To Laugh or Cry?

This report in the Vancouver Sun is really interesting. The reason I say it is interesting and cannot come up with anything more interesting is because I do not know I should laugh or cry. The Minister of Education of British Columbia sent out a letter to all students that: “it is my pleasure to tell you that all [emphasis hers] B.C. K-12 students are now eligible for a free [again, emphasis hers] public library card. This is our government's way of encouraging you to visit your public library and enjoy the gift of reading." In a way this is funny, it must have been a joke, right? It is like taking credit for “now the air you breath is free, so inhale!” 600,000 of these letters were sent. I certainly hope that the day of 600,000 children were laughing when they got the letter because that is all it is good for. Since access to public libraries has always been free, unless the government is introducing user’s fees, this is doing nothing to encourage usage of the public library. What are they going to do next, send me a letter to tell me that by the grace of my provincial government I can now look at the Burrard Inlet for as part of the government’s effort to promote outdoor activities? Maybe I should cry, my own provincial government think we are all idiots.