Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Thank you.
I wanted to see if a politician would accept money from anyone.
You know, and I mean anyone, all right?
I don't mean, like, R.J. Reynolds...
which gave a million dollars to the Republicans...
and a half a million dollars...
to the non-smoking Democrats this year.
I'm talking about truly despicable groups.
So I formed four of those despicable groups myself.
Got a bank to give me a checking account for each...
with the name of the group on the check...
and then sent $100 contributions to each of the candidates.
So Bob Dole received $100...
from the Satan Worshipers for Dole Club.
Clinton got $100 from the Hemp Growers of America.
Pat Buchanan got $100 from Abortionists for Buchanan.
And...
Ross Perot got $100 from the Pedophiles for Free Trade.
And who do you think cashed the check first?
That's right, Pat Buchanan.
And here's the check right here...
the actual check, with his endorsement on the back.
Abortionists for Buchanan. Mr. "Right to Life" himself.
The Clinton-Gore campaign cashed their check...
from the Hemp Growers of America. Right here.
The thing looks like it had been rolled up...
and stashed away for about who knows how long.
But you know how it is...
when you're receiving contributions from hemp growers.
And Ross Perot sent us a lovely form letter...
that obviously was spit out of some computer...
because it said, "I'd like to thank you...
"and your fellow pedophiles for your support."
It's true.
Oh, we live in sick times. Sick, sick times.
You know, I always like to see people...
happy and having a good time.
Take these people, for instance.
They've been having a real good time.
Me? Well, I've been out of work.
So I did what most people like me do...
when they can't get a job... I wrote a book!
"Downsize This! Random Threats from an Unarmed American."
I sold it to Random House.
They asked me if I wouldn't mind...
going on a little author tour, say four or five cities.
I said, "Sure. Sounds good."
Especially considering I had no college education...
and flunked 12th grade English.
I kind of liked the idea of being part of a go-go economy.
I could see it now... Pulitzers, Nobels...
and appearances on "The Jerry Springer Show."
There was one little problem with my master plan...
that check I wrote the president.
Seems the White House didn't like it.
I told them I was just having some fun.
He is a dangerous person.
Boy, he sure seemed defensive.
Of course, at that time...
none of us knew that lots of other people...
were writing checks to the president...
and getting better perks than me.
When it looked like...
I wasn't going to have the normal author tour...
I called up a few filmmaking friends of mine...
Tia, Jim, Brian, and Chris...
and told them to gather their gear...
and meet me in St. Louis.
Not you, but...
Chris, never throw away your tickets.
Why don't you do a special on us?
- On how much you make? - And how much work we do.
Did you ever get your union back?
- Sort of. - Sort of?
We'll tell you the next time, if we do get a raise, ever.
Yeah. When was the last time you had a raise?
- '83? - I don't know.
'83?
I don't know if it was '78 or '82.
The cameraman wasn't even born in '83.
Oh, my...
This is my seat. I'll see you, boys.
- Economy was full? - Yeah. It's all full back there.
I gotta sit up here.
But I'll check in with you guys, OK?
♪ Roll along, roll along ♪
♪ Convoy in the sky ♪
♪ Roll along, roll along ♪
♪ Convoy in the sky ♪
Each day of the tour...
was supposed to be pretty much the same.
Get up at 4:30 in the morning...
fly to the next city...
and be met by the local Random House publicist...
who they referred to as my "media escort."
The escort's job was to keep me out of trouble...
and report all my activities back to headquarters.
This escort from Random House...
she doesn't know anything about this film.
In fact, nobody at Random House knows about this film.
They're gonna find out sometime today...
and they're probably not going to be very happy.
This is my media escort here in St. Louis.
- Please introduce yourself. - I'm Elaine Bly.
And it's about 6:15 in the morning here.
But it's a beautiful day.
We're gonna have a good day. Let's hope.
Let's get going.
No matter what city I was in...
it was always the same 20 interviews...
with the same 20 questions.
Look at all this airtime you've been giving Whitewater...
and how many millions has Congress spent...
trying to find out why just seven people lost their jobs...
in the White House Travel Office?
And not a dime has been spent investigating...
what happened to millions of Americans and their jobs.
Most of this welfare that we give corporations...
comes in the form of things like a million dollars to McDonald's
to help them promote Chicken McNuggets in Singapore.
That's our tax dollars.
Or the Pillsbury Company gets $11 million...
that goes to the Pillsbury Doughboy...
to be promoted in Third World countries.
With my interviews over...
I told the escort we'd be back in a few hours.
We headed out of the city...
to Centralia, Illinois, home of the PayDay candy bar.
People have been making PayDays here for over 60 years.
Back in 1992, Clinton visited Centralia...
on his first campaign for president.
My own state is full of places like Centralia...
places where there are good people...
who work hard and play by the rules...
who've been forgotten in George Bush's America.
I want to tell you something.
It doesn't have to be this way.
We can do better.
It is scandalous to waste the potential...
of the people of this community and our country.
They used to say that in Centralia...
every day is payday.
On the day I arrived...
they were told this would be their last.
Who's been here more than ten years?
You've worked here more... more than ten...
Who's been here more than 20 years?
She was here for 50 years.
It will be. Already is.
Know how we found out we were losin' our jobs?
The head of Leaf North America...
sends a videotape in to all the Leaf plants...
telling 'em how they're gonna reorganize and stuff.
"Oh, by the way, we're shuttin' the Centralia plant down."
A videotape.
- "And by the way." - Yeah.
When was the last time you had a strike here?
We've never been on strike.
- Never been on strike? - No!
- Never had a walkout? - No!
We've never even had an arbitration.
Do you have any idea...
what kind of profit you were making here?
27 million is what they said.
Twenty million here, just inside this building?
Profit, out of this plant.
And now, now what?
People will go off the deep end that lose their jobs in America.
It happens all the time.
Suicides will go up, divorce rates...
people start beatin' their kids that normally wouldn't.
I mean, damn!
People just lose it when they don't have an income...
or they have to go from making $10 an hour...
down to $5.00 an hour. It's tough!
Do you know what he's talking about?
Yeah? Are you worried about this?
- Yes! - I'm a single mother.
I can't buy a house or anything on $5.00 an hour.
Tell me something. I want to know...
what's going to happen to the United States of America...
when they downsize everything...
and we get down to where everybody's makin' minimum wage.
Who's gonna buy $30,000 cars? Who's gonna buy homes?
Who's gonna buy this stuff? I want to know!
And it's just gonna be like a snowball effect...
because then the automakers are gonna be out of work...
the construction people's gonna be...
Who's got the money to buy it...
if we're all downsized to $4.75 an hour?
When's it gonna end?
The workers told me that the manager from PayDay...
was still across the street in the factory...
so I decided to pay him a visit.
He said he'd talk to you...
without the camera if you'll talk to him.
All right, I'll come in. You stay here. OK?
What is the message to the American worker?
That if they come here and work hard and do well...
and because of their hard work the company does well...
their reward is unemployment?
If this place would've done better...
and would've made more profit...
it would have had a quicker payback.
You're saying if they had made a bigger profit here...
the move would've been even quicker to get out of here?
You're right.
If the workers here had done a worse job...
If the candy bar hadn't done as well...
there might still be a candy bar plant here?
- That's true. - That's insane.
Centralia, Illinois!
That's right!
PayDay back to Centralia where it belongs.
PayDay in Centralia. I want my job back, insurance.
I need it badly.
Everybody else needs it badly.
We all need our paydays.
- We want our jobs back. - Yep.
We need our jobs back.
The whole town needs these jobs back.
Hi.
This is my book. I take the cover off...
because I can't stand to look at the photo.
Look at... look... Who's got the...
Do you have a book down here? Let me see it.
Look at this. This is what they did.
Look at my fingernails.
They digitally gave me a manicure.
They cleaned my fingernails. Can you see... Look at that!
And I called them up at Random House, and I said...
"You know, I mean, while you were in there...
"if you were gonna be doing digital things...
"couldn't you take 10 pounds off the face?"
"Oh, no, no, no. We'll clean your fingernails.
"But then you gotta still look like this."
Jeez. Nineteen cities.
I can't bear to look at myself, thank you, anymore.
Signature only.
Signature, city and date.
"To Meredith," signature, city and date.
City and date.
"To Pat and Teresa."
- How's that? - That's great. Thank you.
- Yes. Thank you. - Anything else?
Sounds like the next title.
- You'll be there a day ahead. - Great. Thanks very much.
- OK. Bye. - Bye! We're off to Iowa.
