Dec
14
2022

'Tis A Telegenic Uniform

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Martin Gurri (author of the book on your right) has an update on the state of play for Our Magnificent Elites. Let's start with Question One: who the heck are they?

They are the best—and if you have any doubt, they will explain to you why. For example, ask Anthony Fauci and he will tell you, “I represent science.” Ask a high-flying U.N. undersecretary with a degree in journalism and she will say, “We own the science and the world should know about it.” Think of how amazing that is! To be an elite is to hold a 30-year mortgage on science, zero interest, payment infinitely deferred.

They are also the smartest. In fact, the elites resemble those science fiction beings with enormous brains and thoughts too complex for normal communication. They keep trying to explain the meaning of everything, but all that ordinary people hear is a series of dull clicks and buzzes. That leaves the elites frustrated and sad. They are often misunderstood by the public because—as a French parliamentarian put it—their ideas are “too intelligent, too subtle, too technical.”

Here’s another way to detect an elite: They are “I” while the rest of us are “them.” The difference in character is not subtle. For “I,” think Mahatma Gandhi or St. Francis of Assisi—for “them,” the Beast of the Apocalypse. Let the ever-helpful Anthony Fauci illustrate the point: “I’m going to be saving lives,” he said, “and they’re going to be telling lies.”

Worth your while. Unfortunately, the elite are smart, sure. But mostly not smart enough to know what they don't know.

(Our headline is a not-so-clever anagram of "Our Magnificent Elites", or so the Internet Anagram Server claims.)

Briefly noted:

  • Jazz Shaw notes another lost battle in the War on Drugs: CVS and Walgreens to pay billions over something they couldn't have stopped.

    A long-simmering lawsuit attempting to at least partially blame two of the larger pharmacy chains in the United States for a steep rise in drug overdose incidents came to a close today. Both CVS and Walgreens have agreed to the proposed terms and they will fork over a combined 10.7 billion dollars, with Walgreens paying a slightly higher amount. The companies have also agreed to implement more “robust” controlled substance compliance programs, prescription reviews and training programs. Going completely unmentioned in this settlement is the fact that nobody at either pharmacy chain actually writes prescriptions. And where will all of this money be going? To state and local governments, with a small amount going to indigenous tribes.

    And lawyers. They are making about $750 million off that, which should buy them a lot of cocaine.

  • Jim Geraghty wonders Why Does Pete Buttigieg Keep Using Private Jets?. And, spoiler, the answer seems to be, more or less, the same as the punchline to that old joke: because he can. But for a longer and more amusing answer:

    I doubt many members of the media will rouse themselves to ask Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg tough questions about why he’s used taxpayer-funded private jets at least 18 times since taking office, even though that sort of thing was a big deal back when former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price did it. I mean, if there’s anybody in the administration who shouldn’t be flying on private jets, it’s the guy who’s always nagging you to reduce your carbon footprint by buying an electric car. But hey, Buttigieg is a Democrat, so when he flies on a private jet at taxpayer expense, it isn’t a bad thing.

    Maybe because he’s secretary of transportation, Buttigieg has a unique excuse: “Hey, you don’t expect me to fly commercial, do you? Have you been to an airport lately? Air travel in this country is a mess! The flights are always delayed and getting canceled, the lines are long, the staff behind the counter always looks overworked and exhausted, it’s always a hassle to get to the airport and out of it, and some weirdo is always stealing your luggage. Really, air travel in this country is a disaster, and somebody in our government ought to do something about it.”


Last Modified 2024-01-22 9:03 AM EDT