Thanks for this article Lloyd, while one might see your list as exhaustive, I would add to your list of egregious actions by DoFo;
1, presiding over the decimation of education in the province at all levels, but most especially post secondary. We are facing massive lay offs at both universities and colleges. This is going to hit Ontario very, very hard in the future.
2, presiding over the decimation of health services across the province.
3, profligate waste at the government level, contrary to the stated small government strategy, he has the largest cabinet in Ontario history.
4, profligate waste of billions of dollars at Ontario Place.
5, profligate waste at the Ontario Science Centre.
6, profligate waste in the ludicrous, clearly nonsensical removal of bike lanes. His interference in municipal affairs is idiotic, he's threatening to spend many millions on removing the bike lanes, while having no plan at all to cut Ontarios debt.
7, rampant corruption in the Green Belt scandal.
8, rampant corruption in the 413 debacle.
9, an irrational obsession with cheap booze, especially available to drivers. To be honest I was stunned when I saw giant signs at 401 rest stops advertising "beer sold here".
10, copying the bullying, incessant bullshitting of the tangerine twit to the south.
Lloyd, as a Kiwi I don't mind you discussing Ontario's experience with these issues. In Aotearoa we are going through similar things. Cycle ways are removed from infrastructure budgets & speed limits has increased against the will of local communities(even in school zones). We too have a very car-centric government. It's good that you are discussing these topics. I appreciate it.
"I apologize to my readers outside of the Province of Ontario, I will return to my regular programming next week."
It seems that you have had an epiphany concerning Politics - it DOES matter no matter which side of the aisle you are on.
What I have said for decades when I talk about the politics in my hamlet, comes down to this: "Know that what we talk about/write about, you have as well. Perhaps a bit sideways, the players' names may be different, but you DO have the same brand of political problems I do.
The reason brute force does not work is because you are not using enough of it. Insanity reproduces itself until it collapses. Systems that fail to work as promised, accelerate what does not work until it totally breaks down. These forms of idiocy dominate a number of global political systems now. It is a near universal problem that anomalies in the way systems work don't stimulate real change until the explanations of why, from within the system itself, no longer make any sense. Ontario, Alberta, a number of US states, and our US federal government, approach or have already achieved the nonsense stage. The emperor has no clothes, but the little boy has not spoken it aloud yet. Old fogies like us are not heard by the politicians who swear the emperor is richly attired. I count the time to collapse on our side of the border in months, not years. Our future at the national level does not look good. We shall see soon how it works out locally.
A wise scholar at Cornell University in the 1930s, when asked by a colleague when the shift in physics from the Newtonian model to the Einsteinian paradigm would happen, replied simply, "One funeral at a time." Unfortunately, that scholar helped invent the nuclear button that our orange menace now has in his hands. Heaven help us all. I think I will go for a bike ride.
"“If they want to try to annihilate Ontario, I will do everything — including cut off their energy with a smile on my face,” Ford told reporters.
“They rely on our energy, they need to feel the pain. They want to come at us hard, we’re going to come back twice as hard.”"
Really, "ANNIHILATE" ? Methinks he had a bit too much of something in his system for that amount of hyperbole. But threatening to cut off energy to the US - does that help to endear him to your bosoms a wee bit easier?
"The good news is that the weapons of economic warfare are, by their nature, mutually punitive. Mr. Trump’s tariffs may hurt our exporters, but they will hurt American consumers, workers and businesses just as much."
Er, no. As I pointed out before, Canada's GDP is only $3.4 Trillion USD. Even California's is larger at $3.9T. The US GDP is $28-29T. Which means we have FAR more choices in a given consumer sector as consumers and at wider price points
Thus, I believe that Mr. Coyne is wrong in asserting it would hurt American consumers just as much as it would Canadians.
Trudeau said much the same thing. “He has said repeatedly, what he wants is to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy. Because that will make it easier to annex us. First of all, that's never going to happen. We will never be the 51st state.”
It is why I worry about unblocking; American readers have all said c’mon, he is just negotiating! Up here it feels like war. Thousands will lose their jobs. Destroying our car industry is economic annihilation in Ontario, it is our biggest industry. It is not hyperbole.
But let me go back to my original question - with Ford declaring he's going to throw America's electric switch, are you liking him him a bit more despite him ripping out your bike paths?
As I figured as soon as I saw what Ford said (yes, I have been studying you as well).