♪ You heard me right ♪
♪ Yeow! ♪
♪ 100 cups of coffee, 500 cigarettes ♪
♪ A thousand miles of highway and I ain't forgot her yet ♪
♪ But I keep on movin' ♪
♪ I keep a-movin' on down the line ♪
♪ Ain't nothin' in my mirror ♪
♪ Just a cloud of dust and smoke ♪
♪ What did you expect ♪
♪ When some old trucker's heart gets broke ♪
♪ Whoo ♪
How do you feel about our choices in the election?
- I don't care which way it goes. - You what?
- I don't care which way it goes. - Why is that?
Because I just don't have no interest in it.
I wish we had a better choice, but we gotta pick between...
What would you call it? Between two evils.
Yeah, or I call it "the evil of two lessers."
How you guys doing with your jobs right now?
I work harder than I ever had to work in my life.
My kids are all grown up...
and I gotta work harder today than I did 20 years ago.
You gotta pay your rent, your electric, your water...
your gas and food and clothes for your kids.
And there's no money left.
At the end of the month, that's it.
- No. There's nothin' left. - And you're working two jobs?
- Yeah. - And raising your kids?
I have two little girls.
How do you do that? How do you work two jobs?
I work mornings at one and nights at the other.
- Every day? - Just about.
When do you get to see your kids?
I don't, not that often.
On the weekends, on a Sunday...
in the afternoon, 'cause Fairway's not open.
That would be like if you're divorced...
you get to see them on the weekends.
Yeah, and I'm not divorced.
I'm married and have a husband...
and I still don't get to see them...
because of the way it is in America and around the world.
It's just not fair.
Any words of advice to your fellow American voters?
- Don't vote. - Don't vote?
If you have to pick between them two, don't vote.
Hey, guys, do you get the feeling we're gonna have...
the lowest turnout ever in an election?
Yeah.
It's depressing. Let's go to McDonald's.
Is everybody stabilized for driving here?
I think "stabilized" is the wrong word...
to be used as you're eating this stuff.
Are there any napkins in there?
Hey, they put vegetables on my fish fillet.
Fuckers.
Do you ever wonder what happened to Steve Forbes?
He appeared from nowhere.
Had you heard of him before? Honest. Come on. Honest.
You heard of his dad, but have you heard of him?
No. Have you heard of him since?
Did you ever notice when he was on TV...
his eyes never blinked? Right?
I mean, they never blinked.
I saw him on Larry King. He didn't blink.
The whole time, the whole hour, he never blinked.
A couple nights later, he was on "Nightline."
They had the camera on him for a full minute.
Not once did the eyes blink.
Race was about principles and issues.
These principles are bigger than a single candidate...
bigger than a single campaign.
I'm thinking, "This is very strange,"
so I called up New York Hospital...
and asked for a doctor...
in the Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat Division.
And I said, "Doctor, I'm watching TV right now...
"and there's a guy on there...
"and his eyes have not blinked for a full minute.
"Is that possible?"
He said, "No.
"The human eye needs to blink every 15 or 20 seconds."
I said, "I'm telling you, now we're into two minutes.
"This guy's eyes... They've not blinked, not once."
And the doctor said, and I quote...
"Well, that's not human."
I'm getting a theory going here in my head, you know?
Not human. Right?
I'm thinking, "Don't look in his eyes.
Look away. Don't."
You don't look at his eyes, but he gets us with the sound.
"Flat tax, flat tax, flat tax, flat tax..."
Aah! Turn that sound down!
"Flat tax, flat tax, flat tax."
MOORE, CONTINUING: So back in February...
I was here in Des Moines, for the Iowa caucuses...
and I decided to go over to the Forbes headquarters...
to see if Steve was some kind of...
freak X-File brother from another planet.
And this guy comes out...
and he says, "Hi, my name is Chip Carter."
"Chip Carter? That's Jimmy Carter's son."
"No, I'm the other Chip Carter."
He had this weird look in his eyes too.
How long has Mr. Forbes been here?
Really only been on the ground 6 to 8 weeks.
Invasion of Iowa.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers in Iowa.
Steve Forbes was born where?
I have no idea. I can't remember.
You don't know?
Where did Steve Forbes come from?
Steve Forbes seems to have come from nowhere.
- Right? - Pretty much.
Where is nowhere?
It's somewhere out there.
I'm freakin' out, man. I'm thinkin'...
"OK, I'm in the Ramada in Des Moines tonight...
"and I'm triple dead bolting the door."
"I am not gonna die in Des Moines...
"you know, taken away by these space beings...
"calling themselves the Forbes campaign."
Where are you taking the spaceship here after Iowa?
I'm gonna go home to Oklahoma for a few days and rest...
and then they'll send me to another state.
OK. Um, all right.
Uh, I think we should probably let him go.
So anyways, the guy has disappeared, right?
And the only time that now you have any idea...
that they're still with us is if you ever notice...
certain people reading the publication...
with the name Forbes...
the name of their leader... on the magazine.
Usually men in three-piece suits...
white guys that look like they got a lot of money.
They're the aliens.
Beware of these people who read "Forbes" magazine.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much.
As I was signing copies of my book...
I was handed an anonymous note.
It read, "Hey, Michael...
"we're organizing here at Borders in Des Moines.
"There's a secret meeting statewide tomorrow night.
"We thought you should know that...
"we, the ragtag employees at Borders are not allowed...
"to do the book table for your reading.
"Only management is here tonight...
"selling your book to these people.
"Borders headquarters in Ann Arbor...
"says they're protecting us from you.
"Ah, well, you know the shtick. Take care."
They were awfully happy that you were here.
Great.
This was not my first strange encounter...
with the Borders book store chain on my tour.
At their Philadelphia store I had refused...
to cross a picket line blocking their entrance...
and instead I had brought the protesters...
inside with me to my reading.
That resulted in Borders refusing to let me speak...
at my scheduled appearance the following week...
in their New York store.
So, we got your note inside.
You're the people that work at Borders?
Mm-hmm.
And you're trying to organize the store?
Yeah.
And you wanted to meet me out here in the dark?
What's going on?
Well, we're actually...
Tomorrow night is an organizational meeting.
The entire store is getting together...
and we're meeting with an organizer...
and we're gonna go from there.
- Because why? - Because... There's a car.
Who's that?
It's no one. It's...
They told me...
they were afraid of being seen with me...
because the Borders regional manager...
had shown up to the event unannounced...
with a man they didn't recognize.
I don't even know who that person is.
No. We don't even like...
I don't want to think about who that person was.
We're afraid enough as it is.
Some corporate thug.
Yeah. Some union buster guy from Omaha.
Borders workers such as yourselves were not allowed...
to work the table here at the event tonight?
Right.
Only management could work the table?
Yes.
Field the questions. To protect us.
Protect you from what? From me?
I don't know. I even asked. Pointedly, I said...
"You mean you don't want us to hear what he has to say?"
Everybody in the store bought your book...
after they put the crunch on.
After they what?
Well, we felt this pressure...
After we all got kicked off the table...
we said, "What's in this book?"
Right. "Why can't we be here?"
It was really interesting.
They then told me that Borders was deducting...
money from their paychecks for a health plan...
that had no doctor in Des Moines.
We don't actually have health benefits at the moment.
We're paying for them.
We started paying for them in April...
but we don't have them.
So that was what really galvanized a lot of people.
They were sort of like...
"I'm paying for all of this and it's not..."
So it's actually, we don't have any benefits.
Almost everybody in the store has another job.
Mm-hmm. Really?
You have to work a second job if you work at Borders?
- Yes. - You have to do it.
To pay the bills. What do you...
We make six bucks an hour.
What second jobs do you guys work?
Discount retail store.
Yeah. In addition to working at Borders?
They post the results by our time cards,
So you sit there and you look at these long numbers...
of how much over profit we're doing...
and how well we're doing...
and then you're punching in and out...
and you're getting your little paycheck...
with your big hunk for health insurance...
that you can't use.
After taxes, what's your paycheck?
Mine's usually about 325.
That's every two weeks.
Every two weeks? So that's about, what?
A hundred and sixty a week. About 8,000 a year, after taxes.
What do you want?
What do you hope the union will get you?
We're not asking for 15 bucks an hour.
We're not even asking for ten.
- You'd be happy with... - Good God. Eight.
- Good luck. - Thanks, Michael.
Thank you very, very much. I really support you.
And I'll do what I can to help you win.
We headed off to Rockford, Illinois...
which, like my hometown of Flint, Michigan...
had just been named by "Money" magazine...
as the worst city in the country.
Driving through Rockford, I realized...
there were other similarities to Flint.
We had game show host Bob Eubanks.
They had actress Susan Saint James.
Culturally, we had Grand Funk Railroad...
and they had those "I want you to want me" guys...
