The Corner

Michael Moore — An Inspiration to Capitalists Everywhere

I enjoyed this item, from the “Letters” column of this morning’s Wall

Street Journal:

Heading: “Do as He Does, Not as He Says”

“A job is a human right? A living wage is a human right? In response to the

May 19 feature “Moore of the Same,” let us pay less attention to what

Michael Moore utters, or displays in his films, than to how he actually has

conducted his life. Here is a man who was down and out in a Michigan town

that was down and out, reeling from the domestic auto industry’s 1980s

retrenchment. Did Michael Moore whine and mew to the government, railing

that a job is a human right? Did he protest on the street, demanding a

living wage?

“Indeed not. Mr. Moore got off his (ample) derriere, employed his personal

energy and creativity, and founded his own film company. He made a

successful documentary-style movie about the situation in Flint — “Roger

and Me” — reaping critical praise and surprising commercial success.

“Building on this achievement, with absolutely no assistance from taxpayers,

Mr. Moore expanded his operations and made additional films and TV shows.

Eventually he concocted a film that garnered an Academy Award.

“Michael Moore in action is an exemplary entrepreneur and free-market

capitalist, a sterling example of the American way. He independently

produces a commodity that people purchase voluntarily, everyone going away

happy from the trade. He operates not with funds confiscated from the

citizenry, but with money generated by pleasing his customers.

“If everyone in the world would follow the principles underlying Mr. Moore’s

actual behavior, and completely ignore his inane nitwit clacking, our planet

would run in greased grooves and prosperity would be universal.

“J. Reynolds

“Houston, Texas”

John Derbyshire — Mr. Derbyshire is a former contributing editor of National Review.
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