The seven deadly sins and how they grew

Humorist Will Rogers used to say, “I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” That statement was never more accurate than it is today. Why, even the seven deadly sins can be ascribed to politicians as the following list will show. Well, anyway, most of those on the list are politicians.

For sin #1, greed, we need to look no further than Barack Obama who is charging US$400,000 per speech. Bill O’Reilly, late of Fox News, managed to combine greed with sin #2, lust, when he was paid severance of US$25 million after being fired over allegations of sexual abuse. Sin #3, wrath, is what we feel about Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne’s misdirected efforts to buy our votes by shifting $25 billion in hydro costs out two generations so our grandchildren get stuck paying for her inanities.

Sin #4, gluttony, is best expressed by the never-ending parade of Quebec councillors, mayors, cabinet ministers and other hangers-on who seem bent and bound on diverting for themselves every possible dollar from public contracts that should be free of such flim-flammery. Sins #5, envy, and #6, sloth, are jointly demonstrated by those journalists who focused on Justin Trudeau’s mismatching Star Wars socks rather than the content of the meeting he’d just held with Enda Kenny, the prime minister of Ireland.

And finally, deadly sin #7, is pride, the kind of exuberant, in-your-face vainglory shown by Donald Trump in his Rose Garden celebration after finally getting something passed by the House of Representatives. And we all know about hubris, the kind of pride that goeth before a fall. Watch out, Mr. President, if the gods have anything to do with life – and we know they do – you will eventually come crashing to earth. And not a moment too soon.