One night last June, I was filming some cops in Tennessee while they conducted what looked like a questionable arrest. Even though I stood behind the police tape, the cops got mad and handcuffed me. Despite my very “convincing-to-cops” argument of, “I’m a journalist! And I have rights!” they carted me off to jail.
This reminds me of the Robber Barons of the 19th century. J.P. Morgan sold defective guns to American soldiers, or just sold them equipment that didn't exist. Jay Gould intentionally destroyed pretty much every company he touched. Etc. Etc. It took some brave politicans (thank you Teddy Roosevelt) to make things somewhat better. Now we have to do it again. And we really have to shoot down the notion that business is more efficient than government. More efficient at making profit, sure, but not much else. I remember when Donald Trump tried to prove that he could fix the Central Park zoo faster and cheaper than the City. And he did. By screwing his contractors.
Regarding Pretty Woman, while we let the Richard Gere and Jason Alexander financial vampires destroy jobs and suck companies dry in America, the Ralph Bellamy types in our country get little support or appreciation from Wall Street. At the end of the movie, when Gere is redeemed, Alexander asks, “What are you going to do?” Bellamy respond, “We’re gonna build ships.” One of my favorite lines in the movie. (I’m an engineer.)
I wrote about this in my book, out October 10 (The Meth Lunches, St. Martin's press). It's so inhuman the trash they serve people in jails and still get paid for doing it. Thanks for writing about this!
This reminds me of the Robber Barons of the 19th century. J.P. Morgan sold defective guns to American soldiers, or just sold them equipment that didn't exist. Jay Gould intentionally destroyed pretty much every company he touched. Etc. Etc. It took some brave politicans (thank you Teddy Roosevelt) to make things somewhat better. Now we have to do it again. And we really have to shoot down the notion that business is more efficient than government. More efficient at making profit, sure, but not much else. I remember when Donald Trump tried to prove that he could fix the Central Park zoo faster and cheaper than the City. And he did. By screwing his contractors.
Regarding Pretty Woman, while we let the Richard Gere and Jason Alexander financial vampires destroy jobs and suck companies dry in America, the Ralph Bellamy types in our country get little support or appreciation from Wall Street. At the end of the movie, when Gere is redeemed, Alexander asks, “What are you going to do?” Bellamy respond, “We’re gonna build ships.” One of my favorite lines in the movie. (I’m an engineer.)
I wrote about this in my book, out October 10 (The Meth Lunches, St. Martin's press). It's so inhuman the trash they serve people in jails and still get paid for doing it. Thanks for writing about this!