Not a single mention of "hate speech" regarding the devine Ms. Sykes. As far as anyone can know, from the media blackout, the President is still having a smoke when an opportunity comes along. Michelle wears sneakers to a meal handout that could have bought another week's worth of meals, and it's "nothing".(*snort*) And examples abound over the years of righteously anti-gun public figures feeling entitled to carry one of their own, or hire someone to do it for them. Now, after assorted CEOs were burned at the stake by self-righteous, and self-appoined guardians of "excess", Oprah feels perfectly comfortable singing the praises of wealth at a commencement ceremony. Imagine that... None of this is new. The Hollywood "Green" elite, have been tromping around with a carbon footprint the size of a T-Rex for decades, of course at the same time berating the Little People for theirs.
Is there a pattern here? Har! And once again the origins are simplicity itself. The Left, the Liberals, the "Progressives", have *always* considered themselves superior to the rest of us. (Can you say "Idiocracy"?) And as our superiors, they consider themselves therefore *exempt* from the sermons, and the lessons, and the policies that they advocate for us. They really do consider themselves both enlightened, and entitled to lead the rest of us. Yes, it's just that simple. There are a number of sound, ideological reasons for the fact that I shake out on issues(and on life) as a Conservative. But this repulsive hypocrisy, borne of an equally repulsive arrogance, is right up there at the top for reasons that I would *not* ever be a Progressive, regardless of issues.
gus.
By Robert Frank
The private-jet industry may have finally found its savior.
During a speech to Duke Universitys graduating class, Oprah talked about the secrets and joys of success. Among them: owning a mansion and a jet.
Bombardier
Its great to have a nice home. Its great to have nice homes! Its great to have a nice home that just escaped the fire in Santa Barbara, she told the students. Its great to have a private jet. Anyone that tells you that having your own private jet isnt great is lying to you.
She went on to explain that you havent completed the circle of success until you help someone else move to a higher ground and get to a better place.
The golden nugget here is the jet part. In these times of hair-shirt capitalism and envy politics, the wealthy have been going to great lengths to pretend they dont enjoy luxury or want nice stuff. If Oprah were like most of the faux-populist rich today, she would have said something like, I dont need private jets, in fact Im happier flying commercial and living in a small house. I like the simple life. Of course, she would be lying.
But she didnt. She told the truth, which is that flying in a private jet is one of the great material perks that money can buy. (Talk to anyone who used to be rich and they will say one thing they really miss is the jet. Apparently Oprahs ride is a $42 million custom-build Global Express XRS built by Bombardier Aerospace).
For the past few months, the private-jet industry has been mounting an enormous public-relations campaign to get people to fly private again. It will take a recovery and wealth creation to really turn the business around. Perhaps for the public-relations part, it should forget all the boring arguments about jobs and productivity and efficiency and run a picture of Oprah with one simple line: Its Great to Have a Private Jet.
http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2009/05/11/oprah-its-great-to-have-a-private-jet/
