When I first heard Charlie Sheen’s rants, I thought that they were the last words of man before he enters the institution, never to be heard from again. However, a funny thing happened. Charlie didn’t go away. He came back and kept coming back. People listened to him: some in disgust and some in admiration.

Here was the guy who had been the highest-paid TV actor of our time who lost his job because of his constant drug use. He frequently runs on and on about his “evil” former bosses in expletive-laden rants that often border on incoherent. He has also insulted his co-star, Jon Cryer, for no reason whatsoever.

However, there was another side to Charlie Sheen’s rants: his bragging. He bragged about his tiger blood and Adonis DNA. He called himself a “total freaken rockstar from Mars.” He claimed his brain was not of this “terrestrial realm.” Of course, he also went on endlessly about his “winning.”

It’s a easy to dismiss his tirades against his coworkers as delusions of persecution and the his bragging as delusions of grandeur, but the why isn’t really important, the public response is. The popularity of Charlie Sheen has outstripped everyone from Lady Gaga to Justin Bieber. So, the question is why?

The answer lies in the fact that even though Charlie Sheen may be crazy, he’s doing something so extraordinary that people are drawn to it: he’s enjoying himself. In our culture of self-denial and self-loathing, people who openly enjoy themselves are stomped down so fast that we seldom see it. That would have been the case with Charlie too. He was trashed repeatedly when he first spoke out, but he was crazy enough to keep going.

Here’s a clear example: Charlie was asked in his ABC interview if he loved to party. The question wasn’t really even a question, it was more of an admonition, as if to say “how could you.” Sheen was supposed to come back with some remark about his regrets. Instead, he replied “what’s not to love?” It was a statement of pure hedonism.

No one says things like that publicly. You aren’t supposed to enjoy life. Doesn’t Charlie know that people are in misery somewhere in the world? Is he not consumed with guilt? Apparently not, and that’s a uniquely good thing.

People are eating it up. We’re sick of people attacking every little bit of enjoyment that we have in life. We’re tired of it, and if it took a crazy man to show us the way then so be it. Perhaps, it was what was needed.

Perhaps, Charlie Sheen will have the last laugh too. For all the mockery of his incessant use of the word “winning,” Charlie Sheen’s attitude may win in the end. He’s become the biggest thing in entertainment, and he just needs to find a way to cash in on it. In the end, he may be crazy, but he might be crazy like a fox.

The following letter was sent to the President of M & I, Tom Ellis:

March 10, 2011
Mr. Tom Ellis, President
Marshall & Ilsley Corporation
770 N. Water Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
SENT VIA FASCIMILE AND REGULAR MAIL
Dear Mr. Ellis:
As you undoubtedly know, Governor Walker recently proposed a “budget
adjustment bill” to eviscerate public employees’ right to collectively bargain in
Wisconsin. ..

As you also know, Scott Walker did not campaign on this issue when he ran for
office. If he had, we are confident that you would not be listed among his largest
contributors. As such, we are contacting you now to request your support.

The undersigned groups would like your company to publicly oppose Governor
Walker’s efforts to virtually eliminate collective bargaining for public employees in
Wisconsin. While we appreciate that you may need some time to consider this
request, we ask for your response by March 17. In the event that you do not
respond to this request by that date, we will assume that you stand with
Governor Walker and against the teachers, nurses, police officers, fire fighters,
and other dedicated public employees who serve our communities.

In the event that you cannot support this effort to save collective bargaining,
please be advised that the undersigned will publicly and formally boycott the
goods and services provided by your company. However, if you join us, we will
do everything in our power to publicly celebrate your partnership in the fight to
preserve the right of public employees to be heard at the bargaining table.
Wisconsin’s public employee unions serve to protect and promote equality and
fairness in the workplace. We hope you will stand with us and publicly share that
ideal.

In the event you would like to discuss this matter further, please contact the
executive Director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, Jim Palmer,
at 608.273.3840.

Thank you in advance for your consideration. We look forward to hearing from
you soon.

James L. Palmer, Executive Director
Wisconsin Professional Police Association
Mahlon Mitchell,President
Professional Professional Fire Fighters
Jim Conway, President
International Association of Fire Fighters Local 311
John Matthews, Execuctive Director
Madison Teachers, Inc.
Keith Patt, Executive Director
Green Bay Education Association
Bob Richardson, President
Dane County Deputy Sheriffs Association
Dan Frei, Prersident
Madison Professional Police Officers Association

This video from the Heritage Foundation explains how collective bargaining works in the real world, and how it undermines democracy. Not only can the unions control what the government does, but the cycle of monetary contributions between politicians and union leaders ensures that the public is the real loser of collective bargaining: Politicians have incentives to give generously to unions so that the union leaders will give them generous contributions at election time. Democrat politicians are the largest recipients of union contributions and typically return favors to the unions, much the the detriment of the tax payer.