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This picture,

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truly one of the most
unusual ever filmed,

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contains scenes which
under no circumstances

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should be viewed by anyone
with a heart condition

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or anyone who is easily upset.

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We urgently recommend

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that if you are such a person
or the parent

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of a young or impressionable child
now in attendance,

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that you and the child
leave the auditorium.

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( trumpet playing )

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Narrator: Rome was the largest
and the most beautiful city

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of the ancient world.

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The magnificent facade
of the empire, however,

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could not conceal
the seeds of decay,

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the unhealthy dependence
of the economy on slaves,

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the disparity between
rich and poor.

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Behind the splendor
of the Forum

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were vast areas
of crowded slums.

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Escape from the slums was difficult
for there were few jobs available

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and practically none
for the unskilled.

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To keep idle citizens entertained
and out of mischief,

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frequent games and spectacles
were held at public expense.

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At first, only chariot races
were sponsored.

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But by the reign of Trajan,

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brutal combat to the death
had become popular.

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Earlier in Rome's history,

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elected representatives
exercised the power.

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But by now,
every function of government

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had been absorbed
by the emperor

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who was above the law
and ruled by decree.

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That a people as civilized
as the Romans,

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with the most humane
system of law ever devised,

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could tolerate the violation
of human beings

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is astonishing.

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This imbalance
and the irresponsible behavior

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of public officials
would become major reasons

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for Rome's eventual decline.

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Michael Moore: l wonder how
future civilizations will view our society.

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Will they judge us by this?

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- ( mews )

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"" He's a cat flushin' a toilet,
he's a cat flushin' a toilet ""

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"" He's a cat flushin' a toilet. ""

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( mews )

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Moore: Or will they
judge us by this?

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Man #1 :
Do you see the sheriff's car?

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Man #2: Yeah, right there.
The sheriff-- that's the first car.

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- Woman: No--
- There he is.

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Man #3:
Three, four, five, six...

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Woman: Seven.

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- Man #1 : Give me the phone.
- Woman: lt's on this--

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it's on the c--
it's on the couch.

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All right, that's as close
as l can get, Dad.

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- Don't stand in front of the door, Dad.
- ( knocking )

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( whispering )
Get out from the--

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Hey, Sheriff, Robert
inside the house here.

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- ( knocking )
- ( loud banging )

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Woman: They're trying to beat
the back door in, Dad.

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( loud banging )

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There are four of us in here.
They're beating on the door.

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We're not gonna resist,
but you will have to come

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in the house on your own.

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But there are four souls
in this house.

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Woman: Dad, don't stand
in front of the door.

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- Do not.
- ( doorknob rattling )

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( banging continues )

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Woman:
Another witness.

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Tell your name to the camera.

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- l'm David Phillips.
- Chris Collins.

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And Audra Collins.

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( banging continues )

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- David: And this is America?
- Chris: Uh-huh.

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Audra: This is America, folks,
what you're watching right here.

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- Sheriff's office.
- Robert: Yeah, we know.

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- Okay, y'all have to come out, please.
- Robert: All right.

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Woman: We cannot act like this--
this is just something that's okay.

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And so this is new.

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They've never come out
and boarded up our house

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after they've evicted the person

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and threw their furniture
in the dumpster.

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So they're letting us know

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that they are stepping it up,

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boarding up somebody's house.

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This has been my family home.
This is my parents' house.

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l've lived here for 41 years.

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This is the only home
l've ever really lived in.

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This is the only-- this will always
be home to me, no matter what.

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- l'm a carpenter.
- Woman: There you go.

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Man #1 : Sandra, they're leaving.
Let them leave.

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- Man #2: l'm a carpenter. So what?
- That's all l am.

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- Well, people pay their bills.
- This could happen to you.

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Carpenter: That's right.
So why do you think l'm doing it?

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l don't have to be happy about this,
but that's what l do.

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Sandra: That's all l'm saying is that
maybe you can make another choice.

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- That's all we're saying.
- That's no reason for...

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Sandra:
You're a working-class person.

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...people here to get upset
and almost get themselves hurt.

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We ain't gonna get hurt.

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Are you threatening us?

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Y'all gonna get on out of here.
You might end up even getting hurt.

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Talking about us getting hurt,
you might get hurt.

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Man: There's gonna be
some kind of a rebellion

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between the people
that have nothing

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and the people that's got it all.

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l don't understand.

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There's no in-between no more.

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There's the people that's got it all

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and the people that have nothing.

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We gotta get this stuff
out of the house and packed up

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and be out of here
in about 30 days

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even though we don't
have a place to go.

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Oh.

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Woman:
We designed this house.

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The property that it's on
was my family farm.

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So l've lost a piece
of my heritage with this.

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Why do you do this
to the hard-working people?

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Why do you take everything?

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You take everything
away from them.

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We're just middle-class,
hard-working people

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trying to make a living.

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Just trying to survive.

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An old Browning.

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( grunts )
My pistol,

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my dad's pistol, my pistol.

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( sighs )

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- ( knocking )
- Man: Sheriff's department.

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lt's supposed to be 30 days.

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l got 30 days to get my stuff out.

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- That's what the guy told me.
- No.

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What?

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lt's currently scheduled for today.

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But...

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The paper's telling us
that we are due

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to do an eviction here
today at 9:00 AM.

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Huh, shoot.

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Well, he's surprised too.

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The house is gone.

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That cop told me that the house

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has already been sold
to somebody else.

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So we don't own the house no more,
somebody else does.

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Moore:
This is capitalism,

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a system of taking and giving--

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mostly taking.

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The only thing we didn't know

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was when the revolt would begin.

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Man: Everything,
we've tried everything...

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except robbing a bank.

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l'm thinking about
maybe doing that.

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You know, that's one way
somebody could get their money back.

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lf they did it--
they did it to me,

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l don't know why
l can't do it to them.

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Peter Zalewski:
This is my second Hyundai Sonata.

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l'll probably get a new car next year.

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And when l do,
it'll probably be another Sonata.

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You know, l'm not a car guy.

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lf l can go in there
and steal a condo

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for the equivalent of what
a Mercedes would cost

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or a Bentley would cost,
l'm all about that.

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Moore:
Meet Peter Zalewski,

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Florida's up-and-coming
real estate whiz.

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Here we go.

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Moore: He calls his
real estate company Condo Vultures.

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( stuttering )
We have a very good sign.

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You have the final notice
of eviction.

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So you can see this person
was basically thrown out

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by the police department.

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Welcome.

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Moore:
Peter deals exclusively

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with clients who buy up
foreclosed homes

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and then resell them at a profit.

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lt's gonna be about
830 square feet or so...

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At the end of the day,
the only people who are buying

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are primarily individuals
that we represent...

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Today it's on the market
for $66,000.

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...which are basically bottom feeders
who are going in there.

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They have no compassion,
no sensitivity.

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They're running purely off numbers
They're coming in all cash,

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and they're looking to slit
any single seller's throat

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regardless of what
their situation is.

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So people always ask,
''What's 25cents on the dollar?''

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This is it.
This is what you're gonna get.

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The vulture basically represents
a bottom feeder

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that goes in there
and cleans off a carcass.

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Because they're dealing with
so many different germs and situations,

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they'll have to vomit on themselves
and there's some sort

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of cleansing process that occurs.

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The vultures
aren't actually killing,

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they're the ones
doing the clean-up.

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Which bank you want?
Bank of America?

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What we do is we tap into data...

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and boom, voila.

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Here we got 3,400 foreclosing
by Bank of America.

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Gotta love it.

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As we collect data,
it's giving us

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the insight into the battlefield,

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almost like a drone that flies
over the battleground in Afghanistan

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or in Pakistan or in lraq.

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The current asking price is 355.

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Again, it was purchased for 840.

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A little bit of a discount.
You're gonna have two...

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Our people are using
that data to be able to go in

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and try to steal properties,
legally and ethically,

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but take them at the bare-bone
bottom price.

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lt's all about taking right now.

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Look at the-- look at the roof--
completely gone and missing.

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We haven't had a hurricane
in five years.

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( laughing )

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Welcome to the housing crash,
Miami style.

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So this-- this is what capitalism is

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and this is why the information
is so critical.

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We go in there,
we alert them to it,

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and if they like it, you know--

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( imitates shotgun )

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- Look at the window.
- Look at that.

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Looks like the house
next door was on fire.

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This is straight up capitalism.

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- Fire damage.
- l wonder if somebody was living there...

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Zalewski: Everybody's got
this desire to go in there

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and take advantage
of others' misfortunes.

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Somebody asked me,

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''What's the difference between
you and a real vulture?''

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l said, ''lt's very simple.
l don't vomit on myself.''

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Our topic today:
What is capitalism?

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Capitalism?

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Well, why should there be
any question about it?

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Hasn't it given us the highest
standard of living in the world?

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We're free to try to make a profit,

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to just get by, or to fail.

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That's what capitalism is:

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a system of free enterprise.

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00:13:32,344 --> 00:13:34,642
Now tell us what
''free enterprise'' means.

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Moore: l went to see
my friend Wally Shawn,

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a playwright
and sometimes actor.

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00:13:40,586 --> 00:13:42,110
lnconceivable!

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Moore: But Wally also studied
history and politics

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and even a little
elementary economics.

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Free enterprise
is a form of words

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that is intended
to conjure up in your mind

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a little town with different shops.

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And the guy who runs
the best shop

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has the most customers.

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Narrator: There is the basis
of the capitalistic system:

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the profit motive.

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He's in business to make money.

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Shawn: The original
theory of capitalism

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is that it's a very clever way

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of society voting on what goods

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it wants made.

248
00:14:25,197 --> 00:14:27,028
What do you use this for?

249
00:14:27,066 --> 00:14:30,900
That's-- l could use that
for practically everything l ever do.

250
00:14:30,936 --> 00:14:34,599
You know, society votes.

251
00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:36,904
They like the way this guy

252
00:14:36,942 --> 00:14:39,638
makes ice cream.

253
00:14:39,678 --> 00:14:41,305
But the other guy,

254
00:14:41,347 --> 00:14:44,680
they don't like
his ice cream that much

255
00:14:44,717 --> 00:14:49,586
and they don't buy it,
so it fades out.

256
00:14:49,622 --> 00:14:52,250
lt's on me.
That is a good fit.