Cheap Trick.
Random House had arranged for me...
to speak that night at the local Media Play.
No photos, please. No photos.
Media Play was a sprawling complex...
that sold books, CDs, videos, and you could probably get...
a ten-minute lube job while you wait.
Which way to home appliances?
I was really excited to learn that Rick Nielsen...
the lead guitarist from Cheap Trick...
lived just down the road.
So I asked Media Play's P.R. Director, Pat...
if she knew if he was in town.
I think she was worried I was gonna go off...
and hang with him, so she told me...
he was absolutely, definitely not in Rockford.
Why did I come to Rockford?
I really wanted to go to some cities...
other than the ones they usually send authors to...
New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, right?
And nobody ever comes to Rockford.
Right? And I know what that's like...
because I lived in Flint most of my life.
Nobody ever comes to Flint.
Thank you very much.
How ya doin', Mike?
- Who's this to? - Laura.
- L-a... - U-r-a.
What do you do here?
- What do I do? - Yeah.
I sell cars.
Oh, yeah? What kind of cars?
Fords. And I got laid off today.
Today? Oh, I'm sorry.
Wow. And this just happened today?
- Mm-hmm. - Do you have kids?
No, and I don't have kids.
But I don't know how they expect the people...
30 to 45 to be able to support their parents...
with jobs that they don't have any benefits...
on themselves, at minimum wage.
I'm really sorry.
Can I give you a hug? I'll come over there.
OK? I'm really, really sorry.
Yeah. That's OK.
I tell ya, every city I go to...
every day, this is what's goin' on.
You are not alone in this.
Well, I know that, and I'm...
That's why I'm glad that you're here...
and just seeing you meant a whole lot to me.
There you go. "Downsized but not out."
Well, that's true.
All right, hang in there, OK?
Really. Seriously, man. OK?
- Thank you very much. - I'm really sorry.
Thanks for coming to Number 300.
Ha ha! Fellow 300-ite.
That's right. Good luck, Flint, Michigan.
All right. Take care.
Any advice for... You came from the worst city in America.
Now you are in the worst city in America...
according to "Money" magazine.
Any advice for the beleaguered Rockford residents?
Yes. I've been to 20 cities so far in this tour...
and the entire country has seen the effects...
of what it's like to be downsized...
while these companies have gotten filthy rich...
and lots of people have lost their jobs.
Rick from Cheap Trick is not in town?
No. They're not in town.
They're not in town? And how do you know that?
Oh, we have our ways.
How do you feel about how it went tonight?
I hear that you only run about 3%.
People that listen to you only have about 3% book sales.
To me, you mean? That what they're saying?
Basically, yeah.
You have a lot of people that listen to you talk...
but they don't buy the book.
Right. Good point.
So, now, where do you get those numbers, from the reps?
- Mostly. Yeah. - From Random House?
Mm-hmm. Those people tell you a lot of things.
Yeah. Like who have you talked to?
Other stores. Other areas.
Give me an example.
Barnes and Noble tonight was really scared...
because they thought you were over there tonight...
and they were worried. They had no books.
Why don't they have any books?
I don't know why.
- They sold out, or... - Probably didn't buy any.
You don't think they bought any at the Barnes and Noble.
I want to review now what I've learned from you tonight.
Number one... only 3% of the people...
who come to hear me speak have actually bought a book.
Mmm, no. That's low.
Three percent?
I mean, there were 100 or more people here...
and they sold just over 100 books.
You know, it's a great sell-through on an event.
Usually, if you can sell at a ratio of 50%...
you're doing great.
Number two... Barnes and Noble didn't have any books...
because they probably didn't order any books.
Correct!
It's been just a real...
Right. Oh! These are all yours?
We were told that they had no books here.
That it wasn't even ordered.
Seriously?
- Yeah. - Told by who?
Somebody down the street there at Media Play.
You can't always believe everything you hear.
Yeah, I guess so, huh?
Last time we send people down there, huh?
Number three... Rick from Cheap Trick is not in town.
Nope.
Here's something you might know. It's three chords.
♪ For your love I'd give you anything ♪
♪ And more that's for sure ♪
♪ For your love do, do, do, do, do ♪
♪ Do, do, do, do ♪
You wrote a song, you know.
Too bad the Yardbirds already did it.
- Yeah, right. - They already covered it.
♪ Come, senators, congressmen ♪
♪ Please heed the call ♪
♪ Don't stand in the doorways ♪
♪ Don't block up the hall ♪
♪ For he who has stalled is he who is bald ♪
♪ Oh, the outside ♪
♪ It'll rattle your windows and you'll shake like a stone ♪
♪ For the times they are a-changin' ♪
Oh!
♪ For the times they are a-changin' ♪
♪ The answer my friend ♪
Forget this book tour. Forget the movie crap. Come on!
I could be a Dylan impersonator.
On the road, baby. You're it.
I am on the road. Forty-seven cities.
- That's commendable, you know. - How do you guys do this?
It's travel and perform, travel and perform.
That's, uh... you, uh...
You kind of look forward to a day off.
- I did Media Play in Rockford. - So did we.
- You did Media Play? - You're dang right we did.
- I don't feel so bad now. - Oh, thanks.
But I walked in there thinking, "What is this?"
I felt like that scene in "Spinal Tap", you know?
"Puppet show and Michael Moore, appearing tonight."
What's your advice for Milwaukee?
Well, where are you going?
We're going to Schwartz's book store.
Yeah, we're playing there next.
You've never played Schwartz's.
♪ On the road again ♪
Good night, everybody. Peace.
♪ I didn't understand till I was grown ♪
♪ Why my daddy didn't spend a little time at home ♪
♪ Instead of runnin' 'round the country ♪
♪ That way ♪
♪ Whoa ♪
♪ I'm lookin' at the world through a windshield ♪
♪ Seein' everything in a little bit different light ♪
♪ I got a sweet little thing ♪
♪ That I'm dyin' to see in Nashville ♪
Milwaukee is not a New York or a Chicago or an I. A...
so we don't tend to have as many high-profile celebrity types...
movie stars, et cetera. So we tend to get people...
who don't take themselves quite so seriously in Milwaukee.
We're considered more of a second-tier city...
so we get more thoughtful people...
who are literary writers or nonfiction writers...
or like Michael, who is doing...
really kind of an interesting book tour.
His is the most fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants...
book tour I've ever seen...
and I've been doing this for seven years...
where things are just sort of scratched...
and things are added, and people want him constantly,
to talk to him, to chat with him...
and he obliges, which is very nice...
but it throws the schedule a curve.
How does that make your life?
Do I have a twitch yet?
Union leaders have hopped into bed with management...
over the last two decades...
and every time management snapped their fingers...
unions would jump...
and they gave all these concessions...
in the '80s... Remember that?
One of the, actually, very funny pieces...
in this book is about your attempt...
to see if candidates would accept money from anybody.
Right.
Tell us about your campaign contributions that you made...
Michael! We have to go!
What were you saying?
I said he needs a mother.
He's making me repeat this.
I really don't want to be yelling at you.
You haven't yelled at all.
You're the kindest escort I've had.
Oh, well, then I can get tougher.
Yeah. You're way too easy on me.
What the hell? We got an air raid going here.
That's the noon whistle.
That's the noon whistle?
That's a frightening noon whistle.
Does that happen every noon?
- I think so. - What's the point of that?
I think it means that you can have lunch now.
Well, that's true.
Actually, I lived in a town like that.
Johnson Controls...
whose worldwide headquarters are located in Milwaukee...
announced today they are closing...
their Milwaukee Humboldt facility.
Johnson Controls...
a major supplier to the auto industry...
of engine parts, seat covers and hydraulics...
said the Milwaukee production is being moved to Mexico.
Just turn in right here.
What's the deal here? We're not gonna get...
The deal is you never turn the camera off.
That's the deal. Let's go. Ready?
Everybody ready?
I'm on? I'm on, right?
What's going on right here?
I'd like to know that, too.
I'd like to know what they did on the inside.
I'm trying to stay out of the way of Johnson Controls.
Actually, I heard a siren...
and I thought maybe that had something to do with Michael...
and so I decided I'd get into my car...
rather than being rousted by the police...
But it was an ambulance going by.
Do you know why he went in to Johnson Controls?
I know that they've just laid off a lot of people...
but I don't know specifically what he was doing in there.
- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
- And you are? - I'm Bev Jakowsky.
- And you're with? - Johnson Controls.
Do you know Mr. Keyes, the chairman?
- I do. - Yes?
Well, I would like to present him with a check...
a little gift from me, a going-away present.
I don't think this is appropriate.
