Stand Up Notes from Flyover Country: Vice — Legalize It!

There is no doubt the State of Ohio, like many others, is in a financial mess. If you looked at the history of our economy you would notice that there have always been ups and downs. Individuals seem to understand this and plan for times of lean and times of plenty. Governments and our elected officials seem to have missed that day in Economics 101. Governments always seem to be shocked when the economy goes south for a while.

Our Governor Tom Strickland has a plan to balance the Ohio budget. Here it is in a nutshell: “Let’s gamble our way to prosperity!” As a comic my natural instinct is to ridicule this idea and to highlight the fact the Governor is ignoring that four times in the last twenty years the voters, by a wide margin, have refused casino gambling. (more…)

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Tags: budget shortfalls, casinos, dope, drugs, economics
Posted Sep 2nd 2009 at 10:31 am in News, Political Humor, Politics | 21189450 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjena/2009/09/02/why-just-gambling/Stand+Up+Notes+from+Flyover+Country%3A+Vice+--+Legalize+It%21+2009-09-02+17%3A31%3A14Jeffrey+Jena

Hollywood Gets a Pass as Desperate Dems Crank Up Class Warfare Machine

The Democrats, after getting their butts kicked all through July, are trying to change the momentum by raising the bloody flag of class warfare. Last Friday the House of Representatives voted 237-185 along party lines to enable financial regulators to limit Wall Street pay and bonus packages they deem inappropriate. The new regulation would affect firms worth over $1 billion, whether or not they got government bailout funds. The Washington Post and AP both asserted the House was responding to looming “populist anger,” although polls suggest recent public concern has been over spending and health care. 

Class warfare rests on the assumption, usually well disguised and used very selectively, that capitalist profits are a rip-off, a heist, “unearned.” In his recent health-care pitch, President Obama declared insurance companies are “making record profits,” a questionable claim but presumably identifying both the evil enemy and the room for government to save money, if you buy that the government can deliver something as good for the same cost.   (more…)

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Tags: capitalism, class warfare, creative destruction, economics, health care
Posted Aug 6th 2009 at 12:04 pm in Entertainment, Politics | 19841858 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/eazlant/2009/08/06/dems-crank-up-class-warfare-what-about-hollywood/Hollywood+Gets+a+Pass+as+Desperate+Dems+Crank+Up+Class+Warfare+Machine2009-08-06+19%3A04%3A22Edward+Azlant

Do The Warhol—Part 4: The Manhattan Project of the Culture War

When preaching to the choir, one directs one’s lessons to those who already agree.  Conversely, those who otherwise might listen and gain something useful get nothing.  More on that as this inter-connected series of observations comes to an end.

American Icon: “If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, and there I am. There's nothing behind it.”

Vast, determined, highly successful forces and superior technologies dominated the theaters of WWII prior to America’s entry into the conflict after Pearl Harbor in 1941.  The Manhattan Project began in August of 1942, a couple of months before General George Patton invaded North Africa.  Character, strategy, and tactics played as large a role in dealing with Panzer and Tiger tanks as did Patton’s Shermans, of course, because firepower alone was insufficient in itself.  But the defeat of one totalitarian threat by 1945 was not apt to make much difference in taking down another in a place where school children were being trained to fight to the death for the Empire— with sharpened sticks.  The Manhattan Project, through funding, research, experimentation, design, development and production, met the challenge and made the difference. (more…)

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Tags: Art, breitbart, capitalism, consumer culture, Culture
Posted Jul 26th 2009 at 6:55 am in Art, Classic Hollywood, Featured Story, Politics | 18482232 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sgraves/2009/07/26/do-the-warhol-conclusions-the-manhattan-project-of-the-culture-war/Do+The+Warhol%E2%80%94Part+4%3A+The+Manhattan+Project+of+the+Culture+War2009-07-26+13%3A55%3A12Scott+Graves

Do The Warhol—Part 1: The Business of Vision

Your correspondent, as absorbed by the Warhol Museum, 117 Sandusky Street, Pittsburgh, PA.

A dance craze— like “freaking”— it is not, but rather, a point of view.

Back in January of this year, Andrew Breitbart announced “Big Hollywood’s modest objective: to change the entertainment industry”.  The announcement is as important as it is radical, assessing the power of Pop Culture in shaping global attitudes and standing athwart contemporary assaults on Western values, yelling, as did William Buckley in 1955, Stop.