257
00:14:52,291 --> 00:14:56,625
Shawn: The basic law of life
is that if you have things,

258
00:14:56,662 --> 00:15:00,029
you can easily get more things.

259
00:15:00,065 --> 00:15:03,057
Very quickly, one guy can have

260
00:15:03,102 --> 00:15:05,798
five times more
than anybody else.

261
00:15:05,838 --> 00:15:08,238
- Free enterprise.
- Competition.

262
00:15:08,274 --> 00:15:09,741
Woman:
The profit motive.

263
00:15:11,744 --> 00:15:14,645
Moore: My dad, an assembly-line
worker at General Motors,

264
00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:16,341
bought and paid for our house

265
00:15:16,382 --> 00:15:20,045
before l graduated
from kindergarten.

266
00:15:20,085 --> 00:15:23,213
We had a new car
every three years.

267
00:15:25,257 --> 00:15:28,090
We went to New York
every other summer.

268
00:15:28,127 --> 00:15:31,096
That's me on Wall Street.

269
00:15:31,130 --> 00:15:33,030
And that's me
directing my first movie

270
00:15:33,065 --> 00:15:34,589
at the World's Fair.

271
00:15:34,633 --> 00:15:38,660
We went to Catholic schools,
we lived a good life.

272
00:15:40,439 --> 00:15:43,772
lf this was capitalism,
l loved it...

273
00:15:43,809 --> 00:15:46,277
and so did everyone else.

274
00:15:46,312 --> 00:15:50,305
During these years
a lot of people got rich

275
00:15:50,349 --> 00:15:54,342
and they had to pay
a top tax rate of 90% .

276
00:15:54,386 --> 00:15:56,479
90% ?

277
00:15:56,522 --> 00:15:58,353
Yep.

278
00:15:58,390 --> 00:16:02,952
But they still got to live
like Bogie and Bacall.

279
00:16:02,995 --> 00:16:05,327
And what did we do
with all their money?

280
00:16:05,364 --> 00:16:08,128
We built damns, bridges,

281
00:16:08,167 --> 00:16:11,967
interstate highways,
schools, hospitals.

282
00:16:12,004 --> 00:16:14,438
We even sent a guy to the moon.

283
00:16:14,473 --> 00:16:16,873
Things seemed to be going
in the right direction.

284
00:16:16,909 --> 00:16:19,969
Dad had a secure job
and Mom could work

285
00:16:20,012 --> 00:16:22,446
if she wanted,
but didn't have to.

286
00:16:22,481 --> 00:16:26,383
Middle-class families only needed
one income to survive.

287
00:16:26,418 --> 00:16:29,683
Our union family had
free health care and free dental.

288
00:16:29,722 --> 00:16:33,180
The kids could go to college
without getting a loan from a bank.

289
00:16:33,225 --> 00:16:36,854
Dad had four weeks
paid vacation every summer.

290
00:16:36,895 --> 00:16:40,729
Most people had
a savings account and little debt.

291
00:16:40,766 --> 00:16:44,532
And Dad's pension was set aside
where no one could touch it.

292
00:16:44,570 --> 00:16:48,563
lt would be there for him
when he retired.

293
00:16:48,607 --> 00:16:52,668
We got all of this because
our main industrial competition

294
00:16:52,711 --> 00:16:55,236
had been reduced to rubble.

295
00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:57,942
Here's what the German
car industry looked like.

296
00:16:57,983 --> 00:17:01,419
And here's the Japanese
auto industry.

297
00:17:01,453 --> 00:17:03,546
l guess you could say
it's easy to be number one

298
00:17:03,589 --> 00:17:06,524
when you have no competition.

299
00:17:06,558 --> 00:17:09,118
Yes, of course
not everything was perfect.

300
00:17:09,161 --> 00:17:11,061
We didn't mind having to put up

301
00:17:11,096 --> 00:17:14,031
with a little bit of this
and a little bit of that...

302
00:17:16,635 --> 00:17:19,263
just as long as we could be
middle-class.

303
00:17:21,607 --> 00:17:25,304
And we could count on our kids
having it better than we had it.

304
00:17:25,344 --> 00:17:28,677
lt sounded like
a good deal to us.

305
00:17:28,714 --> 00:17:32,878
Capitalism-- no one
ever had it so good.

306
00:17:40,759 --> 00:17:42,784
And then, right when
we were in the middle

307
00:17:42,828 --> 00:17:46,265
of this big love affair
with capitalism...

308
00:17:46,265 --> 00:17:48,733
Announcer: The ABC
Sunday Night Movie ''The Gambler''

309
00:17:48,767 --> 00:17:50,428
will continue in its entirety

310
00:17:50,469 --> 00:17:54,064
following this live report
from ABC News.

311
00:17:54,106 --> 00:17:58,975
We are at a turning point
in our history.

312
00:17:59,011 --> 00:18:01,275
Moore:
Along came Debbie Downer.

313
00:18:01,313 --> 00:18:05,079
Too many of us now
tend to worship

314
00:18:05,117 --> 00:18:09,520
self-indulgence
and consumption.

315
00:18:09,555 --> 00:18:13,548
Human identity
is no longer defined

316
00:18:13,592 --> 00:18:17,323
by what one does,

317
00:18:17,362 --> 00:18:20,229
but by what one owns.

318
00:18:20,265 --> 00:18:21,926
This is not a message

319
00:18:21,967 --> 00:18:25,528
of happiness or reassurance,

320
00:18:25,571 --> 00:18:27,801
but it is the truth

321
00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:29,831
and it is a warning.

322
00:18:29,875 --> 00:18:31,843
Moore:
Wow, what a bummer.

323
00:18:31,877 --> 00:18:35,005
lt was time to bring
a new sheriff to town...

324
00:18:35,047 --> 00:18:36,139
( horse whinnies )

325
00:18:36,181 --> 00:18:38,649
...one who knew how to act
like a president.

326
00:18:38,684 --> 00:18:42,347
He knew how to handle workers
who wanted a better wage.

327
00:18:42,387 --> 00:18:44,651
( gunshot )

328
00:18:44,690 --> 00:18:47,625
All right, mister, l guess you win.

329
00:18:47,659 --> 00:18:49,149
Moore:
Or these annoying feminists

330
00:18:49,194 --> 00:18:51,958
whining about their
Equal Rights Amendment.

331
00:18:51,997 --> 00:18:54,465
Well, l can change that in a hurry.

332
00:18:56,168 --> 00:18:59,968
Moore: A man who knew
how to get the job done.

333
00:19:00,005 --> 00:19:03,532
Ronald Reagan
came out of the B movies

334
00:19:03,575 --> 00:19:07,739
to become the most famous
corporate spokesman of the 1950s.

335
00:19:07,779 --> 00:19:10,475
lt's a transistor radio too.
Weighs only a few ounces.

336
00:19:10,516 --> 00:19:11,949
You can slip it
right into your pocket.

337
00:19:11,984 --> 00:19:14,350
Boraxo waterless hand cleaner
really cleans up for us.

338
00:19:14,386 --> 00:19:16,320
Moore:
He had found his calling

339
00:19:16,355 --> 00:19:19,290
and Wall Street
had found their man.

340
00:19:19,324 --> 00:19:22,384
You see, the banks and corporations
had a simple plan:

341
00:19:22,427 --> 00:19:25,794
to remake America to serve them.

342
00:19:25,831 --> 00:19:27,423
But to pull it off would require

343
00:19:27,466 --> 00:19:30,492
electing a spokesmodel
for president.

344
00:19:30,536 --> 00:19:34,734
And on November 4th, 1980,
that's what we did.

345
00:19:34,773 --> 00:19:36,604
...that l will faithfully execute

346
00:19:36,642 --> 00:19:38,837
the office of President
of the United States.

347
00:19:38,877 --> 00:19:41,072
Crowd:
Ronald Ronald Ronald...

348
00:19:41,113 --> 00:19:43,343
Thank you.

349
00:19:43,382 --> 00:19:46,112
Moore:
lt was an historic moment

350
00:19:46,151 --> 00:19:48,915
because now corporate America
and Wall Street

351
00:19:48,954 --> 00:19:51,946
were in almost complete control.

352
00:19:51,990 --> 00:19:54,686
See that guy standing
next to the president?

353
00:19:54,726 --> 00:19:57,593
You know, the one
that looks like a butler?

354
00:19:57,629 --> 00:19:59,995
His name was Don Regan,

355
00:20:00,032 --> 00:20:02,296
the Chairman of Merrill Lynch,

356
00:20:02,334 --> 00:20:06,862
the richest and biggest
retail brokerage firm in the world.

357
00:20:06,905 --> 00:20:09,874
He took the key position
of Treasury Secretary

358
00:20:09,908 --> 00:20:13,776
so he could enact the tax cuts
that the rich wanted.

359
00:20:13,812 --> 00:20:16,110
Regan then became
White House Chief of Staff

360
00:20:16,148 --> 00:20:19,709
as the president started to fade.

361
00:20:19,751 --> 00:20:22,879
Then they should give the president
what 43 governors have,

362
00:20:22,921 --> 00:20:25,389
a line-item veto.

363
00:20:25,424 --> 00:20:27,585
- And...
- ( applause )

364
00:20:27,626 --> 00:20:31,687
- You're gonna have to speed it up.
- Oh.

365
00:20:31,730 --> 00:20:34,893
Moore: Who tells the president
to speed it up?

366
00:20:34,933 --> 00:20:38,767
The man from Merrill Lynch,
that's who.

367
00:20:38,804 --> 00:20:43,264
Things in America would never
be the same again.

368
00:20:43,308 --> 00:20:46,744
The country would now be run
like a corporation.

369
00:20:46,778 --> 00:20:48,871
We're going to turn the bull loose.

370
00:20:48,914 --> 00:20:52,281
( cheering, applause )

371
00:20:52,317 --> 00:20:55,912
Moore: And four years later,
when Reagan ran for reelection,

372
00:20:55,954 --> 00:20:59,390
it was all smiley faces
and happy talk.

373
00:20:59,424 --> 00:21:01,949
l really feel that we're gonna
be better off in the long run.

374
00:21:01,994 --> 00:21:04,929
We're on the upward swing

375
00:21:04,963 --> 00:21:08,490
and the factories are working
much stronger than before.

376
00:21:08,533 --> 00:21:10,933
We're back on top.

