Whew. And I thought Alderman Bernie Stone’s defense of a $5,400 taxpayer-funded shower was bad.
No, the most ridiculous statement of the month — hands down — goes to Cook County Commissioner (D-Chicago) Deborah Sims who, in defending Cook County President Todd Stroger’s plan to make Chicago’s sales tax the highest among big U.S. cities, stated:
“This country was built on taxes.”
This country. The United States of America. Built on taxes.
Not hard work, innovation, minimal regulation and free markets.
Taxes.
Totally makes sense…I mean, think of the American Revolution. Here’s a situation where chaps are vocally begging for England’s tariffs. And the Industrial Revolution — how without the massive taxation? Yes, we are a country that embraces taxation. Needs taxation. Gimme. More!
Uh…no. But, please, do give Commissioner Sims a call at 312.603.6381. Or visit her in person at her office on 118 N. Clark Street, Room 567, Chicago, IL 60602.
She needs a history lesson. Better yet, we need her to get a history lesson.
Wow. It took a little over two hours but I did it.
I read the John Galt speech, 50+ pages of Objectivist philosophy, found in part III, chapter VII of Atlas Shrugged. Pretty brutal. Although, I suppose compared to other philosophical treaties — like say, anything by Kant — it’s a breeze. Ugh, Kant. The mere thought… Yes, make that a lovely, cool breeze on a dewy, warm, summer day.
2 hrs though? Yeah, I’m a slow reader. But not bad considering it took two years to write the section.
“I knew it was going to be the hardest chapter in the book,” she told an interviewer in 1961. “I underestimated. I thought, with a feeling of dread, that it would take at least three months. Well, it took two years.” Rand began outlining the speech on July 29, 1953; it was not completed until October 13, 1955.
Anyways, news. The purpose of this post. Atlasphere just put up an interview with John Aglialoro, executive producer of the upcoming Atlas Shrugged film. Of the noteworthy:
- Angelina Jolie, while still very interested in playing Dagney Taggart, has not signed a contract. Says Aglialoro, “We have a letter of intent.”
- Rumors of a trilogy are gone. “It will be one movie, lasting roughly 2½ hours.”
- Filming date: “Fourth quarter of 2008 or 1st quarter of 2009″
- Open in theaters: “Probably you’re talking about the Fall of 2009″
- Setting: “It will be set in modern-day American.”
- Budget: $70 million
- Expected response: “I think the extreme right and the extreme left will unite in a rare unity to denounce the movie and its philosophic message.”
Ha. That sounds about right. I’m no Randian, but I’m already excited.
“Who cares? What’s wrong with that?” asked Ald. Bernard Stone (50th). “These guys who work 14, 15 hours a day — that doesn’t bother me.”
Quote origin linked here.
Showergate, for those of you unaware, is the latest scandal (I use that term somewhat loosely) to break out of Chicago, involving an alleged $5,400 taxpayer-funded shower in the office of $155,600-per-year City Budget Director Bennett Johnson III.
The very thought of such an affair, such a monstrous, reckless abuse of taxpayer money, has been condemned by every politician in Chicago…except Alderman Stone.
Coming from reason, Michael C. Moynihan writes Still Stuck on Castro: how the press handled a tyrant’s farewell. Great article. Media bias aplenty — including a CNN internal memo telling staffers to focus on Castro’s positives — the most preposterous instance comes from, surprise, a politican:
The ridiculous Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.) was the only American politician to debase himself by issuing a Granma-worthy press release actually praising Castro. This week’s events prove, Serrano wrote, “that Castro sees clearly the long-term interests of the Cuban people,” including the selfless decision to hand power to his brother, thus saving the Cuban people from the indignity of electoral choice. “I would like to congratulate both Fidel Castro and the Cuban people for this smooth transition of power,” continued, “Few leaders, having been on the front lines of history so long, would be able to voluntarily step aside in favor of a new, younger generation.” The absurdities of that sentence are too many to catalog, though note that the “younger generation” is represented by Fidel’s septuagenarian brother Raul.
I share Moynihan’s implication that Serrano is, in all likelihood, delusional.
But the MSM? Even they recognize Cuba’s economic bankruptcy and its’ history of human rights abuse. Now perhaps it’s sympathy for the decades long US-embargo. I’m hoping that’s the case. Because otherwise I’m left with a dark horror I’ve long resisted but always suspected: that people actually believe Michael Moore’s bullshit. And, moreover, that this has the effect of trivializing brute totalitarian rule.
