HARPOR'S ETHICS NOW AT LARGE...

It's been going on for almost a year, but the coincidence is too funny not to be pointed out.

The major radio station here in greater Vancouver keeps playing these commercials, over and over again. You've probably heard them yourself -- the moronic Barry White-ish singer oozing scary thoughts into the listeners' head... 'You can run but you can't hide - (from the) taxman.'

Somewhere in heaven, George Harrison is getting some legal advice.

It's a commercial for some legal company that specializes in dealing with tax frauds -- people who have been dodging their taxes or made major accounting errors and chose to cover them up as oppose to report to Revenue Canada. Okay, no one should feel too much sympathy for the RC, but as someone who pays my taxes (like you) with as much clarity and integrity as possible, within a reasonable limit ;^) cough-cough! I don't like the idea of scofflaws and wealthy cheats racking up mega savings and multi-millions while our health system crumbles and thousands of thousands of people work their tails off just to put kraft dinner on the table for them and their family.

Now, my partiality says that this is the creeping fact of our new social system and economic denounement. When I was a young tyke, you could talk to strangers, play in the streets and out of sight for hours on end without too much fear (other than from that school yard bully). Comic books were 25 cents and gas couldn't have been much more a litre, if we had measured it that way. Cher was as close to a skank that we ever saw on TV, with the goofiest costumes that were more freakish than alluring.

Now, Britney tries to slip past a pack of pap-perizzi (sic) without any panties on, and Disney does a deal with Snoop Dogg, who also happens to have a huge porn industry of his own on the internet. Never mind these things called Paris Hilton and Flavor Flav... Yes, in my past life I was a prude and learned to sneak a peak at Penthouse without a guilt complex.

But this tax commercial. I have no theory on it other than either Giogardi and Co has seen a growing trend of tax evaders stepping forward in recent years, or believe that there is going to be a rise in tax evasion and catches by the authorities, thus playing on what must be on the minds of many frauds.

Harpor has demonstrated just how ethical he is. Accountability for you, but I'll park my unelected Quebec bagman in the senate to oversee public handouts while quaintly trimming those 'tougher regulations' on lobbiests just so my friends can snuggle up to the trough. I'll denounce and unplug all that the past government did, and then months later call it my own and swagger about my courage.

Harpor has shown his true colours. He's setting new standards for ethics and idealism in politics that others will want to follow. I guess that's where the lawyers see their chance to clean up...