377
00:21:14,473 --> 00:21:16,839
Moore: Actually,
what Reagan presided over

378
00:21:16,875 --> 00:21:21,437
was the wholesale dismantling
of our industrial infrastructure.

379
00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:25,314
This was not done to save money
or remain competitive,

380
00:21:25,350 --> 00:21:27,409
as companies back then
were already posting

381
00:21:27,452 --> 00:21:30,853
record earnings in the billions.

382
00:21:30,889 --> 00:21:34,620
No, it was done
for short-term profits...

383
00:21:38,730 --> 00:21:41,631
and to destroy the unions.

384
00:21:41,667 --> 00:21:44,761
Millions of people
were thrown out of work

385
00:21:44,803 --> 00:21:48,136
and the remaining workers
were told to work twice as hard.

386
00:21:49,608 --> 00:21:53,066
But wages for working people
remained frozen.

387
00:21:54,980 --> 00:21:57,813
The richest Americans
had their top income tax rate

388
00:21:57,849 --> 00:22:00,784
cut in half.

389
00:22:02,621 --> 00:22:05,715
lnstead of being paid
a decent wage,

390
00:22:05,757 --> 00:22:08,521
we were encouraged
to live on borrowed money

391
00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:12,621
until our household debt
was nearly 100% of the GDP.

392
00:22:12,664 --> 00:22:15,827
There was an explosion
of personal bankruptcies.

393
00:22:15,867 --> 00:22:19,735
We found it necessary to lock up
millions of our citizens.

394
00:22:19,771 --> 00:22:22,069
Sales of antidepressants
skyrocketed

395
00:22:22,107 --> 00:22:24,701
as insurance
and pharmaceutical company greed

396
00:22:24,743 --> 00:22:27,940
pushed the cost
of healthcare up and up.

397
00:22:27,979 --> 00:22:31,506
All of this was great news
for the stock market

398
00:22:31,550 --> 00:22:34,610
and for America's CEOs.

399
00:22:39,624 --> 00:22:41,319
Moore:
Half of Flint was now receiving

400
00:22:41,360 --> 00:22:44,523
some form
of government welfare.

401
00:22:44,563 --> 00:22:46,428
During the end
of the Reagan years,

402
00:22:46,465 --> 00:22:49,696
l made my first movie about
what had happened to the country

403
00:22:49,735 --> 00:22:53,193
and specifically to my hometown
of Flint, Michigan,

404
00:22:53,238 --> 00:22:56,469
the birthplace of General Motors.

405
00:22:56,508 --> 00:23:00,376
GM was posting profits
of over $4 billion

406
00:23:00,412 --> 00:23:02,403
while at the same time eliminating

407
00:23:02,447 --> 00:23:05,211
tens of thousands of jobs.

408
00:23:05,250 --> 00:23:09,186
l went to see GM's chief lobbyist
in Flint, Mr. Tom Kay,

409
00:23:09,221 --> 00:23:12,418
to ask him why
this was happening.

410
00:23:12,457 --> 00:23:15,449
General Motors wouldn't be doing
anybody any service

411
00:23:15,494 --> 00:23:16,961
if it goes bankrupt.

412
00:23:16,995 --> 00:23:18,758
lt has to do what it has to do

413
00:23:18,797 --> 00:23:21,994
in order to stay competitive
in today's economic climate.

414
00:23:22,033 --> 00:23:26,094
Moore: Even if that means
eliminating 18,000 jobs?

415
00:23:26,138 --> 00:23:29,107
Even if it means
eliminating 20,000 jobs.

416
00:23:29,141 --> 00:23:31,439
- Or 30,000?
- Whatever.

417
00:23:31,476 --> 00:23:36,038
- How about all the jobs here in Flint?
- lt could feasibly happen.

418
00:23:36,081 --> 00:23:38,641
Moore: And it did.

419
00:23:38,683 --> 00:23:41,481
Nearly all the jobs were eliminated

420
00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:44,284
and GM went bankrupt.

421
00:23:46,091 --> 00:23:49,720
Perhaps more distressing was the fact
that the rest of America

422
00:23:49,761 --> 00:23:53,891
was now starting to resemble
Flint, Michigan.

423
00:23:53,932 --> 00:23:58,096
But there were some cities
that still took pride in their greatness.

424
00:23:58,136 --> 00:23:59,899
"" Cleveland ""

425
00:23:59,938 --> 00:24:02,429
"" Come on down
to Cleveland Town, everyone ""

426
00:24:02,474 --> 00:24:05,375
"" Come and look
at both of our buildings ""

427
00:24:05,410 --> 00:24:08,208
"" Here's the place where
there used to be industry ""

428
00:24:08,246 --> 00:24:11,079
"" This train is carrying jobs
out of Cleveland ""

429
00:24:11,116 --> 00:24:14,108
"" See the sun almost
three times a year ""

430
00:24:14,152 --> 00:24:16,916
"" This guy has at least two DUls ""

431
00:24:16,955 --> 00:24:19,890
"" Our economy's
based on LeBron James ""

432
00:24:19,925 --> 00:24:22,758
"" Buy a house
for the price of a VCR ""

433
00:24:22,794 --> 00:24:25,490
"" Our main export
is crippling depression ""

434
00:24:25,530 --> 00:24:28,499
"" We're so retarded
that we think this is art ""

435
00:24:28,533 --> 00:24:33,163
"" lt could be worse, though,
at least we're not Detroit ""

436
00:24:33,205 --> 00:24:35,400
"" We're not Detroit. ""

437
00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:39,137
Moore:
No, they're not Detroit.

438
00:24:39,177 --> 00:24:41,805
For 20 years l tried
to warn GM and others

439
00:24:41,847 --> 00:24:45,510
that this day was coming,
but to no avail.

440
00:24:45,550 --> 00:24:47,814
Maybe now they'd listen.

441
00:24:47,853 --> 00:24:50,287
So l went down to the headquarters
of General Motors

442
00:24:50,322 --> 00:24:53,985
one last time to share
some of my ideas.

443
00:24:54,025 --> 00:24:56,186
You don't have permission.
You can't film here.

444
00:24:56,228 --> 00:24:57,217
Huh?

445
00:24:57,262 --> 00:24:59,059
You don't have permission
from General Motors.

446
00:24:59,097 --> 00:25:01,691
- You can't film here.
- l'm just going up to see the chairman.

447
00:25:01,733 --> 00:25:03,724
No, sir.
No, sir.

448
00:25:03,768 --> 00:25:05,998
You know, l've been doing this
for, like, 20 years.

449
00:25:06,037 --> 00:25:07,527
l understand, sir.

450
00:25:07,572 --> 00:25:11,064
And l have not been
let into this building for 20 years,

451
00:25:11,109 --> 00:25:14,772
and l think it's about time
someone just let me in

452
00:25:14,813 --> 00:25:16,440
and let me talk to them.

453
00:25:16,481 --> 00:25:18,346
l've got some good ideas.

454
00:25:18,383 --> 00:25:22,820
4-7 to 7-6 Bravo Area Alpha.

455
00:25:22,854 --> 00:25:25,254
Man:
Go ahead.

456
00:25:25,290 --> 00:25:28,521
lt's Michael Moore here
to see the chairman.

457
00:25:30,829 --> 00:25:33,354
Repeat that.

458
00:25:33,398 --> 00:25:35,491
lt's the filmmaker
Mr. Michael Moore.

459
00:25:35,534 --> 00:25:37,525
He's here to see the chairman.

460
00:25:38,770 --> 00:25:40,362
- Gentlemen.
- Yes.

461
00:25:40,405 --> 00:25:42,805
You need to get prior permission.
You cannot film here, okay?

462
00:25:42,841 --> 00:25:45,571
But if l can't go in and get permission,
what am l supposed to do?

463
00:25:45,610 --> 00:25:48,101
l guess they're right.
Breaking up is hard to do.

464
00:25:48,146 --> 00:25:50,444
Stop that. Don't do that.
Just go in the building.

465
00:25:50,482 --> 00:25:53,178
Moore: For 35 years,
GM made more money

466
00:25:53,218 --> 00:25:55,311
than any other corporation.

467
00:25:55,353 --> 00:25:56,945
But eventually,
Germany and Japan

468
00:25:56,988 --> 00:25:59,786
rebuilt their car industry
and produced vehicles

469
00:25:59,824 --> 00:26:02,850
that were safer than ours,
more fuel efficient

470
00:26:02,894 --> 00:26:05,055
and rarely, if ever, broke down.

471
00:26:08,166 --> 00:26:12,535
ln Germany, unions help hire and fire
the board of directors

472
00:26:12,571 --> 00:26:15,972
so the workers have a say
in what's going on.

473
00:26:18,843 --> 00:26:20,834
You see, the people
of Japan and Germany

474
00:26:21,112 --> 00:26:24,548
fight to make sure that even
their conservative political leaders

475
00:26:24,583 --> 00:26:26,710
don't destroy their middle class.

476
00:26:31,056 --> 00:26:33,684
So where exactly
are we right now?

477
00:26:33,725 --> 00:26:38,287
On the day that General Motors
declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy,

478
00:26:38,330 --> 00:26:41,766
l went with my dad to visit
the AC Spark Plug plant

479
00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:44,394
where he had worked
for over 30 years.

480
00:26:44,436 --> 00:26:48,099
- So you worked actually right here.
- You'd have to go--

481
00:26:48,139 --> 00:26:51,939
they had a ramp that took you
up over that, just beyond that...

482
00:26:51,977 --> 00:26:53,501
- Just beyond that space there?
- Yeah.

483
00:26:53,545 --> 00:26:55,536
- And then the factory was all over there?
- Yeah.

484
00:26:55,580 --> 00:26:57,980
Moore: The whole complex
is, like, two miles long.

485
00:26:58,016 --> 00:27:00,348
l remember Mom bringing
us kids in to pick you up.

486
00:27:00,385 --> 00:27:02,285
- 2:30 every day.
- Yeah, uh-huh.

487
00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:05,346
You'd walk out of there,
right over in there in fact.

488
00:27:05,390 --> 00:27:07,358
And we'd be waiting
in the car for you

489
00:27:07,392 --> 00:27:09,883
and we'd see you
come down the ramp.

490
00:27:09,928 --> 00:27:13,523
We got real excited
every time we saw you.