Legacy saved!
UPDATE: Maybe I spoke too soon. Coming from Politico:
Likely Republican presidential nominee John McCain says he doesn’t look for any major political reforms in Cuba until after Fidel Castro dies, adding he hopes that’s not far off.
As McCain put it during a campaign stop in Indiana Friday, “I hope he has the opportunity to meet Karl Marx very soon.”
UPDATE II: Ah, the dissent increases. With reasoning. The latest Common Sense, by Paul Jacob, entitled “Adios, El Presidente“.
Yesterday, Drew and I stopped by City Hall in order to witness and record a press conference by the Lawndale Alliance, a group of concerned residents from the 24th ward who are victims of the city’s latest land grab.
So says veteran Nessie-hunter Robert Rines. After 37 years on the job, he’s throwing in the towel, citing his old age and the probability that the Loch Ness Monster is dead, a victim of global warming.
How about that. Global warming getting an endorsement from cryptozoology’s finest. Signs that climate skeptics have lost the debate…
Or a desperate — ah, convenient — attempt to publicly save face after spending a lifetime chasing fiction. As remove.net states:
There’s some kind of cruel irony going on when someone blames not being able to find something mythical, on something mythical.
(Alarmists note: I am assuming that Rines is referring to man-made global warming.)
I’m not sure how the story has gone this long without appearing on the blog — especially when my own co-worker, Izzy Santa, has been quoted in relation to it — but, in any case: “Pig roaster’s citations from Wheeling have Filipino consulate, ACLU, libertarians crying foul”.
For those link averse, a man from Wheeling — Amante Enad — was ticketed earlier this month by village officials for roasting pigs on his property. The article, citing the fact that the pigs in question were donated — yes, donated — to Enad’s church, has understandably drawn its fair share of public outcry.
Wheeling has taken notice.
Monday, the Trib did a follow-up, most likely at the village’s request: “Wheeling explains reasons for citing pig roaster”. Village Manager Mark Rooney stated, “This issue is not about the lack of the village allowing someone to enjoy the back-yard barbecue”. (Wow that’s terrible sentence-structure.) It is, according to Rooney, a health and sanitation issue.
Today Enad gets his day in court. I’ll update as soon as I catch wind of any result.
Oh! I almost forgot: Izzy’s quote, which appeared in the first Trib article, follows below:
“He should have the freedom to roast as many pigs on his property as he wants as long as he doesn’t harm anything in his neighborhood,” said Izzy Santa, press secretary for the Sam Adams Alliance, a Chicago-based non-profit libertarian organization that offered Enad legal assistance, media training or other help.
UPDATE: Looks like the Herald is first on the beat. Chalk it up as another win for unnecessary regulation and loss for personal freedom.
A Wheeling pig roaster whose cause attracted widespread interest after he was cited by Wheeling officials lost in court today. A judge ordered Wheeling resident Amante Enad to stop roasting pigs for the masses. Judge Joel Greenblatt said Enad will have to pay a $1,000 fine if he violates that order between now and his next hearing in September…
Greenblatt said that while Enad is allowed to cook in his home for himself and his family, he can’t cook for mass consumption from his house, which is unlicensed as a business. If he wants to cook for the church, he will need to do it on site, the judge said.
UPDATE II: I love this quote from the Trib’s post-ruling piece:
When asked by a reporter what he thought of life in the U.S., Enad had a quick response: “It’s not the same as the Philippines. . . . I [would] have a roasted pig in front of the municipal building.”
Wow. What a great picture. I need to get this up as apart of the title header. Someone help…
So, count this as my first post on Blogivists. Yes, me: a blogivist! I love that term: blogivist, an activist who blogs. Genius.
FYI, any post prior to this one came from “Tea Party“. I just wanted to get some content up and since I wasn’t the most prolific blogger there, it was quite a manageable transfer. Although, it appears that there is an import tool for that sort of thing. So use that if, like me, you find it necessary to centralize all your personal blogging.
As far as content goes, it will likely be broader, more frequent and less inhibited than my “Tea Party” stuff was.
Yes, wild times.
So, yeah! Woo! Let’s get this party started.
