YOU WERE SAYING

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "BULLSHIT BAFFLES BRAINS": 

Prior to 2004, the provincial gasoline taxes were exclusive to the province. Historically, the tax was to fund the building and maintenance of provincial roads. In 2004 the province decided to allocate a portion of this revenue to municipalities to fund public transit. 

"Somehow, despite being Mayor of Ontario's largest city, he thought it wise to tax commuters to drive on provincial highways within his city." Evelyn, you are wrong on this. The DVP and Gardiner are not provincial highways. They were transferred to Toronto a number of years ago. However, the province still approves the use of tolls as they fall under the Highway Traffic Act. 

"People don't expect government to lie." I have to disagree with that too. I think people do expect that governments will lie. It happens all the time.

Posted by Anonymous to  Our Town and Its Business at 9 March 2017 at 10:02

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I welcome correction.The object is to inform. Not to offend.

Likely at the same time as the DVD and the Gardiner, the province transferred responsibility for maintenance and snow plowing for Highway 11 (Yonge Street) to York Region. It made sense.Particularly  for snow-plowing. Though I couldn't get an answer from town staff at the time, a funding arrangement was probably concurrent. 

Ownership becomes moot in the circumstance. All rights of way are public. Highway 11 still exists and serves the same function it always has. I doubt title was transferred to the city for the DVD and the Gardiner but that matters little. 

Gas tax sharing is not tied to public transit, unless rights of way also means transit. 

What the general public believes or doesn't believe can't  be definitively stated.

 I tend to separate people who participate from those who don't. 

Using election turnout as a measurement ,one could  definitively argue half the public has no interest in government let alone belief in any principles. The education system gives it short shrift. 

Of those  who do vote, many pay little attention until they have a ballot in hand. They judge by what they've read in brochures or advertising. What they see in print, they take as gospel. 

Those  who value rights and freedoms, respect the process and have high expectations. 

They do not expect government to lie to them. 

When I say government, I don't  mean politicians. I mean formal statements from those with authority to make them. 

People who don't lie, don't expect to be lied to.They tend to be unforgiving. 

Ironically, their integrity makes it easy for politicians to be dishonest. 

But there again, one cannot generalize. 

Not all politicians lie.