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"The morning isn't complete unless some politican makes your coffee come out your nose.  This morning's laugh is courtesy of the Hamilton Spectator:\n \n\n\n\tLiberal MP Bob Bratina ‘can’t defend’ LRT funding, won’t run in next federal election\n \n\n\n\tThat's former mayor Bob.  The same Bob who made a fabulous political career out of nothing more than \"vote for me because I used to announce Tiger Cat games on the radio\".  The Bob who thinks the constituents are there to serve him because he's not there to serve his constituents.  That Bob.  That was just the headline.  Let's get into the article itself:\n \n\n\n\tLiberal MP Bob Bratina will not run in the next federal election because of his government’s decision to fund a Hamilton LRT.\n \n\n\n\tOn one hand, Bob might be the most principled politician out there right now because he's decided to fall on his own sword over this.  On the other hand, he's 77 years old and he isn't quitting now, he's going to finish out his current term as member of parliament which is his second, and that makes him eligable forthe parliamentary pension.  Instead of resigning on principal right now, he's going to ride it out until the next federal election which might not even be that far away and then cash in.  The back room party insiders probably don't want a resignation right now because Trudeau's got enough problems without adding even more palace intrigue when there's a good chance there's going to be an election campaign soon so it's a win-win on both sides if Bob quietly sticks it out a little longer.\n \n\n\n\tLet's continue with the article:\n \n\n\n\tThe federal Liberals and provincial Progressive Conservatives announced $3.4 billion last week to help resurrect an infamously cancelled light rail transit project — the largest infrastructure investment in Hamilton’s history.\n \n\n\n\tBut Bratina, the MP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, did not participate in his government’s virtual announcement.\n \n\n\n\t“I just can’t defend it,” he said in an interview Monday morning. “They are saying this is a good project for Hamilton but I know in my heart it is not ... I don’t know how I could continue as a member of the governing party.”\n \n\n\n\tThis is approximately where the coffee went out the nose.  If Bob was looking for an exit strategy that lets him retire without having to wear it on his own, it works well but I think there's more than that.  At 77 years of age, there's nothing undignified or scandalous about announcing one's retirement so he could've graciously done that instead and not commented on the LRT.  Instead, he's packing up his toys and going home because $3.4 billion of largesse is being showered on the city of Hamilton including his riding to build the first line of the proposed BLAST rapid tranist system and he isn't happy about Hamilton moving up in the world and joining the long, long list of cities around the world that have light rail systems.  Bob's idea of transit improvement is making cars with tail fins again.  Returning to the article:\n \n\n\n\tThe former mayor appears to be an outlier in his own party.\n \n\n\n\tNo kidding.  He sticks out like a sore thumb but it makes sense:  Bob's always been in it for Bob.  He actually droped out of the mayoral race paving the way for Eisenberger to return in order to run federally.  It's always been about Bob climbing the ladder to Bob's benefit.  The constituents?  They're just the useful idiots who shove the votes into the ballot box to enable the whole thing.  Let's get back to the article:\n \n\n\n\tLiberal Infrastructure Minister and Hamilton native Catherine McKenna, who announced the federal investment last Thursday, said the “shovel-ready” project would create thousands of jobs coming out of the pandemic, making transit more reliable on the city’s busiest corridor and spur development, including affordavble housing.\n \n\n\n\t“It’s going to be awesome,” she said, urging city councillors to “seize the day” and endorse the project, which still needs a muncipal agreement to handle operating and maintenance costs.\n \n\n\n\tThese would be some of the actual benefits of building the LRT.  You know, the things that politicians typically try to deliver to their constituents.  Operating and maintenance costs shouldn't be that bad.  The infrastructure's going to have a manufacturer's warranty on it.  The cars are going to have a manufacturer's warranty on them.  The project's going to include a free maintenance facility.  The project's going to include free vehicles.  Larger vehicles meaning fewer vehicles which means fewer operating and mainteanance units with lower operating and maintenance costs.  Paying to maintain the infrastructure's going to be 6 for one, half a dozen the other since the city already maintains the roads the buses run on anyways and Hamilton's off the hook for buying buses and building a garage for them etc. so there are savings to be had if it's done carefully.  That's the $3.4 billion dollar question though, will the city go for it?  City council, where former mayor Bob came from, is full of people just like former mayor Bob so that's an open question.\n \n\n\n\tBack to the article:\n \n\n\n\tBratina said he had planned to run federally again under the Liberal banner — until Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna announced $1.7 billion in matching funds alongside the province to resurrect the LRT project that was cancelled just 16 months ago.\n \n\n\n\tThe MP said he was not consulted about the decision and his concerns about the project were “totally ignored.”\n \n\n\n\tBratina was Hamilton mayor when council first asked the province for 100-percent capital funding for light rail transit, but he has repeatedly spoken out against the project as a city priority.\n \n\n\n\tHe did so again Monday, calling the 14-kilometre, Main-King corridor LRT line a “like-to-have, not a need-to-have.”\n \n\n\n\tBitter, bitter Bob.  Former mayor bob asked for 100% capital funding, obviously he was trying to call the senior levels of government's bluff, but they came through on money for the Hamilton LRT twice now.  Now Bob doesn't want to play with the federal liberals anymore.  Ok, so if the LRT is nice to have, what does Hamilton need?  It's not like Bob's pushed for anything for his constituents whether it's the LRT or something else or a combination of both.  The funding announcement is for LRT only yes or no, not LRT or something else.  Which means the file of \"everything else\" is just as much on the city of Hamilton to handle today as it was before this was announced so nothing changes there.  The LRT doesn't affect anything else the city has to deal with other than it's going to pay for a lot of underground utility work along the route and a bridge replacement that the city's going to have to eat out of their own pockets if they turn the LRT down.\n \n\n\n\tBratina said he would continue to serve as MP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek until the next federal election.\n \n\n\n\tWhen asked, he said he would not rule out another potential mayoral run, but also emphasized he is focused on the remainder of his term. “That speculation is not coming from me,” he said.\n \n\n\n\tTotally.  He isn't going to walk out now, he's going to make sure he collects on that parliamentary pension.  Never mind any party political backroom arm twisting going on about causing a by-election, Bob's not going to give up that pension, not with it so close.  But another mayoral run?  Bob loves being the focus of attention.  Look at that long career on the radio.  Look at that career in politics he parlayed that into without doing any actual work for his constituents.  Another mayoral run makes sense in that context but reinstating former mayor Bob as the mayor is not what Hamilton needs.  Bob being in charge of anything is the last thing that any place needs.\n \n\n\n\tMore to come.\n \n\n\n\tHopefully more to come refers to the LRT.  Hopefully Bob goes away quietly and stays away.  That he can't graciously accept a massive $3.4 billion investment in his community even though he doesn't necessarily agree with it is pretty galling.  This is the sort of garbage that left me with the impression that Hamilton's a backwards hick town.\n \n"
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