491
00:27:13,565 --> 00:27:16,056
l was there 33 1/2 years.

492
00:27:16,101 --> 00:27:18,160
- 33 1/2 years?
- Uh-huh.

493
00:27:18,203 --> 00:27:21,001
Moore: What's your best memory here,
being here, working here?

494
00:27:21,039 --> 00:27:24,202
My best memory?
l think the people.

495
00:27:24,242 --> 00:27:26,233
They were a really good bunch.

496
00:27:26,277 --> 00:27:29,144
- You liked the crowd you worked with?
- Yeah.

497
00:27:29,180 --> 00:27:32,445
Frank Moore:
A good place to work. l enjoyed it.

498
00:27:32,484 --> 00:27:35,351
But l'm sorry to see it go.

499
00:27:42,961 --> 00:27:45,691
Moore:
Shortly before Christmas 2008,

500
00:27:45,730 --> 00:27:48,858
Republic Windows & Doors
in Chicago, lllinois,

501
00:27:48,900 --> 00:27:52,131
abruptly fired
its entire unionized workforce

502
00:27:52,170 --> 00:27:55,230
of over 250 people.

503
00:27:55,273 --> 00:27:58,731
They were given
only three days' notice.

504
00:27:58,777 --> 00:28:00,836
Bank of America
would no longer provide

505
00:28:00,879 --> 00:28:03,074
a line of credit to the company,

506
00:28:03,114 --> 00:28:07,210
and so the workers were not paid
the money owed to them.

507
00:28:07,252 --> 00:28:10,050
Man #1 : My life revolves
around this job.

508
00:28:10,088 --> 00:28:14,252
l live according to my obligation
to my job, you know?

509
00:28:14,292 --> 00:28:18,353
And it's not just me,
it's all of the workers here.

510
00:28:18,396 --> 00:28:21,194
We go above and beyond

511
00:28:21,232 --> 00:28:23,826
the call of duty for Republic.

512
00:28:23,868 --> 00:28:26,598
And at the end,

513
00:28:26,638 --> 00:28:29,471
Republic cares nothing for us.

514
00:28:31,309 --> 00:28:34,278
Man #2: We found out that
they're gonna shut the plant on Tuesday.

515
00:28:34,312 --> 00:28:37,543
We don't deserve what
they're doing to us, you know?

516
00:28:37,582 --> 00:28:40,881
lt really hurts because,
like l said,

517
00:28:40,919 --> 00:28:42,887
this is my second family.

518
00:28:42,921 --> 00:28:45,515
So it was-- it really hurts.
lt really hurts.

519
00:28:45,557 --> 00:28:49,459
l'm gonna miss
all of them, you know?

520
00:28:49,494 --> 00:28:52,463
l'm gonna miss them
and l don't think

521
00:28:52,497 --> 00:28:54,829
anybody on this planet

522
00:28:54,866 --> 00:28:58,097
deserves what they've done to us.

523
00:29:05,577 --> 00:29:07,636
Moore: Scenes like this
were being repeated

524
00:29:07,679 --> 00:29:11,740
all over the country,
and no one seemed to mind.

525
00:29:11,783 --> 00:29:14,183
"" Zambezi, Zambezi ""

526
00:29:14,219 --> 00:29:17,347
- "" Zambezi, Zam. ""
- Woman: Whoo!

527
00:29:17,388 --> 00:29:21,256
Moore: The president was enjoying
his final year in office.

528
00:29:21,292 --> 00:29:23,590
But as the economy
started to fall apart,

529
00:29:23,628 --> 00:29:27,758
he decided it was time
to roll out the C word.

530
00:29:27,799 --> 00:29:30,825
Capitalism is the best system
ever devised.

531
00:29:30,869 --> 00:29:32,268
Moore:
Huh. Really?

532
00:29:32,303 --> 00:29:35,568
Voices from the left and right
are equating the free enterprise system

533
00:29:35,607 --> 00:29:39,270
with greed and exploitation
and failure.

534
00:29:39,310 --> 00:29:41,301
Moore:
Hmm, greed,

535
00:29:41,346 --> 00:29:44,509
exploitation, failure?

536
00:29:44,549 --> 00:29:46,073
Go on, l'm listening.

537
00:29:46,117 --> 00:29:50,986
Capitalism offers people
the freedom to choose

538
00:29:51,022 --> 00:29:53,582
where they work
and what they do...

539
00:29:53,625 --> 00:29:56,321
Reporter: Pat Andrews
has been looking for work.

540
00:29:56,361 --> 00:30:00,229
Every morning she scans
the classifieds in vain.

541
00:30:00,265 --> 00:30:02,028
There isn't anything in here.

542
00:30:02,066 --> 00:30:05,001
l'm not gonna be a gentleman's club
hired dancer either.

543
00:30:06,337 --> 00:30:09,829
...the opportunity to buy
or sell products they want.

544
00:30:09,874 --> 00:30:11,808
Reporter: Tom Rendon
has avoided layoffs

545
00:30:11,843 --> 00:30:14,505
at his sign company
in Stockton, California,

546
00:30:14,546 --> 00:30:16,446
all because this one word
now makes up

547
00:30:16,481 --> 00:30:18,540
for half his business.

548
00:30:18,583 --> 00:30:22,144
lf you seek social justice
and human dignity,

549
00:30:22,187 --> 00:30:26,021
the free market system
is the way to go.

550
00:30:26,057 --> 00:30:27,752
( applause )

551
00:30:28,893 --> 00:30:32,021
Moore: And for those seeking
justice in Pennsylvania,

552
00:30:32,063 --> 00:30:35,965
free enterprise
was definitely the way to go.

553
00:30:39,470 --> 00:30:41,131
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania,

554
00:30:41,172 --> 00:30:43,333
has one of the highest rates
in the state

555
00:30:43,374 --> 00:30:47,003
of young people locked up
in the juvenile home.

556
00:30:47,045 --> 00:30:49,377
Perhaps it's because
the good people here

557
00:30:49,414 --> 00:30:51,780
employ the practices
of capitalism

558
00:30:51,816 --> 00:30:55,047
in dealing with
their wayward youth.

559
00:30:55,086 --> 00:30:57,987
The county hired a private
profit-making corporation

560
00:30:58,022 --> 00:31:02,152
with a sweet-sounding name,
PA Child Care.

561
00:31:03,394 --> 00:31:06,329
lt was owned and run
by two businessmen,

562
00:31:06,364 --> 00:31:11,028
one of whom was Robert Powell,
an attorney and entrepreneur.

563
00:31:11,069 --> 00:31:13,003
His good friend Judge Conahan

564
00:31:13,037 --> 00:31:15,403
closed down
the public juvenile home

565
00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:17,374
and then got
PA Child Care to build

566
00:31:17,408 --> 00:31:20,571
an $8 million
privately-owned facility

567
00:31:20,612 --> 00:31:22,512
and charge it back to the county

568
00:31:22,547 --> 00:31:25,243
for a mere $58 million lease.

569
00:31:27,185 --> 00:31:30,814
Let's meet some of Wilkes-Barre's
juvenile delinquents.

570
00:31:30,855 --> 00:31:33,153
Magee smoked pot
at a high school party.

571
00:31:33,191 --> 00:31:36,422
l was very rebellious
when l was at this age.

572
00:31:36,461 --> 00:31:39,259
Moore: Matt, he got into
an argument at the dinner table.

573
00:31:39,297 --> 00:31:41,959
l threw a piece of meat,
as in steak,

574
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:44,468
cooked dinner,
at my mother's boyfriend.

575
00:31:44,502 --> 00:31:46,868
Moore: Jamie got in a fight
at a shopping mall

576
00:31:46,905 --> 00:31:48,167
with her best friend.

577
00:31:48,206 --> 00:31:51,642
l just figured, you know, we just weren't
gonna be friends anymore.

578
00:31:51,676 --> 00:31:54,201
Moore: And Hillary made
a MySpace page

579
00:31:54,245 --> 00:31:56,406
making fun
of her assistant principal

580
00:31:56,447 --> 00:31:58,938
for being strict and having
no sense of humor.

581
00:31:58,983 --> 00:32:02,419
And it said some pretty silly,
like, 14-year-old-girl stuff.

582
00:32:02,453 --> 00:32:06,184
Moore: Her assistant principal
called the police.

583
00:32:06,224 --> 00:32:10,524
They all appeared before
kindly Judge Mark Ciavarella.

584
00:32:10,561 --> 00:32:13,291
These kids were about
to get their first lesson

585
00:32:13,331 --> 00:32:15,299
in American capitalism:

586
00:32:15,333 --> 00:32:20,134
time is money, lots of money.

587
00:32:20,171 --> 00:32:23,470
l went in front of the court,
in front of Mr. Ciavarella,

588
00:32:23,508 --> 00:32:25,305
and l wasn't even in front of him
for four minutes.

589
00:32:25,343 --> 00:32:27,436
l was only in front of him
for, like, two minutes.

590
00:32:27,478 --> 00:32:31,107
Hillary: The first thing that
Judge Ciavarella said to me was,

591
00:32:31,149 --> 00:32:34,016
''What makes you think
you can do this kind of crap?''

592
00:32:34,052 --> 00:32:36,486
l'm sure he knew in his mind
when l walked in

593
00:32:36,521 --> 00:32:38,284
that he was locking this kid up
no matter what.

594
00:32:38,323 --> 00:32:39,620
He didn't even look at me.

595
00:32:39,657 --> 00:32:42,626
Once l entered the courtroom,
l didn't have any chance.

596
00:32:42,660 --> 00:32:44,924
There was about six kids
who went in front of me.

597
00:32:44,963 --> 00:32:46,988
Every single kid who went
in front of Ciavarella,

598
00:32:47,031 --> 00:32:50,398
for all different reasons--
some minor, some serious--

599
00:32:50,435 --> 00:32:52,130
got sent away.

600
00:32:52,170 --> 00:32:56,072
Moore: Although Wilkes-Barre is located
in the United States of America,

601
00:32:56,107 --> 00:33:00,237
here capitalism
trumped democracy.

602
00:33:00,278 --> 00:33:03,509
Robert Powell, one of the owners
of PA Child Care,

603
00:33:03,548 --> 00:33:07,951
cut a business deal with Judge Conahan
and Judge Ciavarella.

