I think the guy is genius in what he brings to our attention with his films. He was on Larry King last night, talked about his visit there 20 yrs ago. He said the path General Motors was taking was leading to disaster. That was 20 years ago! He saw it, why didn't you? Here's a bit of what he said on that subject:
Moore: "And General Motors, that year, made a profit of $4 billion. And yet they had just laid off another 30,000 people. Now, why would you lay people off when you're making a record profit of $4 billion?
I mean that was totally insane. But they thought, well, you know, we can make a bigger profit. Maybe we can make $4.2 billion if we move those jobs to Mexico. And so they're always, you know, we can make a little bit more money if we do this. By firing those workers, Larry, they got rid of the very people who buy their cars."He talks about capitalism, says the richest 1% in this country have more wealth than the total wealth of all the other 95% combined. He says capitalism is a failure:
Moore: "Yes. Capitalism. Yes. Well, I don't have to say it. Capitalism, in the last year, has proven that it's failed. All the basic tenets of what we've talked about the free market, about free enterprise and competition just completely fell apart. As soon as they lost, essentially, our money, they came running to the federal government for a bailout -- for welfare, for socialism. And I thought the basic principle of capitalism was that it's a sink-or-swim situation. And those who do well, the cream rises to the top and, you know, those who invest their money wrongly or, you know, don't run their business the right way, then they don't do well. Watch Moore talk about corporate greed 
And if you run your business the wrong way, where does it say that you or I or anybody watching this has to bail them out?
I understand why everybody seemed to get behind it, because a lot of people were afraid, because these people down on Wall Street had taken our money and made bets with it. I mean, they essentially created this invisible virtual casino with people's money -- people's pension funds, people's 401(k)s. They took this money and they made bets. And then they made bets on the bets. And then they took out insurance policies on the bets. And then they took out insurance against the insurance -- the credit default swaps."
Say what you will about Moore, but this guy knows his stuff.
King asks, "don't they want the economy to do well? Don't they want people to make money so they can buy their products. Do they want the people to be unemployed?" Moore says oddly enough, YES.
Moore: "Your employees are your biggest success. And, as you've noticed in the last few months, as the unemployment rate has gone up, so has the Dow Jones. Now, you'd think, you know, that Wall Street would respond with "Oh, my God, unemployment is going up, you know, this is bad for business." But the reality is, is that Wall Street likes that. They like it when companies fire people because immediately the bottom line is going to show a larger profit."
Damn people this guy makes more sense to me than all the jerks in Congress. Moore says the investor these days want the short-term quick profit, and they want it now. But in the long term what happens is what happened with General Motors as he described it 20 years ago.
You can read more on Moore on CNN.com
CDM wanted me to ad this link and article. I don't care what you all think, I think Moore is an all around genuine nice guy!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/24/michael-moore-calls-out-a_n_298605.html
Below is the first comment of 19 pages from the HuffPo Moore piece, most comments are pro Moore. Its a good article please click the link and read!
Michael Moore is a true American patriot who is fighting the good fight. He wants us to join him in the fight against the undue influence of corporate America on our democracy. He really cut to the chase with his observation about the "permalancers" at ABC. We have a whole new underclass in America of permanent temporaries who get no benefits.
posted Sep 24, 2009 at 13:51:16
50 comments:
Ahh come on, if Moore really believed what he was SELLING, he would have made a TV documentary so everyone coul see it a lot ceaper than the $7 or $9+ per person! Instead he chose to make a "for profit" movie! He is in this for himself and nobody else!
Michael Moore is a man of delusion.
Go away, just go away.
This is great. A person who is rich like Micheal Moore(he has a bank account with 8 figures at least) gets even richer by showing how he uses the capitalist system to get that big bank account. Business' are greedy because the govenment takes 1/3 of their profits. He should make a movie about how big government controling small business'. It's either capitalism or communism, you decide.
I have all of Moore’s documentaries on videotape – which he gladly sold me on his Web site for $59.95 each. Very entertaining stuff. But …
Be sure to check his “facts” on factcheck.org and other such sites. The now archived spinsanity.org – like factcheck.org nonpartisan and willing to go after anyone – compared Michael Moore to Ann Coulter. That was a warning for me to pay very close attention to what he produces.
Somehow corporations have been morphed into our own EVIL EMPIRE. They provided goods and services, and of course they seek to make profits.
It would be very easy to blame capitalism and corporations for our economic doldrums, but we as consumers must bear our part of the blame, too.
Check the products you use at home every day or check items you are buying to see where they are made. (Example: Pepto-Bismol is made in Mexico.) Ameericans flock to the shrine of lower prices at WalMart.
