I deserved it. I didn’t get it. And those who didn’t give it to me are evil.

That’s the “Cliffs Notes” version of some remarks made to a reporter by Michael Moore last week. Moore was on the red carpet at Washington, DC’s Uptown Theatre, the night of the premiere of his new film “Capitalism: A Love Story.”

Unlike recent interviews of Moore that you might have seen at, oh, say, CNN (Thanks Larry King for breathlessly hanging on Moore’s every word), CNSNews.Com reporter Nichloas Ballasy scored a brief, low-keyed, on-camera interview wherein he actually asked Moore an intelligent question.

Noting that Moore has been financially successful in the American capitalistic economic system, Ballasy asked “...How would you justify making a movie where you paint capitalism as evil?”

“Well, capitalism did nothing for me, starting with my first film” Moore replied. “You know, I had to pretty much beg, borrow and steal. The system is not set up to help somebody from the working class make a movie like this and get the truth out there…”

Amazing how easily one guy can dismiss an idea (capitalism) that has empowered and transformed nations for more than two centuries. .

I realize these were just spontaneous, off-handed remarks that Moore was making, but if he wants us to take him seriously – and by every indication he does – then his words are fair-game for scrutiny.

So let’s start from the beginning on this one. “..Capitalism did nothing for me, starting with my first film.” This statement indicates no comprehension of the many ways in which capitalism has enabled the very existence of the film industry, and allowed Moore the possibility of a career as a film producer. Without our capitalistic economy, there’s a good chance that neither of these things - - neither the industry, nor Moore’s career in it – would have ever materialized. Certainly neither of these things would have flourished the way they have, without capitalism.

But why bother with historical facts or, for that matter, objective reality? Michael feels scorned, so, therefore, his perceived assailants are just “bad.”

Then there’s this sentence: “You know, I had to pretty much beg, borrow, and steal.” I’ll presume that Moore isn’t admitting to actual “theft,” but rather, he is saying that he had to struggle to find the funding necessary to produce his first film.

And, gosh, think about it. Michael had a struggle in his life. He encountered challenges on his way to becoming a wealthy film producer. His career was not instantly given to him. It was difficult for him to produce his first film. Shouldn’t we all feel terrible about this? Continued...