In the media coverage of Proposition 2's campaign and passage, reporters have made liberal use of puns. Here are a few examples:

Prop 2 . . .

• would crack the state's egg industry
• lays an egg for state producers
• is a study in cage fighting

There were many more, but Jim Downing of the Sacramento Bee came up with what I think is the best pun. In a story published last Saturday, he wrote:

"To a huge majority of California voters, it seems, the chicken does come before the egg."

For the story, Downing spoke to animal welfare expert Joy Mench, an animal science professor at UC Davis. She told the reporter it is unclear whether the risk of salmonella contamination is higher in caged or cage-free systems. Downing also sought comment from Dan Summer, the director of the UC Agricutlural Issues Center. Even if the cage-free movement spreads to other states (as proponents of the initiative intend), he said the California egg industry is facing steep transition costs and some farms will likely go out of business.