Just a few minutes ago I heard this on the book I’m listening to:
“When did ‘Buy American-made products’ become a plea instead of a statement of pride?”
Probably oversimplifying the problem to blame it all on consumers. GREED and EXCESS are the real culprits in this calamity, and we know what that did to the Roman Empire.
Will I buy Moore’s latest film? Yes. Much of what he has to say is factual. Much is contrived: like the bank giving away guns in “Bowling for Columbine.” There is no doubt he is selling himself, and he certainly makes “profits.”
BJ
Capitalism is a failure? I guess we should get rid of airplanes, cars, telephones, computers, and documentary filmakers, because ALL those things exist because of capitalism. Not a single one of them (or any other major advance in technology, except perhaps Tetris) was created in a non-capitalist society.
Moore neglects to mention that the top 1% of wage earners in the United States payed over 40% of the 2007 Federal Income Tax. So the less than 1% is paying almost half of the US income... Moore blast GM for thier business practices, but somehow he neglects the role the UAW and other unions play in driving the costs of american vehicles up due to inflated pay for underperforming personnel. The system as a whole is broken and while Mr. Moore might believe his is shinning a light on the inequities of the system, his biased views are clearly evident in the statement he hopes his films will make.
How much do you give to charity?
Do you pay taxes?
Honest answer?
What is Michael's solution if capitalism is a failure? Socaialism? Ahh yes a rounding success, I can see that socialism is thriving..actually I dont see where it actually exists...most countries that are socailist are actually brutal dictatorships..There is no Utopia, Mr. Moore!
BTW, is Michael giving some of his insame profits to young filmmakers--you know, to re-distribute HIS wealth? He stumbles/fumbles when Larry asks him about being in the top 1% himself.
Capitalism is not dead. The rebound of the world's economies is inevitable and will be faster and more robust because of capitalism, nit is spite of it.
There are several countries that use socialism as their foundation of economy. Two of them are Norway and Sweden. Norway is #2 on the Human Development Index which basically measures how good a person's life is. Sweden is Number 7, with Canada at 3. Where is the US? How about 16. The last time I checked, Norway and Sweden did not have brutal dictatorships so before you start making comments you should really know what you are taking about instead of fusing opinion with generalizations.
Did you just refer to Michael Moore as an intelligent man? I chuckle...
Just curious, how is big business responsible for poor consumer choices? 7 years ago I chose not to buy a house because I knew I couldn't afford it, despite what monetary lenders told me. Correct me if I am mistaken, but couldn't other American consumers have made a similar choice, not defaulted on their loans because they were living beyond their means, saved their money, and prepared for the future rather than being ignorant consumers? Michael Moore is a reflection of societal problems...NO ONE IS WILLING TO OWN UP TO THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR DECISIONS!
I don't think he really "knows his stuff". His definition of credit default swaps is wrong, he can't define the lower income limit of the top 1% and the reason for the Dow Jones rise (which is not the best proxy for the economy) is tied to more to government spending, business investment, consumption and net exports. He has an infants understanding of what is going on, and as such, other idiots on his wavelength like when they can understand it in his language.
The truth is amazingly agitating to some as evidenced by the comments I have read, and continue to read regarding this interview.
Moore has an essential vantage point, no matter how skewed in political ideology. He actually is living the American dream but has not stopped using the engine that allowed him to manifest his financial success.
When you look back at the body of his work and you will find that Republican administrations account for the lion's share of his disdainful commentary. Though we do not recognize that he has been equally critical of Democratic administrations as well.
Capitalism isn't perfect, but its imperfections are what we should be focusing on. He is one extreme, when we have others who will state that everything would have been fine if we allowed corporations that accounted for more than 50% of our GDP to simply fail collectively.
The tell tale sign that America's demise would have been met, is that there are no pending lawsuits in the court of public record regarding the governments injection of captial into the financial system. There were no guardian angels waiting in the wings to invest, and no companies looking to make a move based on economic indicators showing potential demand.
The suits were grabbing their ankles and bracing for impact if the federal government said NO.
Capitalism fails once every 30-40 years, and we call this acceptable.
C'mon Mr. Moore, this was a combination of irresponsibility:
Socialists in the government who wanted housing without paying for it, and the capitalists on wall street who wanted to profit from the government's stupidity.
I wouldn't say "Capitalism" is a failure, but the financial markets and their leaders behind it are.
Financial markets need much stronger regulation through either watchdog groups with some sort of federal-approved intervention authority, or the federal government itself.
We can't ill afford another crisis like this one, caused by short-term thinking greedy Managers and Executives.
