You Don't Say... Monday February 6, 2012

I'm not saying that the Ford administration got the better deal when the tentative agreement with Toronto's outdoor workers was reached on Sunday, but job security certainly took a beating. On the other hand, it appears that the union gained salary increases and got EMS declared an essential service, so we will call this one a draw.

I'm not saying that I don't like the 8 degree temperature we are experiencing in Toronto today, but does anyone else feel that some heavenly or hellish force is just teasing us with this warmer-than-average February before utterly destroying us in the days to come? The planet is out of whack and I think I might start up my countdown to 12-12-12 clock...

I'm not saying that Sarah Burke's insurance company did anything illegal in any way, but to claim that she wasn't covered for the event that cost her her life because it was a "corporate" event and not part of her normal tour events is really slimy if you ask me. Kudos to all who donated money to her family to pay her $200,000 medical bill that the cheapskate insurance company that represented the X Games wouldn't cover.

I'm not saying it was stupid of China and Russia to block UN motions to take more drastic action to protect the people of Syria, but diplomacy has failed for months on end and the time to remove the Assad regime is at hand.

I'm not saying that building more underground subways in Toronto is not possible in the future, but it won't be financially affordable for 800,000 years unless the city, province and federal government all pitch in more funds to make it happen. They did offer money for Transit City, but Mayor Ford decided to kill that deal his first day in office because he doesn't want to "obstruct" road traffic with streetcars. Good luck with your private sector funding Mr. Mayor. Toronto needs something now and, according to experts, an LRT system is the best way to go.

I'm not saying that Greek hydro companies didn't have the legal right to turn off the heat in homes that couldn't afford to pay their bills last week, but it's inhumane to leave people literally freezing to death during the worst cold snap of the year. Greece and the rest of the world can take their austerity measures and tax increases and...

Finally, I'm not saying that Caterpillar and their subsidiary Progress Rail Services are not cowards and evil, greedy monkeys, but when they demanded that workers at their unionized London factory take 50% pay cuts and closed the plant shortly after employees rejected that request, they proved without a shadow of a doubt that they don't give a damn about their employees. I would understand Caterpillar's claim that this factory has become "economically unsustainable" if the company hadn't earned a record $5 billion in profits last quarter. The government needs to step in and compensate workers. Kudos to Mark's Work Wearhouse for taking Caterpillar products off it's shelves.