Your answer certains helps to prove the sometimes-Rule that "my political enemy can be my instant-political-friend against my other worse current political enemy".
Stuff can change and sometimes be very personal. Just know that such relationships can flip back just as suddenly and you then wonder "what the heck???".
"he wants is to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy"
Citation, please. I follow American politics FAR more closely than you and I have to admit that I have never hear Trump say "see a total collapse of the Canadian economy."
" American readers have all said c’mon, he is just negotiating!"
Well, look what happened last night over the Panama Canal. The Communist Chinese got the message (although Rubio was talking with the Panamanian President over the clear language of the Panama Canal treaty) and sold control of the ports at either end of the Canal to a Blackrock subsidiary.
Panama, on its own, left the Chinese Belt and Road program voluntarily (which, I will point out, has led to many small countries accept billions of yuan to be barely better than indentured servants based on the debt they took on from the Chinese).
A tariff example: the Europeans charge much higher levels than what we do to them - especially on American cars. Our tariffs on theirs are much lower. Trump thinks that's unfair and thus is raising them. Now the Europeans are thinking of lowering theirs on our cars.
Note: I already posted what Canada's tariffs are on a lot of American products - one was a 25% tariff on American aluminum. All Trump did was to reciprocate on Canadian. A lot of Canadians went hyperbolic on Trump's actions but nowhere did I read or hear that Canada had had the same tariff for a long time.
What's his end point, I believe? Not Free Trade but at least Equal Trade. And then, I bet, Free Trade (REAL Free Trade and not some "political" bastardized version of such) would be next.
That's goal - equalization with you and Mexico. EQUAL tariffs leading to real Free Trade. Ditto other countries.
And part of the earlier negotiation resulted Trudeau and Sheinbaum (sp?) both put more resources into border control. Trump, as a result, pushed back the implemenation of the announced tariffs - that how much he believes the drug trade is so harmful. Mexico ALSO turned over a number of wanted cartel leaders - unheard of!
Now I'll say something that may well get me into trouble with you:
>> Up here it feels like war.
Because few are taking the time to REALLY analyze what Trump is saying (the "Shiny Objects") and what he is DOING. Those are two VERY separate things. Most, at the time of the Shiny Object utterances, can only hear them. They haven't studied Trump, haven't figured out first he goes outrageous. They haven't bothered to watch his modis operandi and learn "and then he's doing something much more results oriented using Shiny Objects as both conversation starters and as a distraction for the real purposes - and generally with only a few select people (as it should be)".
And then stuff starts to come to conclusion.
I've already said "simmer down and STUDY him" here at CU. I'm suggesting that again as well as what I just said about SO's and the real goals. Both will save you a LOT of angst and losing your damn minds for no purpose at all.
I'm not trying to be antagonistic here. As an engineer, it was my JOB to study systems and design and figure them out over a 40 year career. I've now also been studying / participating in politics for 20 years so I have more than a bit of experience in synthesizing and melding those two domains together. Most likely, far more than anyone else here.
Doesn't mean I'm going to be right all the time but I'll be close fairly often (close, but to be fair and honest, close is not always right).
My best advise is to go "analytical" rather than "emotional". Compartmentalize if you must but you'd be better off by learning that his Shiny Objects are merely conversation starters / preludes - trying to suss out what he's really after. And that WILL calm things down. If you only consider the SO's, of course you're only going to have kneejerk reactions...
...which almost always wrong not matter who the players are or the subject at hand.
Oh, and for the record, our American Democrats/Progressives/Socialists can't figure him out and ALL of their political antics lately are entirely in the Kneejerk Zone - making them look rather stupid and out of touch.
Yes, there are a small few Dems that understand what he is doing and their heads are still on their shoulders quite well - but very few. However, because of their analytical skills, they are slowly (albeit it, a bit slower than sloths) getting others to understand that Trump is not a regular politician and cannot be viewed or dealt with like a "regular" politician.
But they've spent the effort and the time to figure him out (no small task). I give them kudos for doing so even I vehemently disagree with their political philosophy.
You are fixated only on Canada; reasonable given you are one, but that is limiting your "sight" and understanding.
I have given you four examples just in this post thus far and others in a few other CU posts in what Trump is doing. With each singular one, people (especially his critics) go ballistic by not understanding why he does what he does - and what his end results should be. And that's by design.
FEW bother to figure it out. Almost everyone here is in that subset.