Hi. How ya doing? I'm Michael Moore.
Hi, Michael.
Hi. I just brought a little present here for you.
Eighty cents to pay the first Mexican worker...
for the first hour of work.
This is what you'll be paying Mexicans down there...
eighty cents an hour.
And, just to help out, you know...
because I guess you're hitting... You've had hard times, right?
No, we haven't had hard times.
You've only made a half a billion dollars...
in the last three years in profits.
Yeah, our company is reasonably successful...
and we're committed to continuing to be successful.
Why would you leave Milwaukee if you're successful?
Because we need to remain competitive in our businesses.
- Thanks very much for coming... - You want to be more successful?
We need to continue to be successful. That's right.
And the families here who will lose their jobs?
The families who are here who will leave their jobs...
we're gonna do the best we can...
to help them out in making the transition.
To where, Mexico?
The families are going to Mexico with you?
To help them find other jobs at Johnson Controls...
or other good jobs for them going forward.
So thanks very much. We appreciate it.
- Will you take this? - Sure. Thank you.
All right. Eighty cents. Give it to Mr. Keyes.
OK. Very good.
- Any way I could meet him? - I'm afraid he's unavailable.
Because, actually, I have another present for him.
This is the Downsizer of the Year award...
and you win it for Milwaukee.
Each city that I'm in on my book tour...
I'm giving out various Downsizer Awards...
to the companies that make millions in profits...
and then throw people out of work.
And because you've done that here in Milwaukee...
I want to thank you.
You're sure Mr. Keyes won't see me?
Yeah. I'm afraid he's not available.
- I'd like to request... - But he is here?
He's unavailable. I'm really not sure...
You should tell him I'm here. He'll know who I am.
- I'm not sure... - He supplies G.M.
I would like to request that if you'd like to come back...
make an appointment, we can talk some more.
I'd be glad to make an appointment.
But I'd like to request... Jack, if you could help me out?
Jack, how ya doin'? Michael Moore.
- What's your job here? - Jack Higgins.
- What do you do here? - Human resources.
That's always my favorite department...
because they take care of the people here, right?
All the people that you're gonna be laying off.
The human resources?
It's not actually in my area...
but, yes, we will be dealing with that.
- What does human resources do? - OK. Let's hold on.
I think we've had enough discussion.
You brought Jack out here to talk to us.
Yeah, Jack came out to keep us company.
We've had our little discussion. Thanks very much for coming.
I wish you had called to let us know...
and maybe we would have been better prepared...
for your cameras and your show.
We wish you would have called and told all the workers...
so they would have been better prepared.
- They were. - Yeah. Yeah.
We've been talking with our employees continually.
They've known this for years, right?
That you'd be leaving here?
Each year, as you made a bigger and bigger profit...
they knew you would leave Milwaukee...
because they did such a good job you made so much money.
I think our employees have got a much better understanding...
of what's happening than you do.
I have 20 years here, coming on Friday...
and we were told yesterday...
that the entire plant would be closed.
You know where they're gonna relocate?
Yes. It's going to Mexico. Reynosa, Mexico.
Once you're laid off, what's your plan?
I don't have one right now. I don't know.
You know, I have to see what my options are...
and go from there.
I asked Ed if he'd like to head over...
to Manpower, Incorporated...
the temp agency whose world headquarters...
just happened to be located in Milwaukee.
Manpower... a company that guarantees you...
a job for a day...
was now the number-one employer in the country.
We thought, seeing how this is such a great company...
maybe we could get Ed a temp job.
I want to thank you for stopping by...
and I wish I could help you further...
at this point, but you took me by surprise...
and I'd like to find out more about the situation.
How about an application for Ed to get a temp job?
- Please? - No?
- Thanks. - No?
Milwaukee was a great base for manufacturing...
and there's really nobody left.
And now, we were one of the biggest companies here...
and now we're going...
so I don't know what we're going to do.
You know, whenever I fly to one of these cities...
I usually get stuck next to some businessman...
who, after having a couple of martinis...
looks over at me and, you know...
"Who are you? Oh, yeah. Roger Moore."
"I know you. You made that movie.
"What have you got against profit?"
That's what they have to say, right?
"What have you got against profit?
"Company's got a responsibility to its shareholders.
"That's our system... the shareholders."
That's not our system.
Our system's a democracy.
I've read the U.S. Constitution.
The word "shareholder" does not appear once in that document.
I've seen the word "people"...
of, by, and for the people... I've seen that...
but I've not seen the word "shareholder."
But, you know, that's what they like to say.
They like to spout off with that stuff, don't they?
The shareholders. Profit.
"Company should be able to do whatever it can...
"to make a profit, Mike.
"You can't stop a company from doing that."
Yes, we can.
We have a democracy. We can do whatever we want.
We can pass whatever law we want...
as long as it fits into that Constitution.
We can pass any law we want.
We do it all the time.
If it's just about profit...
If it's just about making a profit...
well, then, why doesn't General Motors sell crack?
Huh? They could make a huge profit selling crack.
A 2,000-pound car makes G.M. about a $1,000 profit.
Two thousand pounds of crack, there's a million bucks there.
So why don't they sell crack?
The CIA's got the market cornered.
The CIA has got the market.
Where are the Republicans...
when you want to privatize something, right?
Actually, that's what we need to do.
We need to turn crack over to General Motors...
because they'll really screw it up, you know?
We'll eliminate crack in five years...
if we just turn it over to General Motors.
They'll completely mismanage the whole thing, right?
Oh, my God!
We made the "New York Times" best-seller list.
Oh, man!
Oh, God. Oh, my God. That's such good news.
Have you called Kathleen?
Oh! Oh, my God!
Oh! Oh, I'm stunned!
They must be flipping out there at Random House.
Yeah, OK. All right.
All right.
Ha ha! Rockford pushed us over.
Rockford! It was Rockford! Ha ha!
How do I feel about the book being sold by a corporation?
Yeah. Did you ever consider trying to sell it...
at just non-corporate book stores?
You know, I did, until I made...
the "New York Times" best-seller list.
Now I don't think corporations are such a bad idea.
Flat tax isn't a bad idea either...
come to think of it. Thank you.
At the state capitol in Wisconsin...
I accompanied a group of women...
whose welfare benefits had just been cut...
by the Republican governor, Tommy Thompson...
and the Democratic president, Bill Clinton.
Joining us, quite unexpectedly...
were two morning deejays from the local rock station.
And the Crash-and-Burns Crew here on WJJO...
and we're gonna offer to clean up his office...
to show him that these people want their money...
and they're willing to work for it.
Man, I'm winded.
- Michael Moore. - Michael.
Good to meet ya. Governor Thompson here?
No, he's actually... he's out of state.
He's out of state?
We brought some people here who are recipients of welfare.
They would like to come in and clean the governor's office.
They brought mops, brooms, some dust pads...
We already have people who do that.
But they want to give it an extra polish.
It'd be a lot cheaper.
Yeah. Because you're already paying them.
We have people who are paid to do that.
But you know the governor's worried about welfare.
People not wanting to work.
We give them jobs where they don't...
They don't even have to get welfare benefits.
They'll get a real paycheck.
You'll give them real jobs with real paychecks?
- Sure, we'll help them. - Where they won't be evicted?
They'll have enough money to pay rent and get food?
You'll do that for these women right now?
We'll set them up with people who'll help them do that.
- Right now you will? - Sure. Where are they from?
What kind of wage are you gonna pay them here?
- Pardon? - What kind of wage?
Most people who are leaving welfare right now...
are makin' $6.00 an hour.
Do you realize that the average job...
starts at 5.25 to 5.75 an hour?
First of all, let me explain something.
Say it is 5.25 an hour, and you're makin' 5.25 an hour.
You will have, at the end of the year...
5,000 dollars more real income in your pocket...
than being on the A.F.D.C.
I don't want to be on A.F.D.C.
I'm a full-time student working now...
That's my point.
If you're workin', even at that $5.00-an-hour job,
if you just look at the pure cash...
the pure dollars, you're makin' more money...
at that $5.00-an-hour job than you are on the A.F.D.C.
But I'm not gettin' medical benefits, dental...
Sure you will.
Wait a minute. My children are not gonna be covered.
Who's gonna pay for my child care?
Seriously, ma'am, if you went to the job center...
I'm goin' there now!
That's what I'm tellin' you now. We already at the job center.
We're already on the Pay for Performers.
We've already been through the goals program.
We've already took the classes.
I'm still getting sanctioned, I still don't have a job...
and I'm still on welfare.
What do you think of all this?
I'm staying out of the way. You know my problem.
What's your problem?
