Dear Editor,
Bear with me on this...
Blue jeans are a legal product. Anyone who sees fit to is entitled to buy them, and imagine a law saying that if you want to drive a car then you are legally obligated to own them...
The government of Saskatchewan owns a company that sells blue jeans. They're decent blue jeans, for the most part. They're affordable, for both the rich and the not as rich. But they're not perfect. They don't fit everyone, there are people who just simply can't afford them, even at the low prices the company offers, and in fact a lot of people don't like the blue jeans or the company that sells them and would rather buy somewhere else.
Those people are out of luck.
Because, the government believes in their blue jeans. In fact, the government believes in their blue jeans so much that they have made it illegal for anyone else to sell blue jeans to the citizens of Saskatchewan. They have also made it illegal for the citizens of Saskatchewan to buy blue jeans from any other company but theirs.
Seems crazy, right? Well, that's because it is. Some of you might have already picked up on the fact that I replaced the words "car insurance" with "blue jeans". Some of you may find it amusing and some of you may be upset by it.
Why are so many willing to defend a consumer's right to choose when it comes to blue jeans, but not when it comes to car insurance? They're both perfectly legal products, that can can be custom-fit according to a person's needs and wants. No one bats an eye if you choose Levi's over Calvin Klein or Silver over American Eagle.
But if the government said you weren't allowed to have a choice anymore you'd fight against it, maybe even take to the streets with the hashtag #notmydenim.
Freedom of choice is something we take advantage of and for granted at the same time, all the time. We're free to choose who we do business with and who we purchase our products from.....unless we live in Saskatchewan.....and unless the product is car insurance.
But at least our blue jeans are safe....for now.
Perry Ruttle
Saskatoon, SK
