I do very well -- and for a documentary filmmaker, I do extremely well. That, too, drives conservatives bonkers. "You're rich because of capitalism!" they scream at me. Um, no. Didn't you take Econ 101? Capitalism is a system, a pyramid scheme of sorts, that exploits the vast majority so that the few at the top can enrich themselves more. I make my money the old school, honest way by making things.
Alrighty then! I took a few economics courses in my day, and I seem to recall that "making things" features quite prominently in the capitalist system. One might say it is "production of capital" -- hence the name, capitalism.
A few months back I came across the trailer for I Want Your Money, an upcoming right-of-center documentary on the perils of big government and redistribution. Naturally, I was interested. The trailer made me laugh, which is more than I can say about most movies. Even better, according to today's Times, the CGI caricatures of prominent politicians were designed by an artist for MAD Magazine. What's not to like? Check out out the trailer:
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES are often downright boring. They frequently disappoint journalists because the candidates don't fight among themselves. More often than not, debates are marked by the relentless avoidance of candid answers. But presidential debates always have two things: winners and losers.
Here's how the seven Democratic presidential candidates fared in last night's debate, the final one before the New Hampshire primary next Tuesday:
FIRST, SOME STIPULATIONS: The war is not over yet. There is still much fighting to be done and many things could go wrong. Chemical weapons could still be used. More allied soldiers will die in fighting. There will be more civilian casualties. Yesterday's collapse of the regime in Baghdad was a decisive moment, but not the endpoint of the war itself.
We're shocked--shocked!--to find Iraqi soldiers ready for chem and bio warfare, the left AWOL on American POWs, and the French happy to see bad things happen in the war.
LAST NIGHT American forces discovered atropine stashes in a hospital that was being used as a headquarters for Iraqi forces. The day before, they discovered chem suits and cipro on an Iraqi officer. Why would Saddam spend money on these protections for his military? He knows the United States won't use biological or nerve agents against him. The only reason for Iraqis to be equipped with these protections is in case Saddam decides to use chemical or biological weapons.
From the January 20, 2003 issue: Clintonus Maximus!
Jan 20, 2003, Vol. 8, No. 18 • By
Clintonus Maximus!
ON SUNDAY, January 5, 82-year-old Roy Jenkins died at his home in Oxfordshire, England. Jenkins was a great and distinguished man: a Welsh miner's son who became a three-time cabinet minister, founder of the Social Democratic party, president of the European Commission, author of more than 20 much admired books of historical scholarship, a British life peer, and member of the Queen's Order of Merit. Baron Jenkins's death leaves his final position, chancellor of Oxford University, open.
UFOs, Goldhagen mistakes, LaRouche, Queen Elizabeth, advice for David Tell, and more.
11:00 PM, Nov 3, 2002 • By
THE DAILY STANDARD welcomes letters to the editor. Letters will be edited for length and clarity and must include the writer's name, city, and state.
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Reading J. Bottum's The Usefulness of Daniel Goldhagen, it appears that there is no end to Goldhagen's outrageous lies and exaggerations. One case in point is his statement about the World War II Croatian Nazi puppet state's Jasenovac camp.
CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, journalists are human too. We are not merely hecklers in the human comedy, the suckerfish of tragedy. We have thoughts and feelings. We experience pain and insecurity. We suffer disappointment and sorrow. Sometimes, we just need to be held.
Of all these human emotions, the most acutely-felt is often regret. For though we make it look effortless--often because we don't exert any effort--it can be a tough racket: being forced to capture in a few-thousand word snapshot all the nuances of people's lives, being frustrated when you don't quite nail them.
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