604
00:33:07,986 --> 00:33:11,422
Judge Ciavarella then stepped up
his conviction rates.

605
00:33:11,456 --> 00:33:13,185
Many of these kids
were funneled

606
00:33:13,224 --> 00:33:17,991
into PA Child Care's
for-profit juvenile facility.

607
00:33:18,029 --> 00:33:19,428
And for their troubles,

608
00:33:19,464 --> 00:33:23,662
the judges received
over $2.6 million

609
00:33:23,701 --> 00:33:27,660
while the owners of PA Child Care
received tens of millions

610
00:33:27,705 --> 00:33:30,299
of taxpayer dollars
from the county.

611
00:33:30,341 --> 00:33:33,469
And where did Powell go
to enjoy all that money?

612
00:33:33,511 --> 00:33:35,706
On his private plane

613
00:33:35,747 --> 00:33:38,807
and his yacht,
the ''Reel Justice.''

614
00:33:40,485 --> 00:33:45,388
6,500 children
were unjustly convicted.

615
00:33:45,423 --> 00:33:48,824
lt was good business
while it lasted.

616
00:33:49,961 --> 00:33:52,828
Reporter #1 : Two Luzerne County
judges in big trouble with the law.

617
00:33:52,864 --> 00:33:53,853
They're going to jail.

618
00:33:53,898 --> 00:33:55,331
Reporter #2:
Some kids were locked up

619
00:33:55,366 --> 00:33:59,632
even when probation officers
objected to detention.

620
00:33:59,670 --> 00:34:02,662
ln there you lose track of time
and you lose track of the date.

621
00:34:02,707 --> 00:34:03,935
l was barely keeping track.

622
00:34:03,975 --> 00:34:07,103
lt was supposed to be, like--
l believe it was, like, two months.

623
00:34:07,145 --> 00:34:09,545
And it went from two months
to nine months.

624
00:34:09,580 --> 00:34:12,276
He said originally
three to six months,

625
00:34:12,316 --> 00:34:16,309
but somehow l ended up
being there 11 1/2 months

626
00:34:16,354 --> 00:34:19,187
and l never went back
in front of the judge at all

627
00:34:19,223 --> 00:34:20,850
for him to give me extensions.

628
00:34:20,892 --> 00:34:22,689
Moore:
Not only did PA Child Care

629
00:34:22,727 --> 00:34:25,560
pay off the judges
to fill their cells,

630
00:34:25,596 --> 00:34:28,258
but their employees were the ones
who got to decide

631
00:34:28,299 --> 00:34:31,700
when a child had
enough rehabilitation.

632
00:34:31,736 --> 00:34:35,069
But that makes sense,
because any time a governmental unit

633
00:34:35,106 --> 00:34:37,666
turns over to
a profit-making corporation

634
00:34:37,708 --> 00:34:40,108
the duties it should be performing,

635
00:34:40,144 --> 00:34:42,169
what do you expect to happen?

636
00:34:42,213 --> 00:34:44,807
Matt: lt makes me feel like
an item that they just used

637
00:34:44,849 --> 00:34:47,249
to just get money
and then tossed me aside.

638
00:34:47,285 --> 00:34:51,745
l'm just trying
to work on my flying

639
00:34:51,789 --> 00:34:53,984
and just trying to prepare
for my future

640
00:34:54,025 --> 00:34:57,256
so l can put this all behind me,
finally be done with all this.

641
00:34:57,295 --> 00:34:59,763
During the whole trial
l wasn't in control at all,

642
00:34:59,797 --> 00:35:02,231
but with flying it's only me.

643
00:35:02,266 --> 00:35:04,734
lt's just that l just get
to do everything by myself.

644
00:35:04,769 --> 00:35:06,794
l'm the only one on the control.

645
00:35:06,838 --> 00:35:08,669
Moore:
Matt loves to fly

646
00:35:08,706 --> 00:35:11,971
and hopes to become
a pilot someday.

647
00:35:12,009 --> 00:35:14,637
lf he does,
he'll get his second lesson

648
00:35:14,679 --> 00:35:17,273
in capitalism:

649
00:35:17,315 --> 00:35:20,341
that in America,
sometimes you're better off

650
00:35:20,384 --> 00:35:22,820
working at Mickey D's.

651
00:35:22,820 --> 00:35:25,380
- ( applause, cheering )
- Remember Sully?

652
00:35:25,423 --> 00:35:26,754
Captain Sullenberger,

653
00:35:26,791 --> 00:35:29,817
who safely landed an airbus
in the Hudson River

654
00:35:29,861 --> 00:35:32,887
- saving the lives of 150 passengers?
- ( patriotic music playing )

655
00:35:32,930 --> 00:35:35,797
- Man: A true American hero.
- ( applause )

656
00:35:38,936 --> 00:35:41,837
Moore: He met the mayor.
He went to the State of the Union.

657
00:35:41,873 --> 00:35:44,569
Heck, he even went
to the Super Bowl.

658
00:35:44,609 --> 00:35:46,839
And then he went to Congress.

659
00:35:46,878 --> 00:35:49,938
Sullenberger:
Flying has been my lifelong passion.

660
00:35:49,981 --> 00:35:52,142
But while l love my profession,

661
00:35:52,183 --> 00:35:54,879
l do not like
what has happened to it.

662
00:35:54,919 --> 00:35:57,012
- ( music halts )
- lt is my personal experience

663
00:35:57,054 --> 00:36:00,251
that my decision to remain
in the profession l love

664
00:36:00,291 --> 00:36:04,921
has come at a great financial cost
to me and to my family.

665
00:36:04,962 --> 00:36:07,226
My pay has been cut 40% .

666
00:36:07,265 --> 00:36:10,928
My pension, like most airline pensions,
has been terminated.

667
00:36:10,968 --> 00:36:14,495
So please do not think l exaggerate
when l say that l do not know

668
00:36:14,539 --> 00:36:17,838
a single professional airline pilot
who wants his or her children

669
00:36:17,875 --> 00:36:19,467
to follow in their footsteps.

670
00:36:19,510 --> 00:36:22,240
Moore: Whoa, you cleared
the room with that one, Sully.

671
00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:24,578
l don't think the congressmen
wanted to hear that stuff.

672
00:36:24,615 --> 00:36:27,550
- They like you as a hero.
- The current experience...

673
00:36:27,585 --> 00:36:30,076
( patriotic music over dialogue )

674
00:36:42,133 --> 00:36:44,192
Moore: What was
your starting pay as a pilot?

675
00:36:44,235 --> 00:36:46,533
l made $19,000 the first year.

676
00:36:46,571 --> 00:36:50,029
l was bumped up to about 22,000
or 23,000 the second year.

677
00:36:50,074 --> 00:36:52,702
Last year, gross pay

678
00:36:52,743 --> 00:36:55,177
l made $17,600.

679
00:36:55,213 --> 00:36:57,807
There's a joke in the airline
when we get our wings pinned on us

680
00:36:57,848 --> 00:37:01,306
as new-hire airline pilots
that the company just kinda says,

681
00:37:01,352 --> 00:37:04,116
''Hey, don't apply for food stamps
in your uniform.''

682
00:37:04,155 --> 00:37:07,022
Moore: l don't know about you,
but l want the pilot

683
00:37:07,058 --> 00:37:10,858
who's got me 30,000 feet up in the air
to be paid really well

684
00:37:10,895 --> 00:37:13,955
and not sitting up in the cockpit
digging through the pilot's seat

685
00:37:13,998 --> 00:37:15,989
looking for loose change.

686
00:37:16,033 --> 00:37:18,001
There was a period
of about four months

687
00:37:18,035 --> 00:37:20,799
where l was on food stamps.

688
00:37:20,838 --> 00:37:22,328
- You were on food stamps?
- Yes.

689
00:37:22,373 --> 00:37:25,137
- And you were still flying the plane?
- Yes.

690
00:37:25,176 --> 00:37:27,542
With my--
with my food stamp card.

691
00:37:27,578 --> 00:37:30,342
The lady l talked to
in the food stamp office,

692
00:37:30,381 --> 00:37:33,316
when l told her l was a pilot,
she didn't bat an eye,

693
00:37:33,351 --> 00:37:35,683
but she didn't--
l knew she didn't believe me.

694
00:37:35,720 --> 00:37:38,348
Moore: How have you gotten by?
How have you been able to afford things?

695
00:37:38,389 --> 00:37:40,983
Relying on credit cards
to buy the groceries at times

696
00:37:41,025 --> 00:37:42,754
- when l wasn't on food stamps.
- Oh, really?

697
00:37:42,793 --> 00:37:45,091
l have about $10,000
in credit card debt

698
00:37:45,129 --> 00:37:47,120
just on the necessities,

699
00:37:47,164 --> 00:37:49,724
not on the big-screen TV
and the stereo.

700
00:37:49,767 --> 00:37:52,964
Moore: You're using it
to buy your groceries and get by.

701
00:37:53,004 --> 00:37:54,938
- Yes.
- Do you have any student loan debt?

702
00:37:54,972 --> 00:37:56,667
- Yes.
- How much?

703
00:37:56,707 --> 00:37:58,265
Mine is about 80,000.

704
00:37:58,309 --> 00:38:01,710
- l took out $100,000.
- Moore: Student loans?

705
00:38:01,746 --> 00:38:04,613
And by the time l pay it back,
at this rate,

706
00:38:04,649 --> 00:38:07,015
it'll probably cost me well over
a half a million with interest

707
00:38:07,051 --> 00:38:09,611
and fees and penalties.

708
00:38:09,654 --> 00:38:11,884
lt's something that l don't--
l don't like to spend a lot of time

709
00:38:11,922 --> 00:38:13,617
thinking about
because it's abysmal.

710
00:38:13,658 --> 00:38:16,126
lt's one way that l get down
really quickly

711
00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:17,821
about my chosen career field

712
00:38:17,862 --> 00:38:20,296
is to think about how much l owe
and how little l make.

713
00:38:20,331 --> 00:38:23,232
Moore: Have you had to work
a second job to make ends meet?

714
00:38:23,267 --> 00:38:25,633
l walk dogs on the side,

715
00:38:25,670 --> 00:38:28,867
l distribute MonaVie Juice.

716
00:38:28,906 --> 00:38:32,171
l have known pilots
to donate plasma

717
00:38:32,209 --> 00:38:34,040
for extra cash.

