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Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Sue Ann Levy = Toronto's Sarah Palin




Last night, while discussing St. Paul's Conservative candidate, Sue Ann Levy's half-baked rhetoric, one of my acquaintances half-jokingly remarked that “She's Toronto's Sarah Palin”. And with that, an apt comparison was born!


Toronto's Sarah Palin is Sue Ann Levy!


Consider my case.....


Both use fiery rhetoric to demonize their opponents


While Sue-Ann doesn't adopt Palin's label of terrorist, she loves to call her opponents 'socialist'!


Both are against policies to clean up our cities and our environment


"If the car haters who plan this city have their way, we'll all be biking, walking or packed like sardines on a TTC streetcar as we endeavour to wend our way around the Toronto of the future." 28/05/2002 (This quote, as with all others in this post, are from Levy's Toronto Sun Column)


That said, the anti-pesticide bylaw before council yesterday is a classic case of City Hall gone mad...What nonsense. To the pests on the board of health I have just two words: Bug off.” 22/05/2003


Both support regressive policies that hurt the poor and vulnerable groups


Levy argues that City Hall's funding towards Toronto's guns and gangs crisis will create 'another socialist industry' instead of tackling crime0 8/01/2006


Fact is, the only scam around here is the amount of public and private money that's being poured into fighting homelessnes....” 21/04/2002


"Just what were some of Toronto council's bleeding hearts thinking the other day when they gave the nod to 1,000 more shelter spaces for the homeless?" 14/02/2001


Besides, what good is cleaning up the litter if we continue to allow the homeless and panhandlers to park themselves at every downtown street corner? (If I had my druthers, this Friday I’d trash the sleeping bags and the other paraphernalia they so boldly leave behind each day.” 18/04/2004


“… still far too many homeless people (and their stinky paraphernalia) parked on corners” 27/05/2008


"Now I believe the only thing that will send a strong message to would be beggars is a no-nonsense anti-panhandling bylaw - enforced by the police" 27/07/2008


"Let's pepper those poor at-risk neighbourhoods with lots of do-gooders giving out group hugs and a few jobs and poof! -- Toronto's violence problems will be solved as if by magic."08/01/2006


"Coming our way: more basketball nets to encourage youth gang members to put down their knives and guns. As if" 14/12/2004


Levy criticizing Toronto's programs for the vulnerable as 'handouts'..."What about the $46.5 million in grants just approved for various and sundry arts, anti-racism, community service and AIDS prevention groups?.... Can the city afford to be in the handout business?” 30/06/2000


Between their cigarette sales and their cheap gas, the native bands seem to have it made.” 26/05/2006


The one difference? Well.. Palin likes America...

Sue-Ann doesn't even like Toronto


"The fact is, I'm not the least bit proud to show off my city." 25/06/2006


I've discovered Toronto is not the "world class" city our naïve councillors believe it is" 10/09/2002

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Sue-Ann Levy: "... I've come to the conclusion too many Torontonians are spoiled whiners."

Back in my hometown and ready to get back to the grind. New start, new blog, right?

Since returning, I have been hopelessly distracted by the by election in St. Paul's, my one-time haunt.

While the Liberals have attracted a great candidate, Dr. Eric Hoskins, a founder of War Child Canada, world renowned humanitarian and public health specialist, the Tories have put forward quite a controversial choice in Sue-Ann Levy, a journalist with the Toronto Sun.

I spent this morning taking a look at some of Levy's fine writing in the Toronto Sun. Needless to say, there are some real keepers tucked in there:

On Toronto:
"The fact is, I'm not the least bit proud to show off my city." (Sept, 2002) and I've discovered Toronto is not the "world class" city our naïve councillors believe it is" (June, 2006)

On Homelessness: She refers to our city's homelessness problem as a "homeless industry". She shockingly makes connections between homeless Torontonians and garbage clean up "Besides, what good is cleaning up the litter if we continue to allow the homeless and panhandlers to park themselves at every downtown street corner? (If I had my druthers, this Friday I’d trash the sleeping bags and the other paraphernalia they so boldly leave behind each day. " (April 2004)


And my favorite....
On preventing HIV/AIDS in Africa: Sue-Ann opposes Toronto's efforts to spread Canadian goodwill around the world. Specifically, she takes issue with a project that seeks to protect young women from the HIV virus.


Speechless!

Title is quoted from a 1999 column.