Well, Governor Thompson is a personal friend...
and the lieutenant governor is also a personal friend...
and I really don't want them to see me here...
and wonder what the heck I'm doing.
Roger Smith, my old buddy, all right?
Here's Governor Thompson giving a welfare check to Roger.
- Yeah. - OK?
And how many jobs did that help create...
for people that you're complaining about to work?
How many jobs has G.M. eliminated in the last 10 years?
Since Tommy Thompson's been in office...
they've had more jobs in this state.
- General Motors? - Been in office.
Yes. Since Tommy Thompson has been in office.
Come on!
You complain about people getting their jobs back...
What I want you to do is stop giving away the free money.
You just want to have an issue.
Stop giving away the free money to the corporations.
We wanna work! We wanna work!
Where's my broom at? My toilet brush?
There's something stink up in this capitol.
I am a mother of 4 children. Full-time student.
My youngest child will be a year, November 21.
I am trying to better myself in order to get a job...
where I can afford to live above the poverty line...
and it's just not working.
See that sign? Say justice.
Where's mine?
Where's my justice?
This way? Come on, pumpkin.
Tommy Thompson.
What bad experience did he have in junior high school?
"Hi. I'm Tommy Thompson."
"Mmm! I'm gonna take it out...
"on all the people of Wisconsin when I grow up."
Tommy Thompson. I went over to see him today.
I went over there to turn in some welfare mothers.
To turn in some welfare mothers...
because I am sick and tired of these lazy welfare bums...
these cheats, these chiselers...
General Motors, Chrysler, Johnson Controls...
Pabst Blue Ribbon, Miller, et cetera, et cetera.
The people of Wisconsin have been doling out...
way too much welfare money to these corporations.
Do you know, nationwide, we give $170 billion a year...
to corporate America in corporate welfare?
That's free cash, free handouts.
Three times what we give in social welfare. Three times.
We don't hear a word about that, though, do we?
We don't hear Tommy Thompson wanting to end welfare...
as he knows it.
Sure.
I got 20 cities left to go, all right?
- So you're at number 27 now? - Yes.
You've done this before. This is my first time.
What is your advice for me on this tour?
How do I get through this?
One person at a time, you look them in the eye.
You shake their hand. You do whatever they want.
- Become a passive individual. - Right.
You give up all sense of personal will or preference.
- Right. - You are meat.
Any advice on how to deal with the escorts?
The escorts? Don't even get into that, Mike.
Don't get involved with that.
It's not a good thing.
Take cold showers and go to church.
♪ Kyrie eleison ♪
♪ Christe eleison ♪
♪ Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah ♪
This...
Sister Herman in fifth grade...
she taught us about impure thoughts.
Fifth grade, all right?
She did two things to us in fifth grade.
She taught us what impure thoughts were...
and she used to come into the boys' room...
during the two times of the day you could go to pee...
they march you down in a straight line...
you go in and pee...
and she'd come in there and watch us pee...
to make sure that we weren't playing with ourselves.
I swear.
And if it looked like you were having too much fun peeing...
she'd go like this, "Tsk, tsk, tsk."
So one day I said...
"Sister, when is an impure thought a venial sin
"and when is it a mortal sin?"
You know, venial sins, you just go to purgatory...
mortal sins, you burn in hell.
And she said... and I quote...
"A venial sin is when you just allow the thought...
"to pass quickly through your head without holding it.
"It just goes right through your head."
Whoosh!
"That's a venial sin.
"But if you hold that thought for more than five seconds...
"it's a mortal sin."
Yeah. So I spent most of my adolescence...
timing my impure thoughts.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1. OK! It's gone!
"It's gone!
"Here comes another one. OK!
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
"Oh, Lucifer, here I come!"
We were over at the Mall of America before...
Oh! "No, we don't go to the Mall of America.
"No. No. We're going to the student union after this...
"to listen to multicultural folk music from Cuba...
"and eat tofu from Nicaragua.
"Mall of America...
"we don't want to be there with those people."
What a great place, man.
I wish I'd spent the whole day there.
We met... Ha! ...we met some incredible people.
We met this guy...
and I said, "Did you vote in the last election?"
He was probably in his early 20s.
He said, "No. I was in prison."
- Yeah, I was in Ventura. - You were in that prison?
California Youth Authority. Yeah, I was.
Where TWA has that reservation thing?
Yeah.
If you call TWA at certain times of the day...
to make a plane reservation...
you're talking to an inmate in Ventura, California.
He goes, "Yeah, that was us."
So you mean, you're in prison...
and you're taking airline reservations.
And you're sending people to the Bahamas...
and you can't even walk outside?
I think it's, like, a "corporational" thing...
so TWA doesn't have to hire people...
and they can pay less.
Because if you go into a job at TWA...
they're gonna pay you 7, 8, 9 bucks an hour.
Any funny stories? People calling for reservations?
Yeah, there's all kinds.
How people get phone numbers and get hookups...
and, you know, like, girls'll be calling...
and they'll be, like, "Hey, what's your name?"
Your normal stuff that would probably happen...
if you were working at TWA, but they don't realize that...
what they're really talking to are rapists or murderers...
or, you know, people that are just like...
They talk about how they're supposed to change kids.
- Yeah. - I came out as a murderer.
I don't give a fuck about you, you, you, you.
Anybody in here. You know?
- Why should I? - You don't give a shit?
Nah. Nobody gives a shit in there.
You don't give a shit about me?
No. I don't care about...
I do not care about nobody.
And that is your basic society nowadays.
You could fuck me up right now if you wanted to?
Yeah. I wouldn't care.
- You wouldn't care? - No. I wouldn't.
So next time you're, like, treating...
that person on the phone really shitty...
because they can't find your frequent flyer number...
just remember...
you could get a visit someday.
Isn't that sick, though?
I mean, corporations are using prison labor.
We're not talking about China, here.
We're talking about the U.S. of A.
Spaulding packages their golf balls...
in prisons in Hawaii.
Microsoft packages software in prisons in Washington.
Eddie Bauer has clothes made in prisons in Washington state.
You aware of this? If you live in Colorado...
and you're getting a call from AT&T...
AT&T uses prisoners to do their telemarketing for them.
They're calling people at 9:00 at night...
asking them to switch from MCI, and they're doing 20 to life.
And what do you think they're getting paid?
Virtually nothing.
Why don't we just close down all the factories...
throw everyone out of work, right?
A number of them will obviously turn to crime...
because they'll be unemployed.
We can then ship them back into the factory...
which can now be a prison...
and they can do their old job, which they're trained to do...
and get paid two dollars an hour...
and the company can make a huge profit.
What a great idea! Huh?
Then the Dow can hit 10,000.
Yeah!
But, you know, it's kind of a new generation...
of media guides coming in now, and...
Could we change the name to media guide...
or something, but not escort?
- Literary gigolo? - Yeah. Ha ha!
Minneapolis is the headquarters for Pillsbury,
which has been using federal funds...
to send their doughboy to the Third World.
Pillsbury Doughboy!
This escort would be the first...
to join me as a partner in crime.
OK, now, one side of it is coming up here on the left.
This is probably gonna be our easiest way to approach it.
Huh?
- Hi, how you doing? - You wanna shut that off?
- What's wrong? - You wanna shut it off?
- Yeah, shut it off. - What are you doing?
We'd like to talk to the public relations woman.
You don't be taking film through this building.
You have to have permission from the building...
before you can do anything in here.
All we want to ask is about Pillsbury and $11 million...
I don't care. Come with me.
All right.
Can we film out here?
I was allowed to ask the chairman one question...
as long as I wrote it on a yellow Post-It note.
OK, so here's the question:
"Why does Pillsbury need...
"$11 million in welfare for the Doughboy?"
All right. What you should do this afternoon...
is check in here and they'll have some information.
- But I'll call. 330-5103. - Yeah.
I left Pillsbury confident they would take...
this Post-It note to their leader...
and convince him to stop accepting welfare checks...
♪ You know I'm standing at the station ♪
♪ Ready to go ♪
♪ Oh, big, old air-o-plane I'm trusting you so ♪
♪ Get on up, big bird, to my baby's love ♪
- ♪ Get on up ♪ - ♪ Babe ♪
- ♪ 'Cause I got to make it ♪ - ♪ Babe ♪
- ♪ Just get on up ♪ - ♪ Babe ♪
- ♪ 'Cause I got to make it ♪ - ♪ Babe ♪
♪ Get on up ♪
Michael Moore? Diane Mitchell from Chicago Media.
Oh, hi. Are you the new escort?
- Yes, I am. - How you doin'?
Fine. How 'bout you? They're ready for you.
They are? OK. All right. Thanks for being here.
