Trump's short term success

Astounding. Universal Medical Care (UMC) is not necessarily a right or left wing social program. The creation of Ontario UMC or OHIP was enthusiastically created by Conservatives. You know why? It made Ontario economically competitive. Here is a basic economic reality. A healthy population is a happy population. A happy population is a productive population. Duh.
... Thousands of people(of every political background) back then were losing their homes or facing a lifetime of crushing debt, if they or a family member encountered a health crisis by accidental injury or unexpected chronic illness. However, it was not designed to cover normal childbirth nor abortion. It was not meant to cover plastic surgery. It was not meant to cover the pseudo-therapies like those foisted on gullible people by chiropractor quacks.
... Further to this point, a the year of 2008 of all the G-8 industrial nations, the ONLY one that did not have UMC or an affordable health insurance plan was the United States. The nation with the highest health (costs both in direct or GDP calculation) was the United States. UMC or an affordable national health plans work as a social program both for public and private commercial interests. The ONLY political group globally who fanatically opposes UMC are the Yankee Republicans. You wanna know why? They aren't Conservatives, they are morons.
... Here's a current surprise whether you fixate on being considered right or left wing. One of the two remaining social issues funded through government in Canada is a Guaranteed Annual Income, [GAI]. GAI program is a social program designed provide a better more consistent social support than the present day balkan Welfare, Workfare or Disability Support programs. The biggest Canadian advocate for a GAI is not Liberal nor NDP. In fact those two alleged liberal parties, aren't very good at structuring social programs in a way to maximize social support delivery and minimizing the fiscal impact on taxation. The biggest voice is former Conservative Senator Hugh Segal.
... Trust me. Segal is in every sense a Conservative. But he is a Conservative who understands that not all social programs or public ownership commitments are bad. Global economic success depends on effective social programs designed to support weaknesses in the socio-economic matrix. In other words, an effectively run social support system is not the province of right or left wing ideologies. It is however the possession of those politicians able to envision the benefits of a social program to benefit the national interest.
... Idolizing the US Republicans as representative of a sound Conservative thought, is plain stupid. They are not true Conservatives but human troglodytes harping back to the times of the laissez faire, the economic environment of Imperial France of the Sun King; and then apply Darwinian Theory (a botanical matrix) to economics. There are many claiming to be Conservatives without ever making an effort to exactly understand what a true Conservative political ideology is. They are not Conservatives they are ignorant. The politicians of the United States Republican Party lack any intellectual dynamic with regard to comprehending the nature of the global economic matrix.
... So when it comes to Trump's support of UMC isn't surprising. UMC properly structured is taxation well spent. UMC is always good for business. John Robarts and William Davis both Conservative Premiers of Ontario introduced OHIP not because of political ideology but because it was in the best economic interest of Ontario.
... Trump unfortunately lacks political skill. And there are, in various emerging political dilemmas, that political parties whether claiming right or left wing allegiances that adopt a political promise that makes sound business sense. Paul Martin made for the best Minister of Finance in Canadian history. Compare that with the loathsome sluggish thought processes of Joe Oliver. One a liberal, balanced the budget and created a business environment benefiting the national interest. The latter supported economic theory that tied the Canadian economy to the health of one single resource (big oil) to the exclusion of eastern based industrial and manufacturing and its resulting collapse catapults Canada into another unbalanced budget and imminent catastrophic economic recession. Oliver used to be a banker. He should know better. Harper chose him to replace a more effective Flaherty.
... Trump clumsily insulted Mexicans. Yet he identified (rather badly) a huge immigration problem in the USA. Mexico is doing what Cuba did. And in Canada's case doing what Alberta has done to BC and Ontario for about six decades. The Mexicans are doing exactly what my hometown did when they created a municipal environment so toxic to their own poor citizens that they moved to Thunder Bay, which did exactly the same thing in turn by moving those problems onto Toronto. A lot of governments national, provincial and municipal move problems like paying forward to larger economies. They use government policy to move their social problems to other jurisdictions.
... Trump just tapped into that political reality. Got condemned by the Thought Police of every political stripe. There are serious problems in the United States. Trump is a Conservative, just not imprisoned by it. He articulates a problem like a businessman. He fails in defining it politically. Trump would make a better President than the other politicians of the Republican party. UMC is not just the property of left wing ideologues. Immigration problems belong to all. Civic irresponsibility emerges from political hacks claiming both political ideas. At the moment, that is why Trump is leading in the polls.