718
00:38:34,078 --> 00:38:36,945
- You mean they give blood?
- They-- well--

719
00:38:36,981 --> 00:38:39,609
So they can make extra money
even though they're flying an airplane?

720
00:38:39,650 --> 00:38:41,641
Yeah.
They donate their plasma.

721
00:38:41,686 --> 00:38:45,952
So they get the blood back,
but you can get paid for plasma.

722
00:38:45,990 --> 00:38:47,287
- ( chuckles )
- Oh, l see.

723
00:38:47,325 --> 00:38:49,122
They suck the blood out of you,
take the plasma...

724
00:38:49,160 --> 00:38:50,627
- Give you the blood back.
- ...give you the--

725
00:38:50,661 --> 00:38:52,526
Oh, well then,
not such a bad deal.

726
00:38:52,563 --> 00:38:56,055
The only reason people stay flying
is because they love it.

727
00:38:56,100 --> 00:38:57,965
And managements
take advantage of that.

728
00:38:58,002 --> 00:39:01,335
The airlines
have managed to farm out

729
00:39:01,372 --> 00:39:05,775
a lot of the flying to commuters

730
00:39:05,810 --> 00:39:09,007
in an effort to basically
bust the unions.

731
00:39:09,046 --> 00:39:11,139
You can't compete

732
00:39:11,182 --> 00:39:15,414
to a lower and lower level
every year

733
00:39:15,453 --> 00:39:17,853
without skimping
on safety somehow.

734
00:39:20,157 --> 00:39:24,958
Moore: At approximately 10:15 PM
on February 1 2, 2009,

735
00:39:24,995 --> 00:39:27,725
Continental connection flight 3407

736
00:39:27,765 --> 00:39:30,359
began its descent
to the airport in Buffalo.

737
00:39:30,401 --> 00:39:32,096
( sirens wailing )

738
00:39:32,136 --> 00:39:34,001
Man: Stand by, there's some
ground communication,

739
00:39:34,038 --> 00:39:35,938
either state police
or sheriff's department.

740
00:39:35,973 --> 00:39:37,668
We need to find out if anything
is on the ground.

741
00:39:37,708 --> 00:39:40,108
This aircraft was five miles out,
and all of a sudden

742
00:39:40,144 --> 00:39:41,975
we have no response
to that aircraft.

743
00:39:42,012 --> 00:39:45,004
All l could tell you is there was
an aircraft over the marker

744
00:39:45,049 --> 00:39:48,075
and we're not talking to them now.

745
00:39:48,119 --> 00:39:50,280
Moore:
No one survived the crash

746
00:39:50,321 --> 00:39:53,256
and 50 people lost their lives.

747
00:39:54,792 --> 00:39:58,057
The media focused
on the actions of the pilots.

748
00:39:58,095 --> 00:40:01,155
Reporter: Captain Marvin Renslow
and First Officer Shaw

749
00:40:01,198 --> 00:40:03,428
were chatting about their careers.

750
00:40:03,467 --> 00:40:05,833
Moore:
''Careers'' is a euphemism

751
00:40:05,870 --> 00:40:08,270
for what the pilots
were really talking about:

752
00:40:08,305 --> 00:40:12,435
how little they were paid
and how overworked they were.

753
00:40:12,476 --> 00:40:14,569
There would be
no discussion in the media

754
00:40:14,612 --> 00:40:16,876
about why we have
an economic system

755
00:40:16,914 --> 00:40:20,543
that allows a pilot to be paid less
than a manager at Taco Bell.

756
00:40:20,584 --> 00:40:21,983
Reporter:
First Officer Shaw

757
00:40:22,019 --> 00:40:25,648
made between
$16,000 and $20,000 a year

758
00:40:25,689 --> 00:40:29,250
and at one point
worked a second job.

759
00:40:29,293 --> 00:40:31,727
Moore: Her second job
had been waitressing

760
00:40:31,762 --> 00:40:33,753
at a coffee shop.

761
00:40:35,065 --> 00:40:38,592
How are these companies
able to get away with this?

762
00:40:38,636 --> 00:40:41,332
( laughs )
l guess that's the point of capitalism.

763
00:40:41,372 --> 00:40:44,136
lt allows you to get away
with anything,

764
00:40:44,175 --> 00:40:47,545
like making a profit
off the death of an employee.

765
00:40:49,113 --> 00:40:51,479
Sweetie, l can open it.
Let's try it with this.

766
00:40:51,515 --> 00:40:53,574
Moore:
This is lrma Johnson.

767
00:40:53,617 --> 00:40:56,586
lrma's husband Dan
worked in middle management

768
00:40:56,620 --> 00:40:58,781
at Amegy Bank in Houston, Texas.

769
00:40:58,823 --> 00:41:00,882
- Wanna try to spread it?
- No.

770
00:41:00,925 --> 00:41:03,450
Moore:
Dan recently died of cancer,

771
00:41:03,494 --> 00:41:07,726
leaving behind lrma
and their two sons.

772
00:41:07,765 --> 00:41:10,325
But unbeknownst to lrma,
Amegy had taken out

773
00:41:10,367 --> 00:41:14,326
a secret life insurance policy
on Dan's life.

774
00:41:14,371 --> 00:41:18,603
The bank generously named itself
as the beneficiary

775
00:41:18,642 --> 00:41:21,133
in the event of Dan's death.

776
00:41:21,178 --> 00:41:24,306
The insurance company
then accidentally informed lrma

777
00:41:24,348 --> 00:41:28,478
that Amegy Bank had received
a check for $1 1/2 million

778
00:41:28,519 --> 00:41:31,454
just weeks after Dan died.

779
00:41:31,489 --> 00:41:33,286
Thank you for helping.

780
00:41:33,324 --> 00:41:34,382
Johnson:
They never told me.

781
00:41:34,425 --> 00:41:37,952
l wanted to find out, well,
why did they purchase a policy for him?

782
00:41:37,995 --> 00:41:39,929
- Moore: You didn't know about it?
- No.

783
00:41:39,964 --> 00:41:43,627
And they named themselves
as the beneficiary.

784
00:41:43,667 --> 00:41:44,656
Yeah.

785
00:41:44,702 --> 00:41:46,863
Moore:
So your husband's death

786
00:41:46,904 --> 00:41:49,873
made them $1.5 million richer?

787
00:41:49,907 --> 00:41:52,171
Mm-hmm.

788
00:41:52,209 --> 00:41:55,736
l know it's not right
for them to try to profit

789
00:41:55,779 --> 00:41:58,213
from my husband's death.

790
00:41:58,249 --> 00:42:00,046
When l first realized
what was happening,

791
00:42:00,084 --> 00:42:04,145
l was in disbelief.

792
00:42:04,188 --> 00:42:06,918
- lt's hurtful.
- l'm so sorry.

793
00:42:08,392 --> 00:42:09,825
Um...

794
00:42:12,329 --> 00:42:15,924
it's hurtful and l wanted answers.

795
00:42:15,966 --> 00:42:18,628
Moore: lrma contacted
Michael D. Myers,

796
00:42:18,669 --> 00:42:21,160
a local attorney who had
already been looking into

797
00:42:21,205 --> 00:42:24,504
these kind of corporate
insurance policies on their employees.

798
00:42:25,910 --> 00:42:28,504
With the normal use of life insurance,
where you're guarding against

799
00:42:28,546 --> 00:42:33,108
the loss of a loved one
or a breadwinner of the family,

800
00:42:33,150 --> 00:42:37,553
you don't want that person to die.

801
00:42:37,588 --> 00:42:39,749
With these policies,
the companies that buy these

802
00:42:39,790 --> 00:42:41,655
want the employees to die

803
00:42:41,692 --> 00:42:44,388
in accordance
with the policy projections.

804
00:42:44,428 --> 00:42:48,330
You are more valuable dead
to a company than alive.

805
00:42:49,633 --> 00:42:53,125
American Greetings, RR Donnelly & Sons,
and Proctor & Gamble

806
00:42:53,170 --> 00:42:55,934
are all having problems
with mortality.

807
00:42:55,973 --> 00:42:58,464
These four combined programs
are running at 50%

808
00:42:58,509 --> 00:42:59,999
of expected mortality.

809
00:43:00,044 --> 00:43:03,502
These clients are acutely aware
of this problem.

810
00:43:03,547 --> 00:43:06,243
Basically here the broker
is complaining

811
00:43:06,283 --> 00:43:08,683
that not enough
employees are dying.

812
00:43:08,719 --> 00:43:12,416
And therefore the investment returns
are not matching the projections.

813
00:43:12,456 --> 00:43:14,890
The broker writes
that NCC is running

814
00:43:14,925 --> 00:43:17,621
at 78% of expected mortality.

815
00:43:17,661 --> 00:43:21,529
Okay, so 78% of the people
we expected to die died.

816
00:43:21,565 --> 00:43:24,796
But the problem with that
is three of them were suicides.

817
00:43:24,835 --> 00:43:26,962
And you can't count
on that every year.

818
00:43:27,004 --> 00:43:29,029
Moore: Can you think
of any other situation

819
00:43:29,073 --> 00:43:33,407
were you'd actually want
people to die?

820
00:43:33,444 --> 00:43:37,642
Combatants in war, l guess.

821
00:43:37,681 --> 00:43:41,481
Wow, when do you want
people to die?

822
00:43:41,518 --> 00:43:43,145
l-l don't know.

823
00:43:43,187 --> 00:43:46,987
War situations,
terrorism situations.

824
00:43:48,926 --> 00:43:51,622
Drug trials, perhaps.
l don't know.

825
00:43:51,662 --> 00:43:54,256
l don't know.
That's an odd question.

826
00:43:54,298 --> 00:43:57,529
Moore: l didn't understand
how any of this could be legal.

827
00:43:57,568 --> 00:44:00,401
After all, there's a reason
that there's a law

828
00:44:00,437 --> 00:44:04,840
prohibiting me from taking out
a fire insurance policy on your house

829
00:44:04,875 --> 00:44:09,107
because l have a vested interest
in your house burning down.

830
00:44:09,146 --> 00:44:12,274
Since Attorney Myers had been
researching this for years,

831
00:44:12,316 --> 00:44:14,375
l asked him which companies
were profiting

832
00:44:14,418 --> 00:44:16,215
from these insurance policies.

