This Idiot.

Is it any wonder that nobody takes this country seriously? 

So this douchebag decides it is high time to slash personal income tax rates across the board, by a hefty 15 per cent. Now, let's not forget that this retard and his party passed legislation that outlawed deficits, subsequently repealed of course when it became clear that, yikes, sometimes deficit spending is a necessity. Like when central banks keep interest rates too low for too long, mortgages are made available to people without the means to realistically afford them leading to a high number of home foreclosures, the Dow and TSX lose 50 per cent of their value in just over a year, bankruptcies rise, unemployment approaches 10 per cent nationally, and correspondingly, tax revenue plummets, while demand for social welfare does the opposite, and the Reagan era comes to a sudden, dramatic conclusion. (And right-wing politicians who previously espoused free-market solutions to any and every economic malady try to obscure their sudden application of Keynesian fiscal policy with terms like "stimulus" and "economic action plan.")

Of course outlawing deficits is a sham, and was clearly a crass, populist move aimed at appeasing idiotic citizens' groups like the ultra-douchey Canadian Taxpayer's Federation, and those who subscribe to their non-sensical, boorish, snivelling calls for lower taxes and spending cuts. "Stop the deficit madness," a recent campaign on their website screams. "Today, every child born in B.C. owes $10,751 to the province [and] by 2013 that number will grow to $12,782 dollars. THAT is fiscal child abuse." No, that is fucking hyperbole. What will these cavemen say about the extra deficit incurred by the aforementioned tax cut? A call for further spending cuts, no doubt. Go fuck yourself, CTF, you myopic, single issue, piece-of-shit lobby group.

As for Campbell, is it fiscally responsible to cut taxes in a poor economy already posting a significant deficit? No doubt spending will be cut from an already stretched-thin public service. Fuck you, Gordon Campbell. Enjoy your swift descent into political obscurity, when you lose the next election to an opponent that a 97 year old with dementia could probably defeat. And John Maynard Keynes would fucking smash you if he were still alive.

Victoria Freeway Plan. Awesome.

Here is an artist's rendition of a planned major freeway, linking James Bay with Highways 1 and 17.

The freeway plan, discussed in the 1965 Overall Plan for the City of Victoria by the Capital Region Planning Board of British Columbia outlines the need for extensive transportation upgrades in the Capital Region, including improvements to the Pat Bay and Trans Canada Highways. According to the report, researchers input data into a highly advanced super computer, which ominously "forecast that the 1/4-million people expected in the region by 1981 will make 533,000 personal trips daily in their 90,600 cars and public buses." Bearing these facts in mind, the Report cites a number of recommendations put forth in a "Transportation Study" of the same year. Notably, that the Pat Bay and Trans Canada Highways should  "join in the Douglas-McKenzie Avenue area...[continuing] south to link with a Blanshard Street extension and a West Victoria Freeway," and furthermore, that Michigan street be widened into a boulevard and connected to Blanshard thus creating a transportation loop.

The West Victoria Freeway would use the "C.N.R. right-of-way across the Selkirk Water and the industrial reserve to terminate in James Bay by way of a new bridge or tunnel at Laurel Point." In other words, what is now a popular bike trail, i.e., the Galloping Goose, could have been a super-awesome freeway, with a less-stupid name. 

Saanich Uptown.

Saanich Uptown replaces the Town & Country Shopping Centre, an unloved 1960s stripmall that featured a Walmart, Little Caesar's pizzeria, a bowling alley and an abundance of surface parking. Anchored by a super-mega Walmart, Best Buy, Future Shop and Shopper's Drug Mart, Uptown is poised to deliver patrons a shopping experience unparalleled in the Greater Victoria area. Featuring unique architecture well suited to a regional airport or an industrial park, Uptown is a real eye pleaser:

Wide streets, ample sidewalks, and beautiful landscaping provide an enriching urban experience for driver and pedestrian.

Entering Oak Street, men and women in safety vests direct drivers to ground zero, where they battle for valuable parking space. The closer to Walmart, the better.

Drivers form a queue on Oak Street.

A subterranean traffic jam forms as eager shoppers vie for coveted parking space.

Once parked, shoppers make their way to Walmart, through the main entrance. Here, the developer spared no expense in creating a lush, warm, and welcoming environment. 

Good lighting and a spacious, airy feel are hallmarks of this architectural masterwork.

A denim-clad man pauses amid the hustle and bustle of unbridled consumerism.

Social cohesion: Walmart patrons young and old navigate the grand staircase.

Shoppers can make their way across the plaza to Main Street America, or stop at the popular sandwich bar and refuel.

Mosaic of Meat: Foot-long hot dogs and Montreal Smoked Meat sandwiches abound, giving Uptown a unique, multicultural flavour.

Main Street America delights shoppers with its charming streetscape, and kitschy boutique stores such as Mexx and Futureshop. Ironically, Main Street America is not a thoroughfare, but a cul de sac.

Main Street America bustles with activity.

Entrance to the walled city of Uptown is gained through a magnificent archway, where entrants are screened before access is granted. A sizeable security force patrols surface parking within the city walls.

A few lucky shoppers can enter the walled city through the archway, where coveted surface parking is available.

Eternal vigilance: An undercover agent watches, while a member of the Uptown Security Force alerts her partner to a potential terrorist threat.

Crisis averted: The suspicious package is carried away for analysis, while a member peers into an aging Land Rover.