O No

I promise to update my list of good deeds soon, but first, I must comment on a billboard I spotted over the weekend.

I was driving back to the suburbs after a lunch in the city, and near the exit for Harpo studios (where Oprah Winfrey tapes her show), there was a billboard that said, "Oprah, please do a show on puppy mills. The dogs need you!" There was a Web address too, of what I assume to be some animal rights organization.

Why is it that everyone turns to Oprah to solve their problems? I can't tell you how many times I heard as a newspaper reporter, "I don't know why Oprah doesn't do something about this."

In my most cynical moments, I often think that these people are everything that's wrong with the world. Granted, Oprah has done a lot of good things for people (and probably animals, too), but should we really be turning to her when we have a problem?

If these activists want something done about puppy mills, why don't they write to their state leaders? They're the people who make the laws, not Oprah, who is (sorry to break it to you, folks) an entertainer.

Why do people rely on entertainers to solve their problems? Oprah should do a show about that.