My suggestion, Lloyd - with Canada held up as your political beacon (as it should be), take some medium dive and time (beyond the surface levels but not the deep dives I generally do) on some of the other things he has been doing that riles others up but for a given purpose.
Then look for his patterns (and there definitely IS a pattern to his [determined] madness. See what he is doing - and figure out what you might NOT be seeing. Wargame out the latter. Then, start matching up the obtained results.
Often, the beginning gambits don't line up directly (which is driving you nuts, I believe). However when you start to compare one line of action to another, his actions become clearer (full disclosure: mostly clearer - I'm not always right just yet). But then the purposes start to become clearer after multiple examples before the end is reached.
Unfortunately, the folksy ah shucks, we are helping hard working families BS that he peddles works. People eat that crap up. Again and again and again. Even people who should know better. Throw a few hundred dollar pre-election bribe cheque in the mail and he becomes hard to beat. You are preaching to the converted Lloyd. You are relying on reason to support your arguments. Until you can come up with a simple solution to complex problems alternative platform that a mindless crowd can get behind like it is their local hockey team good luck moving the needle.
Thanks for this article Lloyd, while one might see your list as exhaustive, I would add to your list of egregious actions by DoFo;
1, presiding over the decimation of education in the province at all levels, but most especially post secondary. We are facing massive lay offs at both universities and colleges. This is going to hit Ontario very, very hard in the future.
2, presiding over the decimation of health services across the province.
3, profligate waste at the government level, contrary to the stated small government strategy, he has the largest cabinet in Ontario history.
4, profligate waste of billions of dollars at Ontario Place.
5, profligate waste at the Ontario Science Centre.
6, profligate waste in the ludicrous, clearly nonsensical removal of bike lanes. His interference in municipal affairs is idiotic, he's threatening to spend many millions on removing the bike lanes, while having no plan at all to cut Ontarios debt.
7, rampant corruption in the Green Belt scandal.
8, rampant corruption in the 413 debacle.
9, an irrational obsession with cheap booze, especially available to drivers. To be honest I was stunned when I saw giant signs at 401 rest stops advertising "beer sold here".
10, copying the bullying, incessant bullshitting of the tangerine twit to the south.
Lloyd, as a Kiwi I don't mind you discussing Ontario's experience with these issues. In Aotearoa we are going through similar things. Cycle ways are removed from infrastructure budgets & speed limits has increased against the will of local communities(even in school zones). We too have a very car-centric government. It's good that you are discussing these topics. I appreciate it.
I visited in October and heard about this; it was shocking.
"I apologize to my readers outside of the Province of Ontario, I will return to my regular programming next week."
It seems that you have had an epiphany concerning Politics - it DOES matter no matter which side of the aisle you are on.
What I have said for decades when I talk about the politics in my hamlet, comes down to this: "Know that what we talk about/write about, you have as well. Perhaps a bit sideways, the players' names may be different, but you DO have the same brand of political problems I do.
And they don't go away".
I'm outside Ontario (and Canada), but thanks to Talking Points Memo I've been following the Ford family shenanigans for years. I wish you all luck.
The reason brute force does not work is because you are not using enough of it. Insanity reproduces itself until it collapses. Systems that fail to work as promised, accelerate what does not work until it totally breaks down. These forms of idiocy dominate a number of global political systems now. It is a near universal problem that anomalies in the way systems work don't stimulate real change until the explanations of why, from within the system itself, no longer make any sense. Ontario, Alberta, a number of US states, and our US federal government, approach or have already achieved the nonsense stage. The emperor has no clothes, but the little boy has not spoken it aloud yet. Old fogies like us are not heard by the politicians who swear the emperor is richly attired. I count the time to collapse on our side of the border in months, not years. Our future at the national level does not look good. We shall see soon how it works out locally.
A wise scholar at Cornell University in the 1930s, when asked by a colleague when the shift in physics from the Newtonian model to the Einsteinian paradigm would happen, replied simply, "One funeral at a time." Unfortunately, that scholar helped invent the nuclear button that our orange menace now has in his hands. Heaven help us all. I think I will go for a bike ride.
Well, y'all liking for a bit more right now? https://hotair.com/headlines/2025/03/04/ontario-will-cut-off-us-electricity-exports-with-a-smile-on-my-face-ford-says-n3800422
"“If they want to try to annihilate Ontario, I will do everything — including cut off their energy with a smile on my face,” Ford told reporters.