Ask yourself: Is a vision of the world that is contrary in almost every way to the prevailing cultural paradigms a difficult “sell”?  Given this is always so, how is such a challenge overcome? (more…)

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Tags: Andrew Breitbart, Art, artists, classical liberals, Conservatives
Posted Jul 23rd 2009 at 6:56 am in Art, Classic Hollywood, Politics | 17912639 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sgraves/2009/07/23/do-the-warhol%e2%80%94-part-1-the-business-of-vision/Do+The+Warhol%E2%80%94Part+1%3A+The+Business+of+Vision+2009-07-23+13%3A56%3A47Scott+Graves

Fans Flock to Mourn California, 1849-2009

LOS ANGELES – Millions of fans from around the globe gathered along Sunset Boulevard to pay final respects to California today, as a slow moving funeral procession transported the eccentric superstar state’s remains to its final resting place in a Winchell’s Donuts dumpster in Van Nuys. The self-proclaimed ‘King of Pop Culture’ died last week at 160, in what coroners ruled an accidental case of financial autoerotic asphyxiation. The death sent shock waves across the world and sparked an outpouring of grief by rabid fans.

“I don’t care what the tabloids and the Wall Street Journal say,” said a weeping Illinois. “I still love you, Cali!”

The 640-mile long funeral parade route was lined with flowers, candles, teddy bears, and IOUs from millions of mourners and debtors who made the somber journey to watch the passing of the state that had once ruled the box office and industrial charts. Among them were current chart-toppers who cited California as a key influence.

“If it wasn’t for California, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” said Arizona of Westside 3, the popular Sunbelt trio who recently benefited from the late state’s generous gift of fleeing taxpayers and businesses. As a tribute to their mentor, Arizona vowed the group would start spending money “like crack-addled hip hop stars.” (more…)

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Tags: 'King of Pop Culture', Arnold Schwarzenegger, autoerotic asphyxiation, California, deficit
Posted Jul 8th 2009 at 3:08 pm in Featured Story, Political Humor | 179458131 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dburge/2009/07/08/fans-flock-to-mourn-california-1849-2009/Fans+Flock+to+Mourn+California%2C+1849-2009+2009-07-08+22%3A08%3A19Iowahawk

USA’s ‘Royal Pains’ Commits Economics Malpractice

USA’s new series “Royal Pains” is about Dr. Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein), who serves as a “concierge doctor” to the rich and semi-famous residents of the Hamptons.  In the course of the show, there are some unfortunate public policy claims made. In the second episode, entitled “There will be food,” Dr. Hank is trying to provide health care to a not particularly well-to-do fisherman. Hank gives a short lecture on price gouging and hospitals “screwing” people. A heavily discussed theme in this episode involves the need for a free clinic for the regular people who make the Hamptons run and the selfishness of the person who would have been the biggest donor to the clinic who is instead spent his money on a retirement party for a ballerina. In any case, the dialogue for this segment that I would like to focus on is as follows: (more…)

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Tags: economics, gas prices, health care, Mark Feuerstein, medical insurance
Posted Jun 16th 2009 at 6:44 am in Entertainment, Media Criticism, Politics | 1606982 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jlott/2009/06/16/some-tv-malpractice-on-economics/USA%27s+%27Royal+Pains%27+Commits+Economics+Malpractice2009-06-16+13%3A44%3A20John+Lott

Let’s Tax Guns, Talk Radio, Ambition and Taxes

When you spend a few trillion bucks you don’t have, at some point you need to come up with a plan to pay that money back. If you don’t, you look bad and no messianic cult figure ever wants to look like he doesn’t know what’s up. If you are a working stiff you have two ways to get money to pay off your debts, earn more or spend less. If you own the printing press like the Federal Government you have another option, create inflation. For example, if you printed enough money to cause inflation to rise by a factor of ten you could pay back a trillion dollars of debt with money that is in reality only worth 100 billion. The down side of that is that milk ends up costing thirty-three dollars a gallon.

Another thing a government can do to raise revenue to pay off their debt is expand the economy. That one is tough when you have just bought GM, AIG and are getting ready to nationalize health care. Corporate types aren’t too keen to expand their businesses when Uncle Sam is looking to control them.

A third option is to raise taxes. When President Obama was still candidate Obama he promised not to raise taxes on the middle class. At least I think that’s what he said, or did he say income taxes? Then too, there was a little vacillation on what was meant by middle class. Was it earners over $250,000 or $150,000? (more…)

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Tags: AIG, economics, GM, national health, NPR
Posted Jun 11th 2009 at 4:14 pm in Politics | 155070No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjena/2009/06/11/new-progressive-tax-proposals/Let%27s+Tax+Guns%2C+Talk+Radio%2C+Ambition+and+Taxes2009-06-11+23%3A14%3A24Jeffrey+Jena

Burnt Offerings: The Horror, the Horror

I would like to introduce my cousin Michael Rulle. My mother and his father were brother and sister,  and his father, Uncle Mike, shaped a lot of our political ideas, though we thought he may have been the anti-christ, as he was a conservative and we were Kennedy democrats for a bit.