After all, it's our money they're gambling with, and they do, or did, so without reflection or hesitations.
Mr. Moore is partially correct, but he shouldn't denounce capitalism and blame it for everything that's happened.
I've got a slew of ideas of how big-profit companies that benefited from the current crisis could re-invest in the communities and workers that contributed to their success, but those ideas might be too liberal or even "socialist" for american blog-readers...
-Mischa T.
-Switzerland (formerly Dublin, Ohio)
-SP Member (Socialist Democratic Party)
AND IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII WANNA BEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.....ANARCHAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!
I respect BJ for posting under a real ID. BJ, I always try to buy American, and refuse to shop at Wal-Fart. But most of what I own is foreign manufacture. Why? Most things do not have a US made alternative available, and most of those that do, are only assembled out of foreign parts here.
you ok C???
speak up here all you want Mischa, this blog will listen to your ideas!
Mr. Moore is "right on the money". I worked for B of A for 13 years. Always an excuse when they couldn't give a raise. The "stockholders" needed the money, or they were doing a merger and there was a freeze. Yet the CEO's always got huge raises. They gave new titles to managers, not raises.
The same for Sprint. They took over Nextel and wanted our outsourced customer service area to work for a third less than originally agreed. Guess who's pay was cut?...the lower employees.
The they cut us to minimum wage and made it harder to get commission after being there for years and just getting to their max pay level, saying "we listened to the employees and this is what they asked for"? What idiot would ask for less pay? I was basically working for benefits.
No wonder they the GOP and insurance companies don't want all people to keep benefits when they change jobs. They lose control of keeping slave labor at minimum pay. They've been doing this for decades, getting rid of unions when they take over so they can give minimum pay. That's why B of A held off on changing Seafirst banks name to B of A. They were waiting to get rid of the union.
thanks Charles, your input says alot!!
Michael Moore was a guest on Olbermann tonight. I'm sticking to my story, the man is smart and he's doing a great job calling out the corrupt in this country!
Charles: I am 67 and all I hear from my young friends are stories like yours. I tell them I would NOT want to be in the workplace today. I wish all of you could have worked when there were great benefits, regular raises and a real esprit de corps between employees and their company.
Sue: Thanks for the update. I'll have to check out the Olbermann transcript when it comes online.
CDM: Waiting for the translation, LOL.
BJ
Charles' story is a very accurate one. I say this because I am a former employee of Alltel. After the purchase of 360 Communications many years ago, the benefits and pay started shifting. Little by little, as the buyouts continued, the commision structure would change nearly every other month. The job responsabilities would increase and the pay and benefits would decrease. I always said that Alltel was a good company, it was just being run by bad people. They were just fucking greedy.
By the way, as far as the translation, hasn't anybody ever heard the tune "Anarchy in the U.K."?
not sure C, is it heavy metal? :-) Let me check playlist.
It really is corporate greed that has taken over the work place. In my rural area we have temp services everywhere, that is how you get hired for most jobs. If you are lucky the company will hire you on after 3 months, but until then you get paid your percentage from the temp service and you get no benefits. Also in my area we have companies who are getting rid of the high paying positions, people who have been there forever making at the top of the pay scale, and bringing in new people and paying them only half of what they were paying. Its sickening, it happened to my son and now to a neice. greed greed greed
Here ya go C, Anarchy in the UK! I liked Motley Crue more than Sex Pistols, how bout you?
You can't tell me for one second that you can't read through the comments while listening to this without laughing. I did BEFORE you put the music on.
Glenn Beck said the same thing about GM. Hmmm....
that's right Michael Moore inciting violence: Look at all these racist tea baggers.
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/09/25/video-cnn-discovers-what-an-unruly-protest-looks-like/
Michael Moore inciting violence?? Why, I never....
Some of those signs were denouncing capitalism. Interesting right after he announces his movie.
michael moore has spoken the truth on many occasions. all of his naysayers are the ones that wish to [stay the course]. the course of a broken system,that self imploded. the trigger for this self implosion was [greed] deregulation. both parties are guilty of this. as we have lived under a one party system. the public is still in denial of this fact. [[[they select, so we may elect.]]]
Michael Moore is just another dirty looking Hollywood hypocrite who makes money using capitalistic principles all the while condemning capitalistism. He couldn't make money making real movies, so he chose to go the Al Gore route and go anti-capitalism like Al Gore and his "green" baloney. The real road to success in Hollywood is to make a "documentary" and then go hug Castro or Chavez. I can't believe that you all believe so much bunk.
conservatives are blind to true caring individuals like Michael Moore. He cares about Americans and thats why he chooses to do the kinds of movies he does to highlight the corruption. I guess corporate loving conservatives like their corruption hidden from plain sight, but thank God we have people like Moore who tell it like it is! Typical of you and yours to point out Moores not so pretty face, but thats why WE love him, he's REAL!!!