Unda Der Vater, Da Deep Dirty Vater

Here's the situation. Aging public works that needs expensive rehabilitation and soon. Toronto's agony seems a lesson best not forgotten. Its all about the Gardiner Expressway. This is a major expressway, built in the 1950's which due to inadequate taxpayer funding regarding ongoing maintenance has aged far faster than the original plan.

Studies state that commuters face a delay of ten minutes on each one way travel during the work week days if the Gardiner disappears. The network of media and political punditicles use the term "Gridlock" to describe the resulting traffic jams. Indeed, one of the biggest vote grabbers for politicians involves the promise of reducing gridlock.

The problem involves the positively obvious fact that there are simply too many automobiles on the city infrastructure. Easily 9 out of 10 rush hour cars carry only a single human. As soon as public works builds a solution such as the Gardiner Expressway, it seems to fill up very fast and just as fast as when there was no solution.

Over the years, various solutions have been tried or encouraged. The first of these seems the most logical is public transit where instead of one person, one vehicle a larger single vehicle carries close to 100 people. Logic dictates that in doing this, one vehicle reduces one hundred. Or in the case of a subway or mass transit train, two thousand or more people which translates into the potential elimination of 1999 cars. In North America, this strategy has been an ongoing failure. The reason is that public transportation is a popular way to travel as long as its the other guy on the system.

The second major strategy to eliminate "gridlock" has been staggered working hours. This is a brilliant concept on paper. Presently people seem to get to work between 0800 and 0930hrs and depart between 1600 and 1800hrs, this puts a large number of people onto the mass transit beyond its capacity. And its not cost effective to build expensive public transit to the ideal rush hour capacity.

The staggered working hours though defy any reality. The reason one goes to work at such a time aims at being working with employees or other companies at work during that time also. Economic activity depends on efficient co-ordinated immediate contact transactions. Trade and commerce is a human activity. Staggering hours looks good on paper but defies simple humanity. Its a pointless commercial gimmick.

Since people maintain an addictive relationship with their cars, any action weaning them is doomed to failure. Each one of those adults votes. Forced removal from their cars, is a form of political suicide in a democracy. Heavens above witness the lack of willingness of political leaders to sacrifice their well paid careers for the self interest of the community or nation.

That's the basic transportation dilemma confronting Toronto City Council. Ironically though the people want to stay in their cars, as taxpayers they don't want to fund it to the point sufficient to maintain that facility.

Coming to how that effects the Gardiner Expressway. Any option is the best solution. Something does have to be done. Recognize one thing. That Expressway serves mostly people who do not pay city taxes, who live outside the borders of Toronto.

Two unnerving facts emerge from this controversy. First, I believe that all the budget estimates for any version of the project are way too low. History has proved that 4 out of 5 city projects have overrun the original budgets.

Read a number, a project estimate that is given, then automatically double it. If the hybrid solution that the present mayor wants suggests that it is going to cost $900M, its really going to cost $1.8B. The Spadina transit way, the St. Clair transit way, the trackage down Leslie to the new streetcar barns, the York University subway extension, Harbourfront rehabilitation, ... without exception all these projects have been grievously afflicted by gargantuan cost overruns.

The second unsettling facet of all the Gardiner, Don Valley Parkway reconstruction projects do not include the redirection of the mouth of the Don River. The sharp diversion of the Don immediately below the interchange lends to flooding in every heavy rain. Straightening out the flow channel or eliminating the ninety degree dogleg with a curving shape. Without including the redirection of the Don channel then the future designs of the Don Valley Parkway will continue to be flooded every heavy rain. Reconstructing the Gardiner, gives the opportunity to solve the traffic flow and the water flow. Ignoring the Don River problem will prove more costly for both projects if they continue to be segregated.