minimum wage was flushed away.
I'm surprised so many people in Southern Ontario are pro-Howie. Howie Hampton would sell you out for the interests of the North the second he could pass legislature. Cheaper power, transfer of offices, special grants to promote industry, disproportionate representation, disproportionate funding, take your pick. It would all be great to us up here, but I digress.
I'm surprised so many people in Southern Ontario are pro-Howie. Howie Hampton would sell you out for the interests of the North the second he could pass legislature. Cheaper power, transfer of offices, special grants to promote industry, disproportionate representation, disproportionate funding, take your pick. It would all be great to us up here, but I digress.
So what's wrong with the North getting a little of its due? South has done quite well off us. ONR would never have been built had there been no gold to inflate Toronto's worth. Lakefront land would be reasonable if Toronto people didn't feel the need to pee in our pools. Howie has a temper? There's a problem with that? I can think of a few Toronto asses I'd like to boot too.
Wolf
Bright Spark
Posts: 315
Location: Atikokan, Ontario
Location: Atikokan, Ontario
October 10th, 2007, 03:19 PM
And for the record, I'm in the north, probably more north than you are way down there in Sudbury (or as it is called up here 'the north of the south'), for 21 of my 25 years of existence. Nothing wrong with us getting our due, even if we only represent less than 10% of the seats at Queen's park and about 6% of the population, I just have a feeling the other 94% might not be so enamoured with that proposition. 6% of the popujlation and 85% of the landmass. Incredible. And people in Toronto bitch that it's too cramped in Ontario...
Quoting lone wolf
Uh, isn't the NDP the preferred party of almost every major union in the province? Up until ol' Dalty started weaving his wand, Buzz Hargrove and the CAW was at the proverbial teat of the NDP.
Hows about you getting the unions to back off on their own membership wage and concession demands so costs didn't climb beyond the reach of non-union folks, minimum wage earners - and ESPECIALLY those of us who have to get by on ODSP?
So what's wrong with the North getting a little of its due? South has done quite well off us. ONR would never have been built had there been no gold to inflate Toronto's worth. Lakefront land would be reasonable if Toronto people didn't feel the need to pee in our pools. Howie has a temper? There's a problem with that? I can think of a few Toronto asses I'd like to boot too.
So what's wrong with the North getting a little of its due? South has done quite well off us. ONR would never have been built had there been no gold to inflate Toronto's worth. Lakefront land would be reasonable if Toronto people didn't feel the need to pee in our pools. Howie has a temper? There's a problem with that? I can think of a few Toronto asses I'd like to boot too.
And for the record, I'm in the north, probably more north than you are way down there in Sudbury (or as it is called up here 'the north of the south'), for 21 of my 25 years of existence. Nothing wrong with us getting our due, even if we only represent less than 10% of the seats at Queen's park and about 6% of the population, I just have a feeling the other 94% might not be so enamoured with that proposition. 6% of the popujlation and 85% of the landmass. Incredible. And people in Toronto bitch that it's too cramped in Ontario...
