$600

Yup. That's what it took to stop the TTC strike. Six-hundred-freakin'-dollars. The real kicker, for me, is that it's not $600 that they feel they are owed. No no, it's $600 they've paid into their pensions the last 5 years because they HAD to. I think I can hear the violins...

So in addition to the $600 they paid into their pensions over the last five years (which will grow), we've given them an additional $600.

Some may ask "so what, it's only $600". But that's my point. $600 isn't a lot of money if you are working and living in Toronto. I don't buy the argument that $600 is a lot of money to a working family. Maybe the working family should work towards a higher income job. I know it sounds kind of cruel, but I still think it's fair. Its not my responsibility to ensure that employees at a private company are making enough money to take care of their families, is it? And I only tip when I get good service, not because its my duty to prop up my servers way of life.

Well guess what, my tax dollars aren't meant to subsidize individuals working jobs that can't support their way of life, either. I blame the unions. I mean, I'm a pretty lef-wing guy, but unions have always been a big sore spot for me. This is evidence of why. The TTC employees' union was fully prepared to plunge a city of 4 million people who pay their bills and write their cheques into total chaos for $600.

That's six months of metro passes. I wonder if they have to pay to ride the rocket? I bet they don't.