My pleasure, believe me.
Michael is like a floor sample of what we can all be.
He's a wonderful floor sample...
and he gives us courage, you know?
And he says, you know...
"We can make a difference. Each one of us can.
"And all we have to do is stand up and stand together."
♪ We're gonna roll right over him ♪
♪ We're gonna roll the union on ♪
One more. One more.
♪ We're gonna roll we're gonna roll ♪
♪ We're gonna roll the union on ♪
One more verse.
♪ We're gonna roll we're gonna roll ♪
♪ We're gonna roll the union on ♪
Hearing that song of the Thirties...
of the Flint sit-down strike...
of labor, the CIO...
I'm seated next to Michael Moore.
Now, many of you know who Michael Moore is.
And Michael Moore's new book is called "Downsize This!
"Random Threats from an Unarmed American."
And so, just hearing this passage...
from this old Labor song of the Thirties...
what thought comes to your mind immediately?
I think of my uncle Laverne, actually...
who was in that sit-down strike 60 years ago this winter, Studs.
And I think about, you know...
how all of us gained from that...
and all other labor actions that came after that.
How the standard of living, how our health care...
social security, child labor...
All these things came as a result of the struggle...
that those people participated in.
And if they could see what's going on now...
We come to the big subject. We hear the phrase today...
"Since the evil empire is gone...
"we have a new enemy called terrorists."
And so you have a picture...
at the beginning of this book, "Downsize This!"
Two photographs. "What is terrorism?"
And it's almost... two photographs almost identical.
Destroyed buildings.
The first one's Oklahoma City, Oklahoma...
1995, after the bombing.
Down below... Flint, Michigan, 1996.
And you can hardly tell the difference.
They're two pieces of destruction.
So the question is, "What is terrorism?"
Well, obviously, if you park a Ryder truck...
in front of a building filled with explosives...
and blow up that building and kill 168 people...
that's an act of terrorism.
There's no question about that.
But what do you call it, Studs...
when you politely remove the people...
from the building first and then blow it up?
But in the ensuing years...
the people that used to work in that building...
because their livelihood has been stripped from them...
the people that used work there...
a number of them will die. They'll die from suicide.
They'll die from spousal abuse.
They'll die from drugs and alcoholism.
All the social problems that surround people...
when they become unemployed.
Those people are just as dead as the people in Oklahoma City...
but we don't call the actions of the company terrorism, do we?
We don't call the company a murderer.
But I do consider this an act of economic terrorism...
when at a time you're making a record profit...
you would throw people out of work...
just so you can make a little bit more.
Back when we were in Centralia...
we had promised the workers at PayDay...
that when we got to Chicago, we'd pay their owners a visit.
I'll write it in for you.
OK.
We're just supposed to take this...
to the chairman's office... surprise.
You'd better check with that girl in there...
- before you go anywhere. - OK.
Jim, they're not allowed in here. Get them out.
Surprise. It's PayDay, Friday.
Wait a minute.
I got a check here for 65 cents to buy the last PayDay.
But who said you guys could come in here?
- We did. - Who is Michael Moore?
That's me. I'm Michael Moore.
- Are you security? - Yeah.
- Huh? - Outside.
What? We can't wait in here?
- No. - No. Outside.
Oh, OK. All right.
If you don't, we'll call the police.
- Call the police? - Yeah.
You need to call the police.
- You can just go outside. - I'm bringing a present.
Leave your present outside the door.
You wanna get outside the door, please? Huh?
Are they gonna call up?
They already did call.
You're not allowed in here. Outside.
Yeah, take him outside the door and wait there.
All we wanted...
The boss is coming to meet you outside the door.
- The boss is gonna come out? - Yeah. Outside the door.
OK, great. A $20 million profit.
Will you step outside the door? I know what you're thinking.
Go and wait outside the door.
Don't take pictures of me, now, OK?
You want to go outside, sir?
Hey, hey, hey! What the hell are you doing?
The boss is coming?
Is he coming down? The boss? Is he coming down?
Michael, the guy... the supplier that just left...
he told me the company was just sold to Hershey's today.
This company? Was sold to Hershey's?
- Today? - Today.
Hershey. Today.
They took over Leaf North America.
Right? OK, I got the right name now.
Is the boss coming down?
No? You said he was coming down.
He's not coming down.
He's not coming down? Well, you tricked us.
Oh, man. We've been hoodwinked.
Police are here. Heads up.
- How you doing? - Good.
- I'm Michael Moore. - Hi, Michael Moore.
I'm making a documentary film for the BBC... What's that?
We've been asked to ask you to leave.
Turn that off, please.
They made a big announcement today...
that Hershey is taking over Leaf.
- So? - We just want to talk to...
I understand that, but they don't want to talk to you...
and this is private property.
They handed out a press release. We're the press.
We'll leave. We're not on public property?
- That's right. - Correct.
- This is private property. - That's correct.
I asked you to turn that off.
We'll leave. Yeah, turn off all the stuff.
This is Michael Moore.
If he asks you again...
we're gonna confiscate the equipment.
All right, all equipment, off.
All right?
Officer, there's no reason... put away those handcuffs.
"Wait, wait."
"What's your name? Let me see your driver's license."
I said, "No, no, no. You don't understand."
"That's enough."
The guy's getting ready to read me my rights.
And I said, "Wait a minute.
"You can't arrest me. I'm on a book tour."
I'm an author. You can't arrest authors.
And the private security guy's going...
"Arrest him. Arrest him. We told him.
"We told him to get off our property...
"and he refused to leave.
"He's trespassing. Yeah, arrest him."
"Well, wait a minute. That's not what happened.
"They told us to come outside and wait for the boss."
"No, we didn't. That's a lie."
Of course, he'd forgotten about the people...
that he had pushed out the door with me.
And so I said to the officer...
"Officer, let's roll the videotape."
I am supposed to keep them on schedule.
Yes. And thank God the 2:00 appointment...
was canceled today or else we'd be in trouble.
Yes, I am, and sometimes I'm not very popular with them.
Because I have to be a meanie.
Well, she wasn't really a meanie...
but this was my wedding anniversary...
and my wife had just flown into town.
I had to find a way to lose the escort...
and then I remembered something...
that Rick from Cheap Trick had suggested.
You ask them to go get you some cigarettes.
Then you call security.
And while they're out trying to get you some cigarettes...
even though you don't smoke... you call security and say...
"This guy, he's wearing a suit."
And you describe him, exactly what he looks like...
And you say, "I don't care what he says.
"He's bothering the daylights out of me.
"He's nuts. No matter what. Get rid of him."
- That'll work? - Oh, yeah.
Tell 'em he's a stalker?
Yeah. But you gotta be a little mean-spirited.
Yeah. That'll be hard for me.
I doubt it.
Can you go get me...
um, like a, uh... something...
Like if you go through those doors out there...
I think there's a Coke machine or something.
- Right. Coffee downstairs. - Coffee downstairs?
You have to go out through those doors, first, right?
Go out through those doors and get me one of those.
- OK. Coffee? - Thanks a lot.
Coffee's great. Thanks. Thank you very much.
I would say yes. She's constantly threatening me.
You can see she has that stalker look in her eyes.
So you don't want her anywhere near you?
No. And if you see her around here...
she might be wearing exactly what's in that photograph.
Excuse me, ma'am.
Could you please put the coffee over here?
I need you to leave the building right away.
Why?
They're taking her away.
- How is he gonna get back? - Please walk this way.
OK. Wait a minute! This is not right.
Yeah, OK. All right.
All right, we should tell her now.
It's just a joke.
Uh-oh. Oh, my... Where is he taking her?
Oh, God. Oh, my God.
All right, here. I'll be right back.
Hang on a second, all right?
You're a sick individual.
We only do this to people we love.
Get over there. Go sign your books.
She's right back to ordering me again. See?
You know what I hate about being in these airports?
Always having to step aside for those beeping carts...
because someone who's perfectly capable of walking to the plane
is getting a free ride.
♪ Gone 500 miles before the day is done ♪
♪ I got a bad case ♪
♪ Of the homesick truck driver blues ♪
Would you tell us why 13,000 people...
have been laid off here since 1993?
At a time of record profits...
when you've made about $6 billion?
We wanted to keep this company competitive...
that we needed to do something today and now...
in order to ensure...
that this company stayed healthy and profitable.
But it's obvious that you're healthy and profitable.
It's $6 billion. That's a huge profit.
No, that's not correct. That's not the...
- Six billion's not huge? - That's not our profits.
- That's the profit. - No, it's not.
What is the profit since 1993?
- It's, um... - You're talking annual profits?
Yes, annual profits since 1993.
