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The Daily Dose/September 11, 2008
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
   
Notes from around the Human Experience...
CAPSULE BOOK REVIEW: Mike's Election Guide 2008 By Michael Moore: Michael Moore is back with his seventh book. This is the third we've read (Stupid White Men; Dude, Where's My Country) and Mike's Election Guide 2008 is in much the same vein: Moore is not pleased with what his country has been up to, and he is going to tell you about it.
The written word is not Mike's best medium. His sharpest blade is film or television (Fahrenheit 911, Sicko, TV Nation) and he writes like he's writing a film narration but that's all right. Moore's books are like Mike himself, expansive, funny and smart, and are worth the time of anyone who either 1) thinks, or 2) cares about his country, or, ideally, both.
Leading Off: The book starts off with "Ask Mike", featuring regular people asking Mike questions. The questions are sort of funny, like "The Ayatollah had something to do with 9/11, right?" or "If Obama can't bowl, how can he govern?" and Moore's answers are funny, but he rambles a bit, and, honestly, this probably would have worked better onscreen.
Brass Tacks: The book's basic tenant is found in Chapter 2: This has got to be the most winnable election for the Democrats in history. The economy stinks, we are in a war we have no business being in and you can't help get the impression the Bush Administration has been nothing more than a vehicle for Bush and Cheney friends to get rich.
So, typically, Moore gives advice to the Democrats in how to blow this election, which, as he pointed, they have no business losing. Moore presents a six-point program for getting John McCain elected, which is pretty funny, but would be funnier if it wasn't for the fact it is very easy to see the Democrats actually blowing this election despite themselves.
Moore follows that up with ten decrees the new president should make and also talks about one of his fave subjects, health care, and one of his decrees is that no one will ever make a profit on health care.
A Digression: We think Moore made his best points regarding health care in his really good movie Sicko. The first point he made, and we had never really thought about it in this context before, was that the current health insurance system covers a quarter of a billion people. And it works for most of them. Most people in this country aren't financially devastated after a trip to the hospital. And most don't die because a committee voted to deny them care.
But the system doesn't work for everybody, either because they can't get access to it, or because it fails to deliver the care required.
Which makes the solution to the problem fairly plain: don't worry about the quarter of a billion people for whom the system works. There is no reason to fix it. But there is a place for government to step in and help those for whom the system either doesn't work or doesn't provide access.
We are not entirely sure we agree with Moore's suggestion that no one should make a profit from health care. We're a for-profit country. It's a hazard of the free market, and for-profit medicine has a long history in this country, back to the days when doctors exchanged their services for either cash or a couple of chickens or whatever useful item of barter a patient could produce.
Uh, Can We Get Back On Message Here? Moore is passionately hated by some, for reasons we've never been entirely clear on. I mean, he's a nice, funny guy. He means well; all he wants is for his country to work better. But he is usually dismissed by those who disagree with him as a wacko, which isn't fair to him because he has a point to make, namely this country is not getting the most out of its collective talents.
An Observation: It's too bad national discussion in this country has devolved into a cesspool of people spewing forth opinions like Old Faithful and either you agree with them or you don't and if you don't you are wrong. Thoughtful discussion has gone the way of the reasonably priced gasoline, it's gone, probably for good..
In Closing: Moore also makes some very good points about improving elections in this country. We don't agree with every one, but holding them on weekends and limiting campaigning to four months before a primary and two months before a general election sound reasonable, especially when you consider that Obama started his campaign in early 2007. He wraps up Election Guide 2008 with a candidate guide for various Senate and Congressional races.
Standard Disclaimer: Gaylon is not a professional book reviewer. He tends read only things that interest him and there is no guarantee the book being reviewed is current or even being read for the first time. All opinions are based on his own personal preferences, and not on stuffy, established literary criteria.
We Interrupt This Column For A Word From The Ratings Department: Following Is The Official Writer's Shack Rating scale:
EX - Excellent; as good as the medium can produce in every respect.
VG - Very Good. Well worth your time.
GD - Good. Worth your time.
AR - All Right. Not completely without merit.
SP - Nothing of substance; a steaming pile, utterly without merit.
Final Ranking: GD. Michael Moore has, has usual produced a very readable book that makes points any thinking American should consider, if not completely agree with. "Ask Mike" could have been stronger, but, overall, a book worth any thinking American's time. He finishes strong too, with the Appendix showing how to take quotes from the book completely out of context and Notes and Sources shows he didn't make all this up.
I DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR: On this date, in 1789, Alexander Hamilton becomes Secretary of the Treasury after President Washington's original nominee, Robert Morris, declined the position. Hamilton would serve until resigning in Jan. 1795. He would be killed in a duel with then Vice-President Aaron Burr in 1804.
Editor's Note: With the 2008 Chicago Cubs conveniently starting their collapse having lost eight out of their last nine, we can all turn our attention to our chronicling of the 1908 Cubs season, which resulted in their last World Series title.
Uh, This Is Making It Kind Of Hard To Gain Any Ground: On Sept. 11, 1908 the Chicago Cubs won again, but so did the Giants and the goddamn Pirates, so they don't gain any ground. The Cubs smacked around the Cardinals 8-3, but the Giants beat Brooklyn 6-1 and the Pirates beat the Reds 2-1, so the Cubs remain two games behind the Giants, and a half-game behind the Pirates in the National League. The Cubs have 20 games left.
Dry, Technical Matter: The Cubs get twelve hits and four walks, and Jack Pfiester went all the way to get the win, allowing six hits. The Cubs continue their series in St. Louis, before heading east to Boston and Philadelphia before beginning a four-game showdown in New York on Sept. 22.
Hey Batter, Batter: On this date, in 1985, Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds singles off of San Diego Padre pitcher Eric Show, his 4,192nd hit, breaking Ty Cobb's all-time major league record.
Your Column Four Foto For Today: Phyllis George
Thought For The Day: I was by no means a scholar, simply an interested reader with nothing to do but live and learn. - Louis L'Amour
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: Pete Rose holds the major league record for most seasons playing 150 or more games with 17, and Willie Mays holds the major league record for most consecutive seasons playing 150 or more games with 13.
Today's Stumper: Whose National League hit record did Pete Rose break? - Answer next time!
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