Tag Archives: capitalism

Michael Moore’s story of capitalism: the only one?

Speaking, as I was in a recent column, about stories of our nations’ meaning, stories we can—or cannot–imagine being taught in the schools, or without embarrassment telling our children. In 2009 I did a column about Michael Moore’s movie with the ironic title, “Capitalism: a Love story.” This movie is the most powerful and inspirational […]

July 10, 2014 – 10:39 am | By Brent | Posted in Posts | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Money versus votes

I wonder how many of our votes the Koch brothers and friends could buy directly, by offering, say, $1000 paid directly to voters for switching our votes in the midterm election? What would it take? $100? Maybe they don’t have to spend that much. I must say I find it depressing news that we are […]

May 7, 2014 – 8:26 am | By Brent | Posted in Posts | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

The Christmas revolution [op-ed Cape Cod Times, 24 December 2013]

It’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times. That paraphrase from that other Dickens novel pretty much sums up Christmastime. Christmas is full of contradictions, contrasts, conflict: some of the most dismal weather of the year vs. the demand to be jolly. The darkest month, the holiday lights. Death of the year but […]

February 5, 2014 – 2:54 pm | By Brent | Posted in Columns | Tagged , | Comments (0)

The logic of super-taxing the super-rich [op-ed CCT 19 March 2013}

I have to admit that I’m puzzled by the amount of sympathy for the very wealthy. Not everybody is prepared to feel their pain, as the re-election of Obama, with his interest in raising taxes modestly on the 1% ,would suggest. But what about the Republicans and their constituents who seem so reluctant to exact […]

April 2, 2013 – 11:36 am | By Brent | Posted in Columns | Tagged , | Comments (0)

The politics of Christmas [op-ed CCT 11 December 2012]

Christmas has the reputation of being apolitical, above the fray. Maybe a lot of us are seeing this season as a welcome relief from the intense election season just past, or the struggles in Washington. As if. Dickens’ beloved “A Christmas Carol” pretty well lays it out. Scrooge loses his m iserly ways and in […]

December 12, 2012 – 1:04 pm | By Brent | Posted in Columns | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Rep. Keating missing the boat on Cuba [ CCT / 21 February 2012 ]

Let’s talk about Rep. Keating’s take on Cuba. Last July our man in Congress voted to approve an amendment to a bill that would restore Bush-era restrictions on travel to the beleaguered island nation. By way of explanation a Keating spokeswoman said in an email to the Cape Cod Times: “Congressman Keating does not support […]

February 21, 2012 – 1:10 pm | By Brent | Posted in Columns | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

New Year’s revolution? [27 December 2011 / CCT ]

I wonder how many of us have on our list of New Year’s resolutions not just various items of personal makeover, but revolution itself? Talk about turning over a new leaf. This should be a dangerous time of year, bombarded as we are with the traditional Christmas movies with their essentially revolutionary message: Scrooge’s overthrow […]

December 27, 2011 – 12:03 pm | By Brent | Posted in Columns | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Wellfleet’s new bylaw: referendum on the existing Dunkin’ Donuts [13 December 2011 / CCT]

“Wellfleet is runnin’ from Dunkin” went the headline for the story reporting our precedent- setting new bylaw banning formula restaurants (chains, franchises, non-local clones). The town approved it in last April’s town meeting and the attorney general recently signed off on it. Indeed, it was the sudden appearance in our very midst of a Dunkin’ […]

December 14, 2011 – 10:10 am | By Brent | Posted in Columns | Tagged , | Comments (1)

Healthcare too important to be run for profit [June 2009 / CCT]

The scandalous statistics have been widely publicized for many years: U.S.: first in the world in per capita healthcare expenditure, 36th in quality of healthcare ( from 2000, last year the World Health Organization published figures) well down the list from many countries, such as Cuba, we would consider Third World. We also know that […]

November 30, 2011 – 6:39 pm | By Brent | Posted in Columns | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Revolution plays to subdued Cape audiences [December 2009 / CCT]

Revolution came to town for a while–in the form of a movie, Michael Moore’s “Capitalism: a Love story.” It spent two or three weeks amongst us and then it was gone. For a revolution it didn’t cause much of a stir. In fact, after seeing it, I was amazed equally by the audacity of this […]

November 30, 2011 – 6:35 pm | By Brent | Posted in Columns | Tagged , , | Comments (0)