Since '93? If you total it, yes.
That's when the layoffs started. That's what I'm saying.
During that time of layoffs, you made, take home, $6 billion.
Do you have any plans of rehiring any of these people...
now that you've made $6 billion in the last 3 years?
Well, we are a company that is promotion from within...
so we are always hiring because of...
The people who lost their jobs... Are you gonna bring them back?
We can't say what we would do as far as anybody...
- Are you doing well? - Sure, we're doing well.
So, why not share the wealth a little here?
It's good for the country, don't you think?
How would you feel about a law...
that prohibits Procter and Gamble...
from laying people off when they're making a profit?
I'm not in a position to really be able...
to respond to that kind of legislation at this point.
A certificate of achievement...
for the Procter and Gamble corporation...
success in downsizing.
Congratulations. Thank you very much.
And call us if you have questions...
and we'll be glad to...
All right. I will definitely call you.
- Do we have your card? - I don't have a card with me.
- A phone number? - Do you have a card?
No, I don't have a card either.
Who's got a card? Wait, we've got a card.
Everything on me has been laundered in Tide.
OK, thank you.
And the Tide that has the little bit of bleach in it?
- Mm-hmm? - I think that's great...
because it doesn't create those white spots...
that some of your competitors create in their products.
Another technology we've put into Tide...
that is very effective is color guard.
So that when you wash your dark colors...
they're not gonna fade.
See, I'm the kind of guy...
My wife complains about this all the time...
I refuse to separate whites from colors.
I just throw them all in at once.
You can do that with Tide.
It will not bleed the color of the shirt.
And she's going, "No, no."
She'll never let me put her underwear in there.
Thank you very much. We appreciate it.
Thank you. Take care. That's my pen right there.
BBC, the Broadbank Burbcasting Corporation.
In the book...
you talk about what America needs is a makeover.
When I first saw this, I'll be honest, Michael...
I thought, is this right to change things in America?
I mean, we've been...
So long, we've had the same things.
We've looked up to the flag.
We've looked up to the symbols of this country.
And you want to change them. Then I got into it a little bit,
and I do have to admit you do make a lot of sense.
I'm just trying to say...
"There's nothing wrong with a little P.R. move here...
"to improve our image."
First of all, the name. The name is so boring.
It's just a description. The United States of America.
That's not what they did over in England.
They called themselves Great Britain.
- They did. - Great Britain, you know?
Boy, that does have a better feel to it.
Considering there's nothing great about them.
It's the marketing. Get the word "great" in there.
You put that on a battleship, it's coming into harbor...
the natives are going, "Whoa, run away!"
"Great." United Kingdom. United Kingdom.
It's not a kingdom. It's a dinky little island.
"The United States," what are we?
It would be like if the British called themselves...
a bunch of little districts on an island.
We're the United States of America, you know?
- You're right. - Let's knock that off.
What would we change it to?
- The Big One. - The Big One?
Somebody says, "Where you from?"
"I'm from The Big One."
And if they don't like it, "Bite the Big One."
And a new slogan, too, instead of "In God We Trust."
Let's not say that anymore. Let's change our new slogan to...
- "Until We Measure Up to God." - Exactly. Exactly.
So a new slogan I'm suggesting... "In By Ten, Out By Two."
That's pretty good, I guess. Any others?
"America... A really good place for a thick, juicy steak."
That doesn't get it a second time around.
I like this, too.
"Our citizens are armed, and they like to shoot."
Man, it's hard to beat that.
Then you don't need to spend so much on defense...
if you just have a good slogan that scares people.
And a new symbol for the country.
You talked about a new symbol.
It was your daughter that liked the idea of...
We have the bald eagle, right?
We have the bald eagle now.
We're going, "Hey, have you ever seen a bald eagle?"
- I've never seen a bald eagle. - Not in person.
My daughter says, "Hey, how about a bald man?"
I've seen a lot of them, you know?
A bald man... that's a symbol for America.
Everybody wants to change the national anthem.
I've got an idea. Very simple. Very simple.
We all know it. We sing it at the ball game.
"We will, we will rock you."
You stand up, hand over your heart.
♪ We will, we will rock you ♪
Thank you!
♪ We will, we will rock you ♪
Attention, Kmart shoppers:
This is a greenlight special at General Motors.
It looks like your robot just went on strike.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Raise the cameras.
You got some Lemon Pledge...
I can try and take care of the table.
Whoa. Not bad.
Do you remember your first vote, Mr. Williams?
It was 1984. Ronald Reagan.
It's a proud moment.
And you've never used any drugs?
I think we should call Apple right now...
so you could do a commercial for them.
"I drove over my laptop."
Oh, my God, General Motors! Sell, sell!
It's going up just as you're talking here.
Thank you.
No wonder no one votes.
The richest one percent got two political parties.
There they are.
And we got none. That doesn't seem fair.
We need our... Hey, wait. We need our own party.
And get to the bottom of this truth!
Congressman Bob Dornan...
who was defeated in his reelection bid last week...
has filed charges claiming...
illegal Mexicans voted for his opponent, Loretta Sanchez.
Today, filmmaker Michael Moore...
visited the offices of the Orange Country registrar...
and citing California Election Code Section 2208...
he filed charges claiming...
the people who voted for Dornan were insane.
Viva Permanente!
To see the Kaiser!
We want to see the Kaiser! We want to see the Kaiser!
Hello.
I'm on a campaign, actually...
to get Jesse Helms put in prison this year.
Will you join me in this effort?
Thank you very much for your support. Thank you.
I appreciate it so much.
- You OK? - I hope so.
After visiting 47 cities in 50 days...
I was on my way to Portland, Oregon...
my last stop and the home of Nike...
the largest shoe manufacturer in the world.
Nike chairman Phil Knight was named in my book...
as one of my favorite corporate crooks.
Nike makes most of their shoes in Indonesia...
using teenage girls...
and paying them less than 40 cents an hour.
The company has the backing...
of Indonesia's brutal military regime...
which has committed genocide in East Timor.
Nike makes no shoes in America.
Shame on you! Shame on you!
When I arrived in Portland...
I found the local citizens upset about the situation.
Phil Knight can kiss my butt!
Uh-oh, Nike has sent in the Portland police.
Officer, I wear a size 11E. Thank you.
Michael Moore's my guest...
and his new book is "Downsize This!"
And let's go to Keith in... Keith in Nike.
- Who's this? Keith Peters? - That's me.
- Do you work for Nike, Keith? - Yeah.
OK. What's your question for Michael?
Well, you know, I'm a big fan of Michael.
I think the movie was great, and he spent a lot of time...
walking around Michigan looking for Roger...
and I say, "Yeah, come on out."
- Really? - Yeah.
- Is Phil there? - Yeah.
- And he wants to see Michael? - Yeah.
Whoa. Are you serious? Is this a prank call?
Come on out. We'll talk whatever you want to.
Thank you for the offer.
I couldn't believe the chairman of Nike...
was granting me a visit.
I was met at the door by P.R. Director Keith Peters...
who warned me that Phil Knight's wife...
had given Phil my book...
as her wedding anniversary present to him...
with his face circled.
This was not the way I wanted to meet...
the first CEO willing to talk to me.
- Hey. How you doing? - Good.
Thanks for having me in here. I appreciate it.
I got a little gift for you.
I always come bearing gifts whenever I get to meet a CEO...
which I'll tell you isn't that often.
Then you don't have to take too many gifts.
No. This is a good one. You'll like this one.
I've got here two tickets...
one in my name and one in your name...
for you and I to go to Indonesia together.
And you show me those factories, you explain this to me...
What's the date on those tickets?
- Sunday. - Oh, no, not a chance.
- No? - No.
But they're transferable. I can change it to another day.
No, and I'll tell you...
Seriously. Look at this. Michael Moore...
I got it right here in your name here...
And Phil Knight. Look at this.
You and me on Singapore Airlines.
- No, no. I'm not going. - It's a good airline.
It's a great airline. Here, sit back down.
- We gotta negotiate this deal. - Have you been there?
- I've never been to Indonesia. - Oh, you've gotta go.
I can't go between now and the rest of this year.
Your wife. Remember the wife that gave you the book?
My wife may make me go.
That's why I won't tell her about it.
Tell her Michael Moore came here with a free ticket.
- This is a free ticket, Phil! - Another anniversary present.
- A free ticket to Indonesia. - I understand that.
Basically, you've got, you know...
an underdeveloped country with a repressive regime.
And the way they pull themselves out of this thing...
is by having... trade helps them.
That's a separate discussion from an American company...
going into Indonesia and working with a regime...
that killed 200,000 people.
That's almost a form of genocide.
