Brooks Again.

"Two things happened to Sandra Bullock this month. First, she won an Academy Award for best actress. Then came the news reports claiming that her husband is an adulterous jerk. So the philosophic question of the day is: Would you take that as a deal? Would you exchange a tremendous professional triumph for a severe personal blow? ..

Nonetheless, if you had to take more than three seconds to think about this question, you are absolutely crazy."

Correction, Mr. Brooks: if you have to even ask that question, out loud, you are absolutely crazy. If you believe that those two things happening to Sandra Bullock one after another makes them a "deal" and triggers the "philosophic question of the day" you are absolutely crazy. If you think it's a useful narrative device to pose a question with an obvious answer only to tell us how obvious the answer is, you are absolutely crazy. If you think that professional success is the same as income or wealth ("the relationship between happiness and income"), you are absolutely crazy. If you think that any of this in any way corroborates your point about what the government should or shouldn't do, you are absolutely crazy. And finally, if you think this makes for a good use of your op-ed real estate, you are absolutely crazy.

Again.