In today’s 24, columnist Erin Airton discusses government regulation and how it effects our daily life. She begins the column by stating how with each election, we the public, demand that our governments ‘do something’ about whichever issues we feel we are facing. Even a family’s daily morning routine is rife with government regulation. Our mattress’s and pillows have such red tape on the materials that many people are timid about even removing the labels. Then the family sits to eat breakfast, and our cereal and milk is regulated. Children’s pajamas are even regulated to the point that they are all made with flame retardant materials! Who needs cotton when we have asbestos like materials to wear? The main point in Airton’s article is the point of opening a small after-school daycare. By the time you add in all of the regulations and fees (such as washrooms, interior designs, and exterior designs to name a few) it would cost the average person (who now also has to be Early Childhood Educated, a costly degree) $1.3 million. To open a daycare! And that is not including the ECE degree that is required to be a daycare practitioner. Amazing. The next time you drop the kids at daycare, pay the bills, make dinner for your family, think about how much government regulation is costing you. Remember this the next time you demand that the government ‘do something’.
On a slightly more cheerful note, the 24, and the Metro both had some mistakes within some articles. Miss Opinionate found these mistakes to be a brilliant understanding of the English language. In the 24, there was an article about some new findings on Mars. The mistake came in the second sentence. “Last month the Mars Phoenix Lander found ice on the surface of the planet, but it is frozen and covered by red dust.” Tip for the editor, the last time Miss Opinionate checked to be ice, the substance must be frozen. But it is frozen so… Moving on to the Metro. The puzzle and horoscope section has a feature called This Day in History. So here we have July 17, 1682. On this day “Catherine II becomes tzar of Russian upon the accidental murder of Peter III of Russia.” According to the Criminal Code, murder is where the person means to take another’s life. So how does murder become accidental. Accidental murder is manslaughter. Tip to the Metro editor, please check the Criminal Code or a dictionary prior to print.
1 response so far ↓
Stepha // July 23, 2008 at 7:29 am |
Hello Miss Opinionate,
Government regulation is always a tricky subject, but some regulation is a necessity. Especially in the case of disabled children, where I’m sure most of the necessary exterior and interior regulations are concerned, without them they would be inaccessible to these children. I could refer you to several other examples of government deregulation gone wrong, but that would take up too much space.
Now onto the accidental murder of Peter the III. Wasn’t he killed in prison, and the actual reason for his death was never determined. Much like in the case of Steve Biko (a revolutionary African figure) who “accidentally” died in a South African jail, but in reality was killed by several blows to the head by prison wardens. Admittedly that would have annoyed me as well, but we’re talking about the Metro, which is as we know not an academic newspaper.