“They rely on our energy, they need to feel the pain. They want to come at us hard, we’re going to come back twice as hard.”"
Really, "ANNIHILATE" ? Methinks he had a bit too much of something in his system for that amount of hyperbole. But threatening to cut off energy to the US - does that help to endear him to your bosoms a wee bit easier?
Full article link https://www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/b7310eb2fc1ece70dc6c908949062d74747d4a402d10ae0d7d7e32d43a06b554/EVOFKMBQEFFXFEJ5ULOHDZENXM
"The good news is that the weapons of economic warfare are, by their nature, mutually punitive. Mr. Trump’s tariffs may hurt our exporters, but they will hurt American consumers, workers and businesses just as much."
Er, no. As I pointed out before, Canada's GDP is only $3.4 Trillion USD. Even California's is larger at $3.9T. The US GDP is $28-29T. Which means we have FAR more choices in a given consumer sector as consumers and at wider price points
Thus, I believe that Mr. Coyne is wrong in asserting it would hurt American consumers just as much as it would Canadians.
https://open.substack.com/pub/deanblundell/p/lets-just-call-trumps-punishment?r=w1io&utm_medium=ios
Trudeau said much the same thing. “He has said repeatedly, what he wants is to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy. Because that will make it easier to annex us. First of all, that's never going to happen. We will never be the 51st state.”
It is why I worry about unblocking; American readers have all said c’mon, he is just negotiating! Up here it feels like war. Thousands will lose their jobs. Destroying our car industry is economic annihilation in Ontario, it is our biggest industry. It is not hyperbole.
But let me go back to my original question - with Ford declaring he's going to throw America's electric switch, are you liking him him a bit more despite him ripping out your bike paths?
I have to admit, yes.
As I figured as soon as I saw what Ford said (yes, I have been studying you as well).
Your answer certains helps to prove the sometimes-Rule that "my political enemy can be my instant-political-friend against my other worse current political enemy".
Stuff can change and sometimes be very personal. Just know that such relationships can flip back just as suddenly and you then wonder "what the heck???".
So Ontario is hating on Trump to the max. OK.
Alberta isn't seeing eye to eye on this:
NEW: Alberta lawyer Jeffrey Rath says a delegate is planning to travel to D.C. to pitch President Trump on Alberta statehood.
“It’s quite evident that we’re being governed by idiots in Ottawa… there’s a number of us in Alberta that have had enough.”
Heh!
https://instapundit.com/706273/
"he wants is to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy"
Citation, please. I follow American politics FAR more closely than you and I have to admit that I have never hear Trump say "see a total collapse of the Canadian economy."
" American readers have all said c’mon, he is just negotiating!"
Well, look what happened last night over the Panama Canal. The Communist Chinese got the message (although Rubio was talking with the Panamanian President over the clear language of the Panama Canal treaty) and sold control of the ports at either end of the Canal to a Blackrock subsidiary.
Panama, on its own, left the Chinese Belt and Road program voluntarily (which, I will point out, has led to many small countries accept billions of yuan to be barely better than indentured servants based on the debt they took on from the Chinese).
A tariff example: the Europeans charge much higher levels than what we do to them - especially on American cars. Our tariffs on theirs are much lower. Trump thinks that's unfair and thus is raising them. Now the Europeans are thinking of lowering theirs on our cars.
Note: I already posted what Canada's tariffs are on a lot of American products - one was a 25% tariff on American aluminum. All Trump did was to reciprocate on Canadian. A lot of Canadians went hyperbolic on Trump's actions but nowhere did I read or hear that Canada had had the same tariff for a long time.
What's his end point, I believe? Not Free Trade but at least Equal Trade. And then, I bet, Free Trade (REAL Free Trade and not some "political" bastardized version of such) would be next.
That's goal - equalization with you and Mexico. EQUAL tariffs leading to real Free Trade. Ditto other countries.
And part of the earlier negotiation resulted Trudeau and Sheinbaum (sp?) both put more resources into border control. Trump, as a result, pushed back the implemenation of the announced tariffs - that how much he believes the drug trade is so harmful. Mexico ALSO turned over a number of wanted cartel leaders - unheard of!
Now I'll say something that may well get me into trouble with you:
>> Up here it feels like war.
