On May 25, 1961 President John F. Kennedy told Congress, the U.S. would land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth by the end of the 1960s.

On July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed their Apollo 11 Lunar Module on the Moon's surface.

Just eight years from the Kennedy promise to the "Eagle has landed."

So why on earth will it take us 10 years to build a new bridge half a century later?

The news of a replacement for the crumbling, decrepit Champlain Bridge is good and long overdue.

But a decade to build a bridge?

Of course this being Quebec it will likely be longer than that and will cost much more than anyone can predict.

So much red tape, so many vested interests, so many people looking to put their hands in the cookie jar.

Of course it will be a toll bridge, even though drivers in Quebec pay through the nose for everything from plates to permits to gas.

Start saving your quarters.

I wouldn't be surprised either to see tolls on the new Turcot interchange when it's finally built.

I don't know how Federal Transportation Minister Denis Lebel kept a straight face when he said it will not cost the taxpayers anything.

Where have we heard that before?


Silly flag flap

Haven't the Tories got anything better to do than legislate how we fly our flags?

The National Flag of Canada Act would make it illegal to prevent a person from flying a flag at home.

It would carry a fine of up to two years in jail.

Most apartments and condos do have rules about this.

You generally can't fly a flag on a balcony --whether it be the Maple Leaf or the fleur de lis or the flag of the United Federation of Planets.

Outside of Canada Day and St. Jean Baptiste and our referendum campaigns, we generally don't.

I love our flag as much as anyone else, but here we go again with the Nanny state trying to tell us what's good for us and how to behave.

The Tories are big into symbols these days, especially with their royal obsession.

Is this such a pressing issue that we need legislation? Maybe even sending people to jail?

Hard time for flag crime


It is Thanksgiving Weekend

The economy is shaky and downright scary but this week Forbes magazine rated Canada as the best place to invest in the world.

In Quebec we seem to suffer from permanent paralysis.

It's hard to get things done.

Our roads are falling apart and we fear that corruption lurks in every corner.

Eventually we will get an inquiry by hook or by crook.

But we are blessed to have such problems compared to other less fortunate places in the world.

There is much reason for optimism and much to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving.