Why I like John Tory

Haven't posted in a long time - it's amazing how much time a baby can consume. Best time of my life too.

However, I have been coerced back into blogging. There has been a lot of criticism directed at John Tory. Conservatives say he's too liberal, Liberals act like he was Premier during the Harris/Eves tenure. You'll notice that McGuinty hasn't mentioned Harris or Eves during the campaign - he wants us to forget the Tory wasn't there during those years.

To be clear, I like Mike Harris. He was brutally honest with his plans during his campaigns and pulled Ontario from recession into prosperity despite huge cuts in federal spending and 5 years of Bob Rae. Best of all, he did it without whining about how unfair his situation was. He was exactly what we needed for the time.

John Tory is not Mike Harris. His policies are much more progressive; more spending and fewer tax cuts. 12 years ago, I would have thought him an excellent and respectable Liberal leader, and would have voted for Harris. But these times are not those times. Canada's economy is booming; it doesn't need revitalizing. It needs direction. Today, I would vote for Tory over Harris.

John Tory shares Mike Harris' political courage. He is being honest about his contraversial policies, and is not backing down because alarmists are saying they will cause the end of the world, like with relgious schools and private clinics. He has spent his time in public life travelling the province, talking to people, experiencing Ontario for himself. He has made plans to improve Ontario - actual plans, not soundbytes, budget figures or press releases. They take time to explain and can be difficult to understand. Read his platform, it's all there.

For those who don't see any differences between John Tory and Dalton McGuinty, here's one: John Tory has actual policies. McGuinty will issue funding with no set plans, or waste millions and billions on pet projects that sound good but do little/nothing. Many of them get cancelled soon after they are announced. They seem to lose importance after the press conference is held.

John Tory, if you or your staff are reading this, start talking about your policies. Make announcements - show that you are a real leader with real ideas. We know McGuinty broke promises - most of Ontario hates him without your attack ads. We need to see why you'll be different. Tell them your plan for property taxes. Or farmers. Or job creation. Energy. Poverty. ANYTHING. You are letting McGuinty choose which of your policies to focus on, meaning as far as the average Ontarian knows, you only plan to fund religious schools and private clinics. People are not reading your 61 page platform - help them out a little!

Conservative bloggers, you can help out. Pick a policy you like out of his platform, and write a release about it. I plan to start doing that, but the baby just woke up so I have to end this quick.

On October 10th, vote for John Tory. He deserves it. Ontario needs it.