Sue ~ I don't think I would bring up corruption. As a Dem, you must surely be aware of the problems with Obama's appointees. I've never seen so many tax cheats in one administration in my life. Yeah, you Dems are the "honest" ones alright. Power corrupts, and that is the reason that I am for the smallest possible government. I consider myself more libertarian than republican, but I would vote for just about anyone other than a democrat.
linda; name the last republican president that was not corrupt, a liar, a war monger, or a shill for the banksters. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. see you can not. there aren't any. just as there aren't any dems. the system is broken. we exist under a one party fascist govt. [[[[they select so we may elect]]]]
you are correct RZ. Linda saying you are libertarian is so much worse in my eyes than a repug. Its the libertarians who harbor such hate for America as she stands. You are the ones who take advantage of all the government has to offer yet say "stay out of my life". Your kind doesn't even have a clue why you are fighting the government. Its insane. I would trust a dem ANY day over a republican or God Forbid, a libertarian!
Sue ~ I didn't say that I am a libertarian. I don't agree with many things that libertarians stand for such as legalizing drugs, total isolationism, etc.
The problem is that since power corrupts, steps should be taken to limit how long anyone can "serve" in Congress. Maybe we would be better served if we made it truly a service experience and took all the personal perks and money out of it. Maybe that would attract only patriots with the country's interests at heart. I'm for not giving the liars and cheats any pension at all. If they are caught doing something illegal or unethical, then cut off their funds and kick them out. Why should the American taxpayer be forced to pay their bloated salaries to them for the rest of their lives? I say let the people vote on Congressional salary caps and benefit restrictions.
I'm not saying that there are no Republican tax cheats or crooks. I live in Illinois...need I say more?
I'm for small government who stays out of my life except for the few duties mentioned in the Constitution. As long as we elect those who have no morals or ethics, we are going to be getting more of the same. The health care plan is not about making sure you have good health care. It is about control.
I agree with you and most Republicans agree as well, we do need reform in the health care system. We just disagree with the degree of change and methods being foisted upon us by the current administration. If you think that Obama is doing this out of the goodness of his little heart, you are being so duped. He has INTERNATIONAL ambitions...not just this dog and pony show!
international ambitions?? like ruler of the whole world?? lol
sue; her comment about "international ambition" the right wing fringe element use these veiled tactics to try to plant the seed that obama is the anti-christ. or that he is the new leader of the NWO, via the UN. these are just typical fear cards by their naysaying krew.
lets all together hum the "Twightlight Zone" theme song....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlG28B-R8Y&feature=related
TWILIGHT ZONE,
please don't laugh at my terrible spelling mistake! LOL
RealityZone ~ You name the last Democrat president that is not guilty of your laundry list of sins. I can't think of a single one. They are ALL guilty of some type of infraction, but some have been worse than others.
linda; before you go on the attack, please read my post again. " just as there aren't any dems. the system is broken. we exist under a one party fascist govt. [[[[they select so we may elect]]]]-----or maybe you missed that part. rethugs have a tendency to bypass certain things.
I don't believe that Obama is the Anti-Christ, but he may well have ambitions in the area of a one world government. He is already endorsing banking regulations that would control banks around the world. If you control the money, then you are only a few steps removed from controlling populations. You can hum the "Twilight Zone" tune all you want. Why don't you see the potential for abuse of power here? Is it his endearing smile or his mild mannered personality? Spell out your reasons for your blind trust of this politician who has so little experience and so much ego.
talking point [[[ lack of experience ]]]. what experience did the shrub have. he was a governor of texas, where the lt. gov. has more power than the gov. the shrub was a failure in everything he touched his hole life. he had the failure touch. this economic nitemare did not happen on 01/20/09. even bush said he went away from the free market system,. in order to save it.
Where does Linda get her rose-colored glasses? Or are they "red" colored?
lisa; i am new on this site. so i am just curious, nothing personal. are you a birther, and or a diary writer?
Neither RZ. Are you a Truther?
lisa; i guess you could call me a [truther]. i wear my tin foil hat with pride. lol as far as 9/11 goes, any one who believes the "official" 9/11 report is a fool. look up [gulf of tonkin] the govt. finally admitted that it was all made up. people that believe the "officia" version also believe oswald was the lone assassin.they also still believe that iraq had weapons of mass destruction, on and on and on.
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