William F. Buckley was Uncle Mike’s favorite and we frequently were subjected to long dissertations.

Thank God for Uncle Mike.

When we were younger my cousin Michael and I would put on political skits. This was in the 60s and I must say we were ahead of our time.  I like to think that we’re still ahead on some things — most recently when the economic crisis first started my cousin provided insights that only now some are talking about. He was WAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE, which is why I want to share his voice with you.

His latest piece, “The Horror……the Horror” is a good starting point. Then I suggest you go back to his blog “The Law of the Bad Premise” and share his stuff with your friends. (more…)

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Tags: "The Horror ... the Horror, economic crisis, economics, Law Of The Bad Premise, Michael Rulle
Posted Apr 25th 2009 at 6:59 am in Featured Story, News, Politics | 1169703 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/rdavi/2009/04/25/burnt-offerings-the-horror-the-horror/Burnt+Offerings%3A+The+Horror%2C+the+Horror2009-04-25+13%3A59%3A22Robert+Davi

I’m ‘Shocked’ But Still Take Full Responsibility

As all the politicians, left and right, run around feigning indignation at the bonuses paid to a few AIG executives I am reminded of the scene in the movie “Casablanca” when Captain Renault closes down Rick’s Café American. As his deputies empty the casino in the back room he exclaims with stunned surprise, “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” He says this just as one of Sam’s employees brings him his winnings.

I am not sure what makes me angrier, that absolutely bogus attitude or their overwhelming incompetence, but that’s not what I want to write about today. I’m not going to write about a lot of stuff here. I am not going to write about fact that Chris Dodd wrote the rule that allowed these bonuses and then in perfect Clintonese quasi denied it when he said, “I can’t point a finger at someone who was responsible for putting those dates in. I can tell you this much, when my language left the Senate, it did not include it. When it came back, it did.” Then when confronted with his lie, he owned up to it. I won’t spend time on the fact he took a ton of campaign dough from AIG, headquartered in his state. (more…)

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Tags: AIG, AIG Bonuses, bailouts, Chris Dodd, economics
Posted Mar 23rd 2009 at 6:02 am in Featured Story, Politics | 8611881 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjena/2009/03/23/i-take-full-responsibility/I%27m+%27Shocked%27+But+Still+Take+Full+Responsibility2009-03-23+13%3A02%3A20Jeffrey+Jena

Mr. President, Is My Job Worth Saving?

Just in case you’ve never read my bio, I am a stand-up comedian and have been slinging jokes for over thirty years. I have had my ups and downs, worked the road for years, gigged in dumps and Vegas palaces, done TV and had a few shots at the big time. I have hurt my career by my personal behavior and I blame no one but myself for that.

I reinvented myself as a performer almost as many time as Dylan and I’m still standing. To quote my good friend, radio host Marc Germain, “I’m better than most and not as good as some.” (more…)

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Tags: AFL-CIO, Bahamas, Barack Obama, Barney Frank, Bob Dylan
Posted Mar 6th 2009 at 11:25 am in Entertainment, Political Humor, Politics | 73738103 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjena/2009/03/06/mr-president-is-my-job-worth-saving/Mr.+President%2C+Is+My+Job+Worth+Saving%3F2009-03-06+19%3A25%3A48Jeffrey+Jena

Fool’s Gold

There’s a new gold rush on but you don’t have to head to the hills of California to be part of it.  All you have to do is tune in to talk radio and jot down an “800″ number where a few of the big syndicated shows pimp for the gold merchants.  The ads for these companies are all over radio and television.

I have no problem with a host or show taking advertising from any product.  If Rush wants to run a few Obama ads, no problem. If Dr. Savage can sell ads to the ACLU, I say he should give his sales staff a bonus. I’m a capitalist all for making a nickel who believes in the old saying, caveat emptor – buyer beware.  Yet, it’s different when the host reads the commercial live.  This signifies a level of approval beyond “we let this guy buy ads on our show.” (more…)

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Tags: ACLU, Alaska, California, CNBC, DNC
Posted Feb 26th 2009 at 5:43 pm in Media Criticism, Politics | 6586258 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjena/2009/02/26/gold-pimps/Fool%27s+Gold2009-02-27+01%3A43%3A24Jeffrey+Jena