the toll

Alright friends - what do you think about the province of BC removing the toll on the coconut highway today?

Here is a few cents worth...

1) The coconut highway tolls puts $57M in the provincial coffers every year. Where will that shortfall come from now? We still need to maintain the highway - the only savings, as far as I can tell is that a group of people lost their jobs today. Not great. Where do we pick up $57M? I know we have a surplus... oh wait - if we have debt do we really have a surplus? I'm sure there is money in education or health care that could be trimmed off.

2) We've been paying the toll for 22 years and raised $853M, the apparent price of the project was $857 and apparently we've paid off the "debt" on the highway so the toll can be removed - debt paid. This is actually a great idea - removing a tax when the reason for the tax is gone... that was what was supposed to happen to income tax, but here we are - still paying - and I don't think good old Steve Harper is going to pull a "let's get rid of income tax" card out of his hat.

3) All my Vancouverite friends and people who don't live in the Okanagan.... are you know going to get in your car this weekend and drive up to the Okanagan because you'll save $20 on tolls... minus the carbon tax, of course.... right.... I'm sure it will cause an amazing boom.... look out!

On the boob tube - The World After Humans - I don't know if any of you are watching this tonight. I'm more half assed listening and as far as I can tell the point is that if we want the earth to get better we should all go and hang ourselves.