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Wouldn\u2019t it be great if the self-styled cost-cutters running to become mayor knew their math?<\/p>\n
First we had George Smitherman miscalculating the cost of his $7 billion \u2014 uh, $5 billion \u2014 transit plan.<\/p>\n
Now, in the wake of The Toronto Sun\u2019s “expose” about Kyle Rae\u2019s $12,000 farewell reception, Rob Ford\u2019s campaign today rolled out a Warren Kinsella-style attack website\/online petition (not to mention it’s totally devoid of any standards of web development) calling on the long-time downtown councillor to resign. \u201cRae Must Pay!\u201d features the obligatory Twitter and Facebook feeds, a 13-second Youtube video of Mr. Penny Pincher, and this provocative question:<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know? A minimum wage worker in Toronto has to work 1,170 hours (48 days) to earn $12,000?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hey, Rob, did you know that 1,170 hours is equivalent to\u2026156 standard seven-and-a-half-hour days, not 48? His calculation is out by fully factor of three \u2014 a disquieting mistake for someone who aspires to run a $9 billion-a-year corporation and talks endlessly about his own business acumen.<\/p>\n
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Indeed, if you are determined to put up 1,170 hours in 48 days, you will be literally working around the clock.<\/p>\n
This latest claim comes on the heels of Ford\u2019s remarkable statement during the CP24 debate, that he\u2019s met 200,000 people in his days as a councilor. By my reckoning, that translates into 50 people a day, every day, for a decade. Assume a 12-hour work day, and he\u2019s basically asking voters to believe he\u2019s taking four meetings per hour, all the time.<\/p>\n
Please, someone \u2013 anyone — put the mathies out of their misery and get this man a calculator.<\/p>\n
Rae, for the record, says he asked the city clerk if reception expenses could be substituted for newsletter expenses in his communications budget. \u201cI went ahead with the full support of the clerk\u2019s staff,” Rae told Spacing. “They said it\u2019s completely legitimate.\u201d He also used $25,000 in campaign contributions left over from 2006 election. Rae is not running for re-election in 2010.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"