833
00:44:16,253 --> 00:44:17,686
l don't know,
you don't know,

834
00:44:17,721 --> 00:44:20,349
because there's no place
you can go and find out

835
00:44:20,391 --> 00:44:24,020
whether your company
is a purchaser

836
00:44:24,061 --> 00:44:26,359
- of these types of products.
- Which ones do you know?

837
00:44:26,397 --> 00:44:28,092
The ones that we know
that have slipped out are

838
00:44:28,132 --> 00:44:30,157
Bank of America, Citibank,

839
00:44:30,200 --> 00:44:33,499
Wal-Mart, Winn-Dixie,
Proctor & Gamble,

840
00:44:33,537 --> 00:44:35,664
McDonnell Douglas, Hershey,

841
00:44:35,706 --> 00:44:38,675
Nestl� , AT&T,
Southwestern Bell,

842
00:44:38,709 --> 00:44:40,768
Ameritech, American Express--

843
00:44:40,811 --> 00:44:42,870
- This is blue chip you're talking about.
- Yeah.

844
00:44:42,913 --> 00:44:46,110
These aren't fly-by-night companies
trying to do a scam here

845
00:44:46,150 --> 00:44:48,311
so they can collect a check
if one of their employees dies.

846
00:44:48,352 --> 00:44:51,651
There are probably
several million Americans

847
00:44:51,689 --> 00:44:55,523
who are covered by one of these policies
or have been at some point.

848
00:44:55,559 --> 00:44:56,821
There's a lot of it out there.

849
00:44:56,860 --> 00:44:59,021
Moore:
This is Paul Smith.

850
00:44:59,063 --> 00:45:02,624
He used to be what is known
as a loyal employee.

851
00:45:02,666 --> 00:45:06,898
Smith: l worked for Wal-Mart
for 18 years and l gave them 110% .

852
00:45:06,937 --> 00:45:08,700
l mean, l loved that company.

853
00:45:08,739 --> 00:45:10,229
And as it turned out,
Wal-Mart took out

854
00:45:10,274 --> 00:45:13,334
over 350,000
life insurance policies

855
00:45:13,377 --> 00:45:15,504
on rank and file associates.

856
00:45:15,546 --> 00:45:16,740
These weren't executives.

857
00:45:16,780 --> 00:45:20,216
These were people like my wife,
a cake decorator for 18 months.

858
00:45:20,250 --> 00:45:23,845
That's the type of people they were taking
insurance policies out on.

859
00:45:23,887 --> 00:45:27,880
Moore: Paul's wife LaDonna
left her job at the Wal-Mart bakery

860
00:45:27,925 --> 00:45:30,723
so she could be a stay-at-home mom
for her two kids.

861
00:45:30,761 --> 00:45:33,924
Smith:
She had asthma real real bad.

862
00:45:33,964 --> 00:45:35,898
She went into
the emergency room one night

863
00:45:35,933 --> 00:45:37,901
and a nurse comes out and says,
''Are you Mr. Smith?''

864
00:45:37,935 --> 00:45:39,425
And l said, ''Yes.''

865
00:45:39,470 --> 00:45:43,531
And she said, ''We don't think
your wife's gonna make it.''

866
00:45:43,574 --> 00:45:45,542
Moore:
LaDonna slipped into a coma

867
00:45:45,576 --> 00:45:47,908
from which she would
never awaken.

868
00:45:47,945 --> 00:45:50,106
Her family rushed to the hospital,

869
00:45:50,147 --> 00:45:52,581
even though there was nothing
they could do to help.

870
00:45:52,616 --> 00:45:55,176
There was a wall here
and LaDonna's in the room

871
00:45:55,219 --> 00:45:56,652
on the other side of the wall.

872
00:45:56,687 --> 00:45:58,951
And Jessica kept saying,
''Where is she?''

873
00:45:58,989 --> 00:46:01,617
And l said, ''She's right on
the other side of that wall.''

874
00:46:01,658 --> 00:46:05,253
And Jessica said,
''Can we cut a hole in the wall

875
00:46:05,295 --> 00:46:07,786
so that we can see her?''

876
00:46:07,831 --> 00:46:09,856
And that just sticks with me.

877
00:46:09,900 --> 00:46:11,731
Do you remember that?

878
00:46:13,837 --> 00:46:18,206
Smith: We had to stay in there with her,
and so we'd write letters to her.

879
00:46:18,242 --> 00:46:22,702
''My dear wife, l miss you more
than any words can possibly say.

880
00:46:22,746 --> 00:46:24,304
You are my life.

881
00:46:24,348 --> 00:46:26,748
You always see beauty
in the simplest things.

882
00:46:26,784 --> 00:46:31,221
l've always admired you for that.
l wish l could have told you that more.

883
00:46:31,255 --> 00:46:33,519
l want you to come back
to me soon.

884
00:46:33,557 --> 00:46:36,549
l still have a lot left to learn
from you, baby doll.

885
00:46:36,593 --> 00:46:38,754
Your loving husband, Paul.''

886
00:46:40,697 --> 00:46:43,131
You okay, Wesley?

887
00:46:44,535 --> 00:46:47,299
She was 26 years old.

888
00:46:47,337 --> 00:46:50,272
LaDonna: You're silly.
You're silly.

889
00:46:50,307 --> 00:46:53,970
Myers: The younger a person is,
the higher the benefit is

890
00:46:54,011 --> 00:46:56,809
because they're expected
to live longer.

891
00:46:56,847 --> 00:46:59,042
Women are also expected
to live longer than men.

892
00:46:59,082 --> 00:47:02,051
So the most valuable employee
to the company

893
00:47:02,085 --> 00:47:04,986
if they're dead,
is a young woman.

894
00:47:05,022 --> 00:47:06,614
Moore:
LaDonna's death earned

895
00:47:06,657 --> 00:47:08,887
one of the richest corporations
in the world

896
00:47:08,926 --> 00:47:11,486
an extra $81,000.

897
00:47:11,528 --> 00:47:14,861
l was faced with over $100,000
worth of medical bills

898
00:47:14,898 --> 00:47:18,231
and a $6,000 funeral

899
00:47:18,268 --> 00:47:21,726
and Wal-Mart didn't offer a penny
to help with that.

900
00:47:21,772 --> 00:47:25,037
l did trust them.

901
00:47:25,075 --> 00:47:28,340
And never in a million years
would l have ever thought

902
00:47:28,378 --> 00:47:31,313
that somewhere
on a profit statement,

903
00:47:31,348 --> 00:47:34,340
''Dead associate, $81,000.''

904
00:47:34,384 --> 00:47:38,377
Wal-Mart doesn't care about you.

905
00:47:38,422 --> 00:47:40,253
When someone passes away,

906
00:47:40,290 --> 00:47:43,088
they shouldn't get
something out of it.

907
00:47:53,770 --> 00:47:56,261
Myers: The common denominator
to each form of coverage

908
00:47:56,306 --> 00:47:58,331
is that when the employee dies,

909
00:47:58,375 --> 00:48:01,606
the employer gets paid
the insurance benefits.

910
00:48:01,645 --> 00:48:04,808
They're often referred to
as ''dead peasant insurance.''

911
00:48:04,848 --> 00:48:08,409
Moore: Dead peasants?
Why'd they use such a creepy name?

912
00:48:08,452 --> 00:48:11,580
Myers: lt's very creepy.
l don't know what it means either.

913
00:48:11,622 --> 00:48:12,782
Dead is clear.

914
00:48:12,823 --> 00:48:15,553
That's the worker who's passed away,
so they're dead.

915
00:48:15,592 --> 00:48:18,026
Peasant, l don't know why
they chose that word.

916
00:48:18,061 --> 00:48:20,086
l don't know if it has
some historical significance

917
00:48:20,130 --> 00:48:23,122
or that's just the way they view
the relative value

918
00:48:23,166 --> 00:48:24,895
of the employees' lives.

919
00:48:24,935 --> 00:48:26,527
Dead peasants?

920
00:48:26,570 --> 00:48:28,697
Yeah, amongst themselves
that's what they call it.

921
00:48:30,274 --> 00:48:34,506
lt's insulting to refer
to my husband like that.

922
00:48:34,544 --> 00:48:36,569
( sniffles )

923
00:48:41,652 --> 00:48:43,210
Moore:
lt turned out that Amegy Bank

924
00:48:43,253 --> 00:48:45,949
had a second
dead peasant policy on Dan,

925
00:48:45,989 --> 00:48:49,982
bringing their total take
to nearly $5 million.

926
00:48:52,829 --> 00:48:53,830
- ls capitalism a sin?
- Father Dick Preston: Yes.

927
00:48:53,830 --> 00:48:55,764
- ls capitalism a sin?
- Father Dick Preston: Yes.

928
00:48:55,799 --> 00:48:58,359
Capitalism for me and for many of us

929
00:48:58,402 --> 00:49:01,735
at this present moment is an evil.

930
00:49:01,772 --> 00:49:05,538
lt's contrary to all that's good.
lt's contrary to the common good.

931
00:49:05,575 --> 00:49:07,805
lt's contrary to compassion.

932
00:49:07,844 --> 00:49:10,813
lt's contrary to
all of the major religions.

933
00:49:10,847 --> 00:49:14,908
Capitalism is precisely
what the holy books,

934
00:49:14,952 --> 00:49:19,616
our holy books in particular,
remind us is unjust

935
00:49:19,656 --> 00:49:22,625
and in some form and fashion,

936
00:49:22,659 --> 00:49:27,426
God will come down
and eradicate somehow.

937
00:49:27,464 --> 00:49:29,796
Moore:
This was Father Dick Preston,

938
00:49:29,833 --> 00:49:33,166
the priest from Flint
who married my wife and me.

939
00:49:33,203 --> 00:49:35,364
Preston:
Capitalism is wrong,

940
00:49:35,405 --> 00:49:39,136
and therefore
has to be eliminated.

941
00:49:39,176 --> 00:49:41,167
Moore:
Eliminated?

942
00:49:41,211 --> 00:49:43,202
That might be a little harsh,

943
00:49:43,246 --> 00:49:45,237
so l decided to go
and talk to the priest

944
00:49:45,282 --> 00:49:47,580
that married my sister
and brother-in-law.

945
00:49:47,617 --> 00:49:49,915
l'm sure he would have
a more balanced approach

946
00:49:49,953 --> 00:49:52,080
when it came to capitalism.