I know that that's got to bother you.
I don't know you personally...
but I know you have a conscience.
I certainly wouldn't approve of any of that sort of thing.
But, basically... I mean...
how many people were killed in The Cultural Revolution?
How much is enough?
How much is enough if you are a billionaire?
Wouldn't it be OK to be just a half a billionaire?
Wouldn't it be OK for your company...
to make a little less money...
if it meant providing some jobs here in this country?
- No, but I mean... - Just think about this.
I've thought about it a lot, I'll give you the answer to it.
Basically, what drives me is not money anymore.
Right. I wouldn't think so.
And basically, what I want to do...
before I go to that great shoe factory in the sky...
is make this as good a company as I can make it.
I simply have a basic belief, having been burned on it once...
and really believing this very strongly...
that Americans do not want to make shoes.
They don't want to make shoes.
That's wrong. You are wrong.
If I could find 500 people in Flint, Michigan...
who want to make shoes, will you open the factory?
I didn't say they didn't want to make shoes.
I think they don't want those jobs.
No, if they do... if they will work those jobs...
will you come to Flint?
You'll have to convince me that they want to make shoes...
and can do so reasonably economically.
Now, they won't work for five dollars a day.
I understand that.
- But reasonably economically... - I will explore it.
You will do that?
I didn't say I'd come. I said I'll explore it.
You'll explore it. Seriously, now?
- With sincerity. - I'll shake your hand for that.
- All right. Thank you. - All right.
Filmmaker Michael Moore is urging...
the world's largest athletic shoe company...
to open a factory, a factory in Flint.
Michael Moore chastised...
the chairman of Nike, Philip Knight...
criticizing the company...
for making most of its shoes in Indonesia.
So Moore has come home to convince Knight.
He's staging an event tomorrow in front of City Hall.
So tomorrow at noon, I want to prove him wrong.
I want the people of Flint who would like to work...
who would like to have a job at Nike...
to come here and stand in front of City Hall.
I'll have my film crew here. Dress warm.
And we'll make a video message to him...
and show him that the people of Flint...
if they had an opportunity to work, would certainly work.
We need jobs! We need jobs! We need jobs! We need jobs!
Flint needs jobs! Flint needs jobs!
Mr. Knight, I'm 37 years old.
For 25 years, I've been wearing Nike.
If Nike means that much to me...
Flint should mean that much to you.
If you don't make 'em here, we shouldn't buy 'em.
There's a lot of people in Flint...
and all over Michigan that need jobs...
but especially in Flint, and I'm one of those people.
If I can buy my son these Air Jordans...
and he can wear 'em...
you best believe I will help you make 'em.
Come to Flint.
All right!
We're hard workers in this area.
We've been working a long time.
Five generations...
four generations of hard workers puttin' cars together.
We can put together your tennis shoe.
Please give us a chance. Thank you.
- Very impressive. - So what do you think?
I think that a lot of people without jobs will take any job,
But that given choice...
Americans really don't want to work in shoe factories.
I still believe that.
But I just showed you these people here.
Yeah, they said that.
I think any unemployed person will say "I would like any job."
Basically, Flint isn't on our radar screen right now...
as far as a warehouse or a sales office.
Would you do it as a personal favor to me?
No.
Phil swore he would never build a factory in Flint.
But he did present me with the only American-made...
pair of Nike shoes, built just for me.
I'll tell you what... How about this?
Why don't you and I have a race?
We're not gonna have a race. That was suggested already.
No, how about this?
We'll do a 100-yard dash, you and me, right?
And if you win, I'll always wear these Nikes...
wherever I go, on every TV show, whatever.
If I win, you have to build the shoe factory...
in Flint, Michigan.
No, there's no race.
How about arm wrestling? Come on.
I'm not gonna arm wrestle. You would win that one.
- No, no. Don't assume that. - I'm not gonna arm wrestle you.
If you win, I'll wear those Nike shoes forever.
But if I win, we gotta make some jobs in Flint.
- We're not arm wrestling. - Come on, Phil.
I issued Phil one last challenge...
to contribute money to the schools of Flint.
It's very unlikely that I would make a contribution...
to the Flint schools in the future.
If I made the contribution, would you match me?
Um...
I'll contribute $10,000 to do that...
for the Flint school system if you'll do that.
- I will match you. - You'll match me.
I'll shake your hand for that. Thank you very much.
- Yes, you're welcome. - All right.
- Jeez, ten grand. - You're the one...
Your stock went up $3 billion last year.
I got ten grand out of you.
Hey, it's something, right?
And I know what most of you are thinking...
"I sure would've liked to have seen that footrace."
Well, maybe next movie.
Meanwhile, back in my neck of the woods in the Midwest...
there was some pretty good news.
The people at the Borders in Des Moines...
had voted in the union.
Yes! Yes!
It's sort of stunning after you do something for so long.
It's sort of hard...
to all of a sudden start thinking any other way.
But tomorrow morning...
We'll probably all sleep the sleep of the dead tonight.
That'll be great.
And in suburban Philadelphia...
We just got the word.
The final vote was 26-20. We got a union.
There you go. Swell my chest to full size.
I'm gonna run over to ACME and let someone over there know.
OK.
The Borders workers were so happy...
their first thought was to run across the street...
to tell the grocery store baggers the good news.
It kind of gave me a good feeling...
them realizing everyone was sort of in the same boat...
and if things are gonna get better...
it's gonna happen right here.
These companies... big business, right?
They had us talking that talk for so long...
free enterprise, free market, capitalism...
when they were the last ones to believe in it.
It's all so weird, isn't it?
Now we're at a point in our history...
where we have one candidate, one party, one company.
I like to say...
one evil empire down, one to go.
♪ I've traveled every road in this here land ♪
♪ I've been everywhere, man I've been everywhere, man ♪
♪ Across the deserts bare, man ♪
♪ I've breathed the mountain air, man ♪
♪ Of travel I've had my share, man ♪
♪ I've been everywhere ♪
♪ I've been to Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota ♪
♪ Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota ♪
♪ Wichita, Tulsa, Ottawa, Oklahoma ♪
Did you hear the story about last night...
Turn it off now. The story last night in the hotel?
About the naked man?
♪ I've been everywhere, man I've been everywhere, man ♪
I look out the peephole, and there is a stark naked man...
I mean, butt naked, nothing on, banging on my door.
And the first thought that goes through my head is...
"This is how it's all going to end."
General Motors has sent a naked man.
They don't even have the decency...
to send the assassin with clothes on.
♪ I've been everywhere, man ♪
♪ Across the deserts bare, man ♪
♪ I've breathed the mountain air, man ♪
If 12-year-olds are working in these factories...
that's OK with you?
There are not 12-year-olds working in the factory.
- How old? - Minimum age is 14.
How about 14, then? Doesn't that bother you?
No.
♪ Shefferville, Jacksonville Waterville, Costa Rica ♪
♪ Pittsfield, Springfield, Bakersfield ♪
♪ Shreveport, Hackensack, Cadillac ♪
You should run for president.
It would send a message.
What would be the message?
"Eat out more often"? Jeez.
No. I'm a bad example.
♪ I breathe the mountain air, man ♪
♪ Of travel I've had my share, man ♪
I don't give a fuck about you, you, you, you, you.
♪ I've been to Pittsburgh, Parkersburg, Gravellburg ♪
♪ Colorado, Ellensburg, Rexburg ♪
♪ Vicksburg, El Dorado, Larimore, Atmore ♪
♪ Haverstraw, Chattanika ♪
You say, "the poor little Indonesian workers."
Come back in five years...
one of them will probably be your landlord.
What does that mean?
♪ I've been everywhere, man ♪
♪ Across the deserts bare, man ♪
♪ I breathe the mountain air, man ♪
♪ Of travel I've had my share, man ♪
Yeah. You're pointing right to your uvula, basically.
Mm-hmm. I thought guys didn't have those.
♪ I've been everywhere ♪
No, I think you're wasting batteries, actually.
I mean, and David with his only one battery...
Brian, will you back off?
You seem really upset.
Well, I can't shoot. I don't have a battery.
Just relax. The batteries are charging upstairs.
So we need... What else do you need, a tripod?
I really want this to have a happy ending.
I really wanted you to, at the end of the film, say...
"I'm a little different...
"than what's going on here in corporate America.
"I care about the fact that Americans need jobs.
"I care about the fact...
"that Indonesians need a livable wage...
"and that kids shouldn't be working in these factories...
"and that I'm going to be a man of conscience...
"and a leader and do something about it."
That's the ending I wanted for this movie.
That's what I really was hoping for here.
And...
And I'm waiting for the ending of the film.