Comrade Miller Joins Stalin, Mao, Castro In Denial Arena

I think Comrade Miller really believes that old adage if you say it often enough it will become the truth. The facts stand in his way.......

King of Denial
By SUE-ANN LEVY

Yesterday Mayor David Miller kicked off his speech to the Toronto Board of Trade by contending a columnist with one of the city's tabloid papers -- me -- never gives him credit for being a Harvard-trained economist.

"She always calls me a number of names including His Blondness ... she never calls me a Harvard-trained economist," he told more than 300 business leaders and politicians at the annual luncheon.

For the record, I have referred many times to Miller's Harvard economics degree -- the latest reference being in last Sunday's column.

But it's forever in the context of not understanding how any economist, let alone a Harvard-trained one, can possibly think this city's house is in order.

Nevertheless, the mayor reiterated his "our own house is in order" (every one else is to blame but his regime) mantra more than once -- even contending that the city's expenses have grown just 4% in the past decade and the debt is not high. "If you look at a chart of our debt relative to the federal and provincial, you'd say "wow, the City of Toronto is an amazing money manager," he said.

The more I listened to the mayor take questions from the savvy business crowd -- many of whom weren't buying his schtick -- I decided His Blondness deserved to be renamed the King of Denial.

For all his talk of a Harvard pedigree, Miller's brand of economics certainly appears to be vastly different than what I learned while studying for my MBA at the U of T.

When asked for the three ways he'd make the city more sustainable, the King had the audacity to claim they've cut 1,300 staff positions over the past decade (while adding back 3,299 jobs) and there "is no more to cut."

"The challenge we face is not one of our own making," he said, adding that once the province gives the city the money it is owed "there's no stopping" his regime. (Yes indeed I can't wait for these unstoppable spendaholics to tax residents to death.)

Asked whether he's exploring a "progressive" private-public partnership strategy to lower the city's fiscal pressures, the mayor contended that contracting out services "to lower wages" doesn't fit in with the "opportunity agenda." (What opportunity agenda? Opportunities for his unions buddies to completely control City Hall? An opportunity for him to win another mandate with their backing?)

But the King of Denial was at his finest when questioned about what he'd say to the small and medium-sized business community fearing not only another tax hike of 1.26%, but a host of new taxes and fees under the City of Toronto Act.

"I say don't be afraid," he said. "We do need to invest in the city (to make it prosperous) and part of that has to come through taxes."

All I can say is that small business should be very afraid.

Take his claims of a 4% growth in expenses over the past 10 years. I don't know which shells the Harvard grad and his officials have been moving around but according to Toronto's own budget documents, during the mayor's first term (2004-2006), city spending jumped 21%. From 1999 to this year, the operating budget will have increased by 42%.

In the four years Miller has held the reins of power, the city debt has risen by $1.1 billion to $2.63 billion this year.

Just this past Monday the city's finance officials revealed there is a mere $24 million left in the city's discretionary reserve funds -- the result of some $1.1 billion being plundered from the city's vast array of rainy day funds to balance the books since 2004.

New Board of Trade president Carol Wilding isn't convinced the city's house is in order, either. She also feels the current regime is spending a lot of time on climate change plans when an updated economic strategy (the current one is seven years old) should be the priority.

"There is still room to improve the way funds are expended (at City Hall), she said following the mayor's speech. "And they can't continue to put the (tax) burden on the backs of businesses ... it's just not possible and it's just not right."