How it pains me to write those three words together - Premier ... Doug....Ford.
This is a sad day for many of us in Ontario. I can't believe this is happening again. When Donald Trump ran for the leadership of the Republican Party, most of us thought it was laughable, until he won. Even after he won, we never thought he had a real shot at capturing the presidency. Again, the unthinkable happened, We've had a year and a half of watching him stumble through every aspect of his presidency, making a mockery of the highest office in the U.S., bringing us all to the brink of nuclear war and now starting a trade war with his allies. You might think that the Ontario electorate would look at that scary American situation and ponder. They might come to the realization that you shouldn't hand over power to simple minded people, with no political experience, who promise you more money and old fashioned jobs.
However last night that is just what millions of folks in Ontario did. They gave this very simple- minded, inexperienced buffoon, the keys to the premier's office. One caller on CBC radio in Ottawa this morning happily stated that he was going to have more money in his pocket and pay less taxes - just what Rob Ford promised him. Which goes to show that if you continually tell the people a simple, straight-forward message and appeal to their selfish nature - they will buy that message.
What make me the saddest today is to acknowledge that there are so many selfish people in this province - people who are only thinking of themselves and their bank accounts. Maybe when they put their children or grandchildren in school and have to put up with larger class sizes because teachers have been cut, or maybe when they try to put their parents in a long term care home and can't find one, or maybe when they're waiting in a hospital emergency department, maybe then they'll come to the realization that we all need to pay taxes so that we can receive important government services.
Was the Liberal government without fault? Of course not. Plenty has been written about the gas scandal etc. And yes, they had been in government a long time. However, I think there have been some positive achievements as well. Having free prescriptions up to age 25 is a wonderful advantage, as is free university and college tuition for needy families. It was brave of the Liberals to stick to their guns and press ahead with the much needed, improved sex education curriculum in Ontario schools.
Last night, after watching the three leaders speeches, I felt sick. Doug Ford is so simple. He thought it was appropriate to bring up the memory of his brother, who many remember as a crack-smoklng embarrassment of a Toronto mayor. Please don't remind us of your family background Doug! I would have been happy if Andrea Horvath had won, but last night I found her to resemble a shrill teenager. And then there was Kathleen Wynne. She spoke with grace, humour, warmth and intelligence. It was a classy speech that started with her praising people from all different backgrounds and areas of the province. Contrasting her speech with Doug Ford's reminds me of listening to Barrack Obama, next to Donald Trump.
It's a sad and scary time indeed.
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