[andyt]

Hollywood hasn't asked for a bailout and then paid it's execs obscene bonuses out of that. Hollywood didn't create illegal products they sold to unsuspecting people (well some of their products should be illegal). Nobody lost their home because of Hollywood. Hollywood is straight forward capitalism - it offers a product people can take or leave. And, many Hollywood 1 percenters are on board with tax the rich, and many have started charities that do a lot of good.

[Thanos]

Ehhh, to each their own. It's a fucked-up free market that says those moron actors and musicians should get paid that much but such is life.

[Richard]

I took the article to be a little more tongue and cheek then serious. Quite funny actually.

[andyt]

Thanos Thanos:

Ehhh, to each their own. It's a fucked-up free market that says those moron actors and musicians should get paid that much but such is life.

Next up, Thanos praises the free market system in another post. He should buy a waffle iron. Must be a tough position to be in. Loooooooves Steven Harper but recognizes the faults of the system that Harper loooooooves.

Of course it's fucked up, but that's how the free market works - it responds to demand, whether that demand is valid or not. Same with fucking sports and techno crap that people just can't seem to live without. But it doesn't do much harm, not like the shit the the financiers pulled. And, you can deal with this fucked up market with the tax system, which all those Hollywood leftards actually support, the hypocrites. Why can't they be honest greed hogs like the Koch brothers?

Movies seems like a perfect product to allow the free market to control with little restriction. Medical care, water, banking etc, not so much.

[BartSimpson]

Zip, the point Rex is making is that if the OWS folks are tweaking about 'the greed of the 1%' then where's their outrage at Hollywood? Why do multinational, multibillion dollar corporations get a free pass on the protests just because they're Hollywood? Isn't someone poor and homeless because Brad Pitt and James Cameron are rich? Isn't someone poor and hungry because MGM, Universal, New Line, and etc. are more interested in their profits than they are in social causes?

Or is it that it's okay to be rich when you're a leftist?

[andyt]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Or is it that it's okay to be rich when you're a leftist?

Of course, because then you favor fair tax systems and decent social programs. Also, I don't know why you're still asking the question. As I pointed out above, Hollywood didn't fuck up the economy, Wall street did.

[BartSimpson]

andyt andyt:

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Or is it that it's okay to be rich when you're a leftist?

Of course, because then you favor fair tax systems and decent social programs. Also, I don't know why you're still asking the question. As I pointed out above, Hollywood didn't fuck up the economy, Wall street did.

I thought it was about the 99% vs. the 1%?

So as long as I invest in the movie industry then you're okay with my being well off?

[andyt]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

andyt andyt:

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Or is it that it's okay to be rich when you're a leftist?

Of course, because then you favor fair tax systems and decent social programs. Also, I don't know why you're still asking the question. As I pointed out above, Hollywood didn't fuck up the economy, Wall street did.

I thought it was about the 99% vs. the 1%?

So as long as I invest in the movie industry then you're okay with my being well off?

I'm OK with you being well off as long as your investments are legal. And as long as you share some of that wealth in the form of taxes, in recognition of the fact you didn't make it all by yourself, but with the support of society, I'm delirious with you being wealthy.

I don't know if you just like setting up straw men, or if you really can't get it thru your head that it's now about eliminating all wealth inequality - that would be a disaster. It's about narrowing the spread to a decent level so that the state can truly give people equality of opportunity.

[bootlegga]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Zip, the point Rex is making is that if the OWS folks are tweaking about 'the greed of the 1%' then where's their outrage at Hollywood? Why do multinational, multibillion dollar corporations get a free pass on the protests just because they're Hollywood? Isn't someone poor and homeless because Brad Pitt and James Cameron are rich? Isn't someone poor and hungry because MGM, Universal, New Line, and etc. are more interested in their profits than they are in social causes?

Or is it that it's okay to be rich when you're a leftist?

Let me know when Hollywood causes a global recession and I'll agree with you.

And if you're at all aware of history - it was Hollywood that kept people from blowing their heads off by entertaining them in the last Great Depression - which only occurred after the greedy bastards on Wall Street screwed up.

[bootlegga]

Anyone who think Diefenbaker was so worthy of praise isn't as enlightened as he think he is...

