Let's Break the BS

An organization called "Let's Break the Gridlock" is advertising in various media with a series of ads inviting people to be part of "The Big Move." This is a $50 BILLION idea to fix the transit and traffic problems in the Greater Toronto Region (GTA). Traffic gridlock problems in the GTA ranks among the worst on the planet. 

Here is what the Beat the Gridlock groups says on Facebook:

"The Toronto Region’s transportation network has failed to keep up with our population growth, putting economic growth, prosperity and quality of life at risk. We must act."

The fix, ie. "we must act," involves new "revenue tools" which is code for new taxes and fees given to various levels of government and to government transit monopolies, on top of what people are paying now.

In other words they want people to give more money to the very same governmental organizations that have been responsible for failing to keep up with growth in the GTA for the past six decades and "putting economic growth, prosperity and quality of life at risk."

This is nothing more than a propaganda campaign to soften-up the population so people won't mind, in fact will be eager to support the need for less economic freedom. This is a classic example of the Stockholm Syndrome. Voters and citizens are being held hostage to solutions proposed by the hostage takers. Soon they will be clamouring to tax me some more!

I will be the last person to say that there is a simple fix for this. There is not. Given the entanglements that have happened, the failed opportunities to build an adequate infrastructure of roads and highways for the largest city in Canada, and the single-minded solution that ONLY concerted government action can solve this problem, no it's not going to be simple. What I do know is, that there is a better solution and it's likely one that involves less government action not more.