Question Period

With apologies, faithful readers, the launch of ShoHu.ca has been a distraction from the Nine Inch Column. I confess a little disappointment that more of you have not yet signed our petition. There's a shiny new nickel in it for you.*

But in the meantime, rest assured your humble scribe has been keeping an eye on things and asking the tough questions.

For example, Stephen Harper's proposed crime legislation, which will necessitate the construction of new jails and prisons. How is it that our government has determined that there aren't enough people in prison?

Admittedly, there may not be enough people with jobs, or homes, or university educations, or enough family doctors, or skilled tradespeople, but is the number of people in prison really the societal benchmark we want to be raising (if in fact, "raising" is the correct idea, rather than "lowering")?

How about the brewing Michael Bryant/Clayton Ruby fight over pit bulls in Ontario? Could anyone not have forseen that banning dogs that even resemble pit bulls might be challenged in court?

Then there's ACTRA, which is asking the Ontario government for help in making sure actors can retire in dignity. A noble cause, perhaps, but if it weren't for broke, washed-up actors, we wouldn't have shows like The Surreal Life. Who would man our infomercials? I mean, if I was sitting in my pyjamas by the big picture window at the Troy McClure Home For Aged Thespians, warm, comfortable, with my financial concerns taken care of, why would I come out of retirement to box Screech from Saved By The Bell?

What's my motivation?


* there is no shiny new nickel - this is known in the humour business as a joke, or alternatively, a lie.