QOTD"Look, if a man in one lifetime is responsible for creating 100 real jobs, permanent jobs, then he's done more than most do-gooders have ever achieved."
- Phil Gramm - WSJ article on Jun 28, 2008
Gramm is an adviser to McCain, hence the interview.
It's like a breath of fresh air to read something, anything from someone who wants our society to be more free, not less.
QOTD2"Why is America the richest country in the world? It's not because our people are more brilliant; it's because we have a better free-market system.
Why has Texas created 1.6 million jobs in the last 10 years whereas Michigan has lost 300,000 jobs and Ohio has lost 100,000 jobs? Because governance matters, taxes matter, regulation matters.
Our opponents in this campaign are so dogmatic in their goal of having more government because they love the power it brings to them that they're willing to let it impose costs on the working people that they say they want to help. I am not."
- Phil Gramm
Amen, brother.
We (me, 39, Jackie O) were walking out of
"Wall-E", the latest
Pixar fare, and some
Naperville teenage hoodlums got it right, "It's like Pixar's version of big brother." Now, I don't know if these kids knew what the hell they were talking about, but they were right on.
"Wall-E" is a
3-star movie, worth seeing.
The pluses: great Pixar animation, fun, lots of action.
And the minuses: It is very girlie. The cute robot squeaking and beeping... for 90 minutes. Argh.
But the worst was the silly, clubbing anti-capitalism, anti-technology message. The premise: The Earth is doomed because we created so much garbage that we have to got in a rocket ship and leave the planet. Oh, and we're all fat because technology does everything for us. Sigh.
I've run into this a couple times now... we're creating too much garbage. So, we're running out of holes? We did this one already in the late 70's, early 80's. The media then took a temporary landfill shortage in New Jersey or New York or something and extrapolated the hell out of it.
Things are so warped now, I feel I have to type in the answer. If we were to ever run out of holes for our fucking garbage, then charge people more to do it, and they'll create less garbage. Sigh again. Let's apply this simple principal to a few other "problems":
- Energy - if energy is more scarce, then charge more money for it. And let people find more, since they'll want to charge money for their energy too.
- Smoking - if smoking employees cost more than their non-smoking counterparts, then charge them a fee. Don't test them for smoking and then not hire them. Also, please apply the previous argument to fat people and drunks as well.
- Helmets, seat belts - if not wearing a safety device costs society money, presumably because we have to scrap your guts or noggin or something off the pavement, then charge a little more on the insurance for that.
- Light bulbs - You got a better light bulb? Wow, great news! Sell it, and we'll see if people replace their old ones because the new ones save them money. Don't pass a law requiring people to buy stupid light bulbs.
And so on. Rinse and repeat.
Can I go back and re-rate
"Kung Fu Panda"? I agree with Ty... it's a
5-star movie.
QOTD3"I know you're trying to be all mystical and Kung Fu-ey, but could you tell me where we're going?"
- Po, "Kung Fu Panda"
Now, that's a truly positive movie. Check it out.
everybody was kung fu fighting... yow, bill
Labels: 3stars, movies, politics, qotd