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/201 ... the-chief/

[Gunnair]

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

I miss Rex's point, as usual. His grumpiness gets in the way of his rationality and it all comes off as a little pissy and petty.

$1:

CEO of BC ferries was getting paid 1 mill a year to the horror of BC Ferry users and taxpayers - the same ferry users and taxpayers who have no grief to drop $20 to see a shitty Jim Carey movie

It's voluntary versus involuntary. People choose t see a Jim Carey movie. People have to take BC Ferries if they want to go to Vancouevr Island. It's just human nature that people see involuntary costs as much more irritating than voluntary ones. Thus all the bitching about taxes, for example.

That is not completely what the occupation is about here now is it? The occupation is as vocal about wealth redistribution as it is about capitalist corruption. They may bitch about wall street fat cats doing illegal things to line their pockets, but that is a very small portion of the 1%. Most of that 1% makes their big bucks legally, and wrt Hollywood stars, people hand their money freely then bitch about it afterward. Rex is pointing out that people are missing many others tactical targets in the overall strategic assault on the 1%.

[Gunnair]

bootlegga bootlegga:

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Zip, the point Rex is making is that if the OWS folks are tweaking about 'the greed of the 1%' then where's their outrage at Hollywood? Why do multinational, multibillion dollar corporations get a free pass on the protests just because they're Hollywood? Isn't someone poor and homeless because Brad Pitt and James Cameron are rich? Isn't someone poor and hungry because MGM, Universal, New Line, and etc. are more interested in their profits than they are in social causes?

Or is it that it's okay to be rich when you're a leftist?

Let me know when Hollywood causes a global recession and I'll agree with you.

And if you're at all aware of history - it was Hollywood that kept people from blowing their heads off by entertaining them in the last Great Depression - which only occurred after the greedy bastards on Wall Street screwed up.

Let me know when the occupation has given up the 1% vs the 99% mantra in favor of focusing their ire on the handful of shitheads who caused this. Oh, and also point out when they also begin to preach some personal responsibility to live within your means instead of owning a Hummer, a quad, a big house, and the yearly vacation down south because interest rates were so damned low.

[andyt]

Gunnair Gunnair:

Oh, and also point out when they also begin to preach some personal responsibility to live within your means instead of owning a Hummer, a quad, a big house, and the yearly vacation down south because interest rates were so damned low.

Don't see what's wrong with pointing out the growing income inequality - except if your'e a tightie rightie I guess.

And I thought these were all lazy hippies who should get a job. How do they afford that Hummer etc?

[Zipperfish]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Zip, the point Rex is making is that if the OWS folks are tweaking about 'the greed of the 1%' then where's their outrage at Hollywood? Why do multinational, multibillion dollar corporations get a free pass on the protests just because they're Hollywood? Isn't someone poor and homeless because Brad Pitt and James Cameron are rich? Isn't someone poor and hungry because MGM, Universal, New Line, and etc. are more interested in their profits than they are in social causes?

Or is it that it's okay to be rich when you're a leftist?

I'm out of my depth with this economic stuff, I'll be honest with you. I can't speak to that. Actually I'm out if it on the Hollywood side too. I didn't even know Kim Kardashian was a Hollywood star. I thought she was, like, a rich heiress or something.

I guess I'd turn the tables on old Rex though--if he's outraged at Hollywood Babylon, for all the money they make, then why isn't he outraged at the banks and CeOs too. That's the fallacy of his type of argument--it actually defeats itself.

I personally have no problem with folks making money. Bill Gates is on my Top Ten list of my favourite people alive today. My problem comes when they game the system and use that money to influence government policy (eg "too big to fail bailouts"). To that extent, I don't even blame businesses for lobbying, but for venal politicians who allow themselves to be lobbied.

Businesses aren't necessarily supporters of the free market. A lot of big businesses want less competition; free market proponents want more. A lot of time big businesses want the consumer to have limited information, whereas free market proponetns want the cosumer to have complete information.

[Thanos]

andyt andyt:

Thanos Thanos:

Ehhh, to each their own. It's a fucked-up free market that says those moron actors and musicians should get paid that much but such is life.

Next up, Thanos praises the free market system in another post. He should buy a waffle iron. Must be a tough position to be in. Loooooooves Steven Harper but recognizes the faults of the system that Harper loooooooves.

You go away now pls.