Michael Moore's latest movie, "Capitalism A Love Story", according to The Tribune, will not be shown in Southern Indiana theaters. Well, it was shown to a packed house at the Baxter Avenue Theaters tonight. Those in attendance were treated to a finely crafted walk down a well-reported, but seldom seen trail. Many of the scoundrels of modern commerce who became known to us through the implosion of the financial markets, which began last year about this time, got their share of screen time. But the real stars were those, people just like you and me, who were ground down by the chicanery of those who pocket the gains doled out by the mysterious hand of the market.
Earlier in the week I was fortunate enough to transit back into the USA, uncorrupted, and free of the clutches of the socialist domain to our north. That nearby place offers many things which appear far out of our grasp on this side of the world's longest unprotected border. Universal health care, a concrete plan to vastly improve the nation's rail system, and returnable/refillable beer bottles are just a few of our neighbors' ideas I'd like to see adopted here.
Moore's movie and our Canadian vacation serve as a backdrop to the news I missed while I was out of town. First reports had New Albany in a state of economic free fall. According to initial reports, about one third of the City's general fund would need to be cut during the final ninety days of 2009 to get us in line with the strictures of the 2009 budget, which had not yet been certified by the state when I left town. I hate to carp, but a budget system which does not show its teeth until nine or ten months into the year is asinine. No, I don't have a better idea. But one wonders how such a system could be devised in the first place, and allowed to continue after that. And, one wonders if our governor chuckles to his inner Mitch when crowing about Indiana's One Billion Dollar Surplus.
The real news was considerably less stunning. The first report was like an Antarctic skinny dip. The real news, by comparison, was like the first sit-down into a Blue River innertube on a cloudy beerless day in May. Both unpleasant for sure, but the latter slightly more tolerable than the former.
Canada seems to work as a country because its citizens decided to get along. I know there's that dust-up with the parti Quebecois a few years ago. But the dominion's people appear to have accepted that they share a common destiny and that while fulfilling that destiny, they are their brother's keeper. The moving-target news reports from New Albany highlighted not a common destiny, but factionalization, which subverts our progress. Of course, we who live here are too familiar with the daily workings of the local scene and we see the shadings and between-the-lines dialogue that is not perceptible to a visitor. The traveller sees the big picture while a resident sees the rotogravure dots.
Moore, as he usually does in his movies, homes in on those, in Bob Dylan's words, "bent out of shape by society's pliers". As we all know now, those pliers were wielded relentlessly, viciously, inhumanely, and regrettably, to wider-than-deserved approval by what Teddy Roosevelt called in his day, "the malefactors of great wealth."
People are displaced from their homes. Factories are shut down. Presidents speak foolishly. Presidents speak presciently and eloquently. Disgust at what has befallen our country is tempered,ever-so-slightly, by hopeful approaches undertaken by everyday people.
The movie looks both at the big picture, and between the roto dots. That's an effective formula for Moore's movies. Perhaps we could employ the same formula when viewing New Albany.
I titled this post, "Working Class Hero", which is what I'd call Michael Moore. He more or less bestows that title on someone else though. If you see the movie,and I urge you to,see if you agree.
Two thumbs up.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
The other thing you missed while you were gone was Bob Caesar declaring that although he accomplishes nothing as councilman, nothing changes downtown without his permission.
Those of us genuinely accomplishing something downtown were annoyed, but not surprised, to learn this.
Oops, forgot to register.
John,
Please vote down the horrible moratorium replacement ordinance you introduced last night. It's a misstep that could easily cost the city thousands of dollars in legal fees and court costs to defend lawsuits that are almost sure losers.
The council has done enough of that and I don't want my money wasted in that fashion any longer. As my representative, I expect you to be more responsible.
Echoing Bluegill, I'm curious about the precedent for the refashioned moratorium.
On an evening when everyone was against, there was near unanimity on this one, but with zero discussion due to the appraent urgency of rushing through the agenda items. I found that curious.
I wrote the ordinance. I ran it by the Council attorney who said it looked like a good way to address the issue of flooding, and that it should not run afoul of the law because it is pre-announced to the development community. Those who choose to build are accepting the risk of meeting stricter standards. Builders and developers have spoken about the fact that they always build at the highest degree of competence within their field, if that is true they should have little to fear. It simply forces builders et al to adehere to stricter standards which is the presumed product of the now-in-progress Master Plan. If developers are afraid of a possible re-do, they can delay a project until the Master Plan is completed, and then they can follow the Plan's known dictates.
Cite your cases that this will lead to lawsuits and I'll discuss them with the attorney.
The engineering firm drawing the plan has indicated that the process should be complete within six months. I would hate to have something built during this interim which adds to the problems we already have. If built in a manner consistent with outmoded standards, which may be supplanted by the new Master Plan, and absent some pressure such as this ordinance proposes, costs of retrofitting a solution will be borne by the poor schmuck who buys during this time. I don't think that's fair.
I discussed it with no Council member except Bob Caesar, who was on the committee to look at the previous moratorium ordinance.
Post a Comment