Because few are taking the time to REALLY analyze what Trump is saying (the "Shiny Objects") and what he is DOING. Those are two VERY separate things. Most, at the time of the Shiny Object utterances, can only hear them. They haven't studied Trump, haven't figured out first he goes outrageous. They haven't bothered to watch his modis operandi and learn "and then he's doing something much more results oriented using Shiny Objects as both conversation starters and as a distraction for the real purposes - and generally with only a few select people (as it should be)".
And then stuff starts to come to conclusion.
I've already said "simmer down and STUDY him" here at CU. I'm suggesting that again as well as what I just said about SO's and the real goals. Both will save you a LOT of angst and losing your damn minds for no purpose at all.
I'm not trying to be antagonistic here. As an engineer, it was my JOB to study systems and design and figure them out over a 40 year career. I've now also been studying / participating in politics for 20 years so I have more than a bit of experience in synthesizing and melding those two domains together. Most likely, far more than anyone else here.
Doesn't mean I'm going to be right all the time but I'll be close fairly often (close, but to be fair and honest, close is not always right).
My best advise is to go "analytical" rather than "emotional". Compartmentalize if you must but you'd be better off by learning that his Shiny Objects are merely conversation starters / preludes - trying to suss out what he's really after. And that WILL calm things down. If you only consider the SO's, of course you're only going to have kneejerk reactions...
...which almost always wrong not matter who the players are or the subject at hand.
https://www.tiktok.com/@jaysgirl44/video/7468328872506117381?_r=1&_t=ZM-8uQ6Gi9RHAT
If you notice, Bannon is NOT in the White House and NOT one of his close advisors this time around.
Oh, and for the record, our American Democrats/Progressives/Socialists can't figure him out and ALL of their political antics lately are entirely in the Kneejerk Zone - making them look rather stupid and out of touch.
Yes, there are a small few Dems that understand what he is doing and their heads are still on their shoulders quite well - but very few. However, because of their analytical skills, they are slowly (albeit it, a bit slower than sloths) getting others to understand that Trump is not a regular politician and cannot be viewed or dealt with like a "regular" politician.
But they've spent the effort and the time to figure him out (no small task). I give them kudos for doing so even I vehemently disagree with their political philosophy.
I offer that as a suggestion.
Let me also add this as an aid.
You are fixated only on Canada; reasonable given you are one, but that is limiting your "sight" and understanding.
I have given you four examples just in this post thus far and others in a few other CU posts in what Trump is doing. With each singular one, people (especially his critics) go ballistic by not understanding why he does what he does - and what his end results should be. And that's by design.
FEW bother to figure it out. Almost everyone here is in that subset.
My suggestion, Lloyd - with Canada held up as your political beacon (as it should be), take some medium dive and time (beyond the surface levels but not the deep dives I generally do) on some of the other things he has been doing that riles others up but for a given purpose.
Then look for his patterns (and there definitely IS a pattern to his [determined] madness. See what he is doing - and figure out what you might NOT be seeing. Wargame out the latter. Then, start matching up the obtained results.
Often, the beginning gambits don't line up directly (which is driving you nuts, I believe). However when you start to compare one line of action to another, his actions become clearer (full disclosure: mostly clearer - I'm not always right just yet). But then the purposes start to become clearer after multiple examples before the end is reached.
It is, to be honest, a very interesting process.
Yet another quip - this time from Glen Beck:
"Many of Trump's remarks should be taken seriously, but not literally".
Wisdom will come to those that meditate upon that. And yes, sometimes Beck can also be an acquired taste.
Well, too late:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/doug-ford-s-landslide-win-sets-stage-for-trump-fight/ar-AA1zZWUT?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=DCTS&cvid=7d6501bb07fd47d0b07fad929bc3ccd7&ei=14
"Ford racked up 80 seats out of 124 in the Ontario legislature and picked up 43 percent of the vote."
Unfortunately, the folksy ah shucks, we are helping hard working families BS that he peddles works. People eat that crap up. Again and again and again. Even people who should know better. Throw a few hundred dollar pre-election bribe cheque in the mail and he becomes hard to beat. You are preaching to the converted Lloyd. You are relying on reason to support your arguments. Until you can come up with a simple solution to complex problems alternative platform that a mindless crowd can get behind like it is their local hockey team good luck moving the needle.
"...that a mindless crowd can get behind..."
Usually when a political side disses the other side's voters, on a constant basis, as Stupids, they start losing a lot.