BC Provincial Election

I always like to describe my ardent opposition to Marxism with “the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” With the writ now officially dropped in the BC Provincial Election, I am once again being bombarded with the far left propaganda so often espoused by the NDP, and Comrade Marx before them. Granted, this misguided Robin Hood Syndrome which influences NDP policy does not come from a morally wicked place. But however noble the intentions, the economic consequences of punishing success and rewarding failure creates a moral hazard leading to a deadweight loss of mutually beneficial transactions that are not transferred to another agent.

This election is about choosing the lesser of two evils, as I certainly do not count myself among the fans of Gordon Campbell. I am adamantly opposed to carbon taxes and cancelling entire sessions of the legislature is absurd. I cannot in good conscious support this man to run my province, but the alternative would be far worse. Gordon may not quite be the Sherriff of Nottingham, but neither is he the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I am likely to vote for the fledgling BC Conservative Party, but Campbell being replaced by Carole James is frightening beyond the outer limits of imagination given the current economic climate.

The NDP can destroy an economy at the best of times, so I shudder to think of the devastation they’d reap upon British Columbia during these “worst of times”. For example, I have recently had the opportunity to spend some time up close and personal with some of the ambitious relics of NDP rule, the Pacificat Ferries. The “Manhattan Project” that went horribly awry and arguably represents one of the single largest fuck-ups in the history of Confederation. Even the Bricklin SV-1 looks like a brilliant idea by comparison.

While the Catamaran Ferry is an amazing design and the province clearly needed new ferries, the NDP insisted that they be built in BC by their loyal friends over at the Shipworkers Union. Rather than take advantage of the comparative advantage of International Trade, they awarded the project to a partisan union that had no experience building this type of vessel. The average Joe may view the decision to “keep the jobs in BC” as noble and productive, but again the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Why buy 3 high quality boats from Germany at a lower cost, when you can buy 3 pieces of shit for twice the price? By the time these little aquatic Hindenburgs (originally budgeted at 200 million dollars) the mess went from bad to worse. The boats never functioned properly, plagued by mechanical problems, and their wakes hit the BC waterfront with the force of a Tsunami.

By the time these marvels of stupidity were decommissioned in 2003 less than 5 years after rolling off the assembly line, the NDP had already been guillotined by the Campbell Liberals. I now find myself in an uncomfortable situation. Do I vote for the fledgling Conservative Party and risk the election of a Marxist, or do I vote for the Sherriff of Nottingham whom I don’t like, as a defensive measure?