947
00:49:52,122 --> 00:49:56,058
lt is immoral, it is obscene,
it is outrageous.

948
00:49:56,093 --> 00:49:58,823
You know...

949
00:49:58,862 --> 00:50:01,194
it is really radical evil.

950
00:50:01,231 --> 00:50:03,529
lt's radically evil.

951
00:50:03,567 --> 00:50:07,094
Moore: Wow, does their boss know
that they're talking like this?

952
00:50:07,137 --> 00:50:10,163
l thought it best to go
and check this out with the bishop.

953
00:50:10,207 --> 00:50:12,471
Bishop Thomas Gumbleton:
The system doesn't seem to be

954
00:50:12,509 --> 00:50:16,275
providing for the well being
of all the people.

955
00:50:16,313 --> 00:50:19,214
And that's what makes it

956
00:50:19,249 --> 00:50:21,717
almost in its very nature

957
00:50:21,752 --> 00:50:25,688
something contrary
to Jesus who said,

958
00:50:25,722 --> 00:50:29,249
''Blessed are the poor,
woe to the rich.''

959
00:50:29,292 --> 00:50:32,489
That's right out
of St. Luke's gospel.

960
00:50:32,529 --> 00:50:34,827
Moore: How have we put up
with this system for so long?

961
00:50:34,865 --> 00:50:37,026
l mean, it's--
they talk about--

962
00:50:37,067 --> 00:50:41,436
The system has built into it
what we call propaganda.

963
00:50:41,471 --> 00:50:43,701
l'm in awe of propaganda--

964
00:50:43,740 --> 00:50:46,709
the ability to convince people

965
00:50:46,743 --> 00:50:49,678
who are victimized
by this very system

966
00:50:49,713 --> 00:50:52,682
to support the system
and see it as good.

967
00:50:52,716 --> 00:50:56,117
We know that American capitalism
is morally right

968
00:50:56,153 --> 00:50:58,314
because its chief elements--

969
00:50:58,355 --> 00:51:01,415
private ownership,
the profit motive

970
00:51:01,458 --> 00:51:04,484
and the competitive market--
are wholesome and good.

971
00:51:04,528 --> 00:51:07,827
They are compatible with God's laws
and the teachings of the Bible.

972
00:51:08,832 --> 00:51:10,732
Moore: For as long
as l can remember,

973
00:51:10,767 --> 00:51:14,362
l've been told that competition
and profit are good things.

974
00:51:14,404 --> 00:51:16,497
( distorted )
They are compatible with God's laws

975
00:51:16,540 --> 00:51:17,700
and the teachings of the Bible.

976
00:51:17,741 --> 00:51:21,074
Moore: And if increasing profits
means locking up a few kids

977
00:51:21,111 --> 00:51:23,238
or cashing in on the death
of an employee...

978
00:51:23,280 --> 00:51:26,113
( distorted ) Compatible with God's laws
and the teachings of the Bible.

979
00:51:26,149 --> 00:51:29,414
Moore: ...it is morally right to provide
for the stockholders.

980
00:51:29,453 --> 00:51:31,785
( distorted )
They are compatible with God's laws

981
00:51:31,822 --> 00:51:33,050
and the teachings of the Bible.

982
00:51:33,090 --> 00:51:36,321
Moore:
Debt, eviction and exploitation.

983
00:51:36,359 --> 00:51:39,817
( distorted )
God's laws and the teachings of the Bible.

984
00:51:39,863 --> 00:51:42,798
Moore: What were we really
pledging our allegiance to?

985
00:51:42,833 --> 00:51:45,768
( distorted )
The profit motive.

986
00:51:45,802 --> 00:51:48,498
Moore: And so all good Americans
came to act as if they believed

987
00:51:48,538 --> 00:51:51,701
our capitalist economic system
was compatible

988
00:51:51,741 --> 00:51:54,073
with the teachings of the Bible.

989
00:51:56,947 --> 00:51:59,939
( organ music playing )

990
00:52:02,352 --> 00:52:06,186
When l was a kid,
l wanted to be a priest.

991
00:52:06,223 --> 00:52:08,020
lt wasn't because
of the fancy getups

992
00:52:08,058 --> 00:52:10,322
or the Knights of Columbus
escorts,

993
00:52:10,360 --> 00:52:13,659
or even the groovy nuns
who were so good to me.

994
00:52:14,698 --> 00:52:18,225
lt was because of the priests
who went on the march from Selma,

995
00:52:18,268 --> 00:52:20,828
or tried to stop the war,

996
00:52:20,871 --> 00:52:24,329
or devoted their lives to the poor.

997
00:52:24,374 --> 00:52:28,333
They told me quite clearly
what Jesus said,

998
00:52:28,378 --> 00:52:32,747
that the first shall be last
and the last shall be first;

999
00:52:32,782 --> 00:52:35,478
That the rich man
will have a very hard time

1000
00:52:35,519 --> 00:52:37,578
getting into heaven;

1001
00:52:37,621 --> 00:52:41,455
That we will be judged by how
we treat the least among us;

1002
00:52:41,491 --> 00:52:44,119
And that there are no people
more important to God

1003
00:52:44,161 --> 00:52:46,686
than the poor.

1004
00:52:46,730 --> 00:52:49,255
Since that time,
it seems that Jesus got hijacked

1005
00:52:49,299 --> 00:52:52,268
by a lot of people who believe
that the son of God

1006
00:52:52,302 --> 00:52:56,671
was sent here to create
heaven on earth for the well-to-do.

1007
00:52:56,706 --> 00:52:58,901
l must have missed
that part of the Bible

1008
00:52:58,942 --> 00:53:02,241
where Jesus became a capitalist.

1009
00:53:06,550 --> 00:53:08,142
Man:
Please tell me, master,

1010
00:53:08,185 --> 00:53:10,949
what must l do
to have eternal life?

1011
00:53:10,987 --> 00:53:14,514
Go forth and maximize profits.

1012
00:53:16,359 --> 00:53:19,692
You say the Kingdom of Heaven
is at hand,

1013
00:53:19,729 --> 00:53:21,253
but when exactly will it come?

1014
00:53:21,298 --> 00:53:25,496
When you deregulate
the banking industry.

1015
00:53:25,535 --> 00:53:28,629
- ( voices overlapping )
- Help me.

1016
00:53:28,672 --> 00:53:31,197
l've been this way for 20 years.

1017
00:53:33,043 --> 00:53:36,535
l'm sorry, l cannot heal
your pre-existing condition.

1018
00:53:38,548 --> 00:53:40,209
He'll have to pay out of pocket.

1019
00:53:43,620 --> 00:53:46,111
Moore: Somehow, l don't think
Jesus came to earth

1020
00:53:46,156 --> 00:53:49,319
so he could ring the bell
at the New York Stock Exchange.

1021
00:53:49,359 --> 00:53:51,350
And yet,
from the very beginning,

1022
00:53:51,394 --> 00:53:54,227
the rich have claimed him
for their own.

1023
00:53:54,264 --> 00:53:58,064
When l'm on Wall Street
and l realize

1024
00:53:58,101 --> 00:54:02,231
that that's the very nerve center
of American capitalism,

1025
00:54:02,272 --> 00:54:05,935
and l realize
what capitalism has done

1026
00:54:05,976 --> 00:54:09,605
for working people in America,
to me that's a holy place.

1027
00:54:09,646 --> 00:54:10,806
Let me add to it.

1028
00:54:10,847 --> 00:54:14,874
Over the whole duration of the lraq war
and the terror war,

1029
00:54:14,918 --> 00:54:18,752
you look at the world's stock markets
and you look at the world economy,

1030
00:54:18,788 --> 00:54:22,747
and despite these horrible pockets
of unrest and killing and murdering

1031
00:54:22,792 --> 00:54:25,693
that we've been describing,
it's never been better.

1032
00:54:25,729 --> 00:54:27,663
The global economy
has never been better

1033
00:54:27,697 --> 00:54:30,325
and the global stock markets
have never been better, Jimmy.

1034
00:54:30,367 --> 00:54:32,392
lt is either a God-given miracle

1035
00:54:32,435 --> 00:54:34,403
or it has something to do
with the victories

1036
00:54:34,437 --> 00:54:36,803
of the spreading world
of capitalism or both.

1037
00:54:36,840 --> 00:54:38,774
Moore: They think
Wall Street's a holy place.

1038
00:54:38,808 --> 00:54:41,743
What do you think
Jesus would think of capitalism?

1039
00:54:41,778 --> 00:54:46,147
l think he would
simply refuse to--

1040
00:54:46,182 --> 00:54:49,419
to be part of it.

1041
00:54:50,587 --> 00:54:53,454
Moore: Jesus would refuse
to be part of it,

1042
00:54:53,490 --> 00:54:55,458
but he probably had
a special place up there

1043
00:54:55,492 --> 00:54:58,427
for whoever leaked
a secret Citibank memo

1044
00:54:58,461 --> 00:55:01,828
about their plan to rule the world.

1045
00:55:01,865 --> 00:55:03,856
Back in 2005 and 2006,

1046
00:55:03,900 --> 00:55:06,232
Citigroup wrote
three confidential memos

1047
00:55:06,269 --> 00:55:10,729
to their wealthiest investors
about how things were going.

1048
00:55:10,774 --> 00:55:13,174
They reached the conclusion
that the United States

1049
00:55:13,209 --> 00:55:15,439
was no longer
really a democracy,

1050
00:55:15,478 --> 00:55:18,242
but had become a plutonomy--

1051
00:55:18,281 --> 00:55:21,375
a society controlled exclusively
by and for the benefit

1052
00:55:21,418 --> 00:55:24,512
of the top 1 %
of the population

1053
00:55:24,554 --> 00:55:26,647
who now had
more financial wealth

1054
00:55:26,690 --> 00:55:30,319
than the bottom 95% combined.

1055
00:55:30,360 --> 00:55:33,591
The memo gloated about the growing gap
between rich and poor

1056
00:55:33,630 --> 00:55:37,088
and how they were now
the new aristocracy

1057
00:55:37,133 --> 00:55:41,069
and that there was no end in sight
for the gravy train they were on.

1058
00:55:41,104 --> 00:55:44,665
There was, though,
one problem.

1059
00:55:44,708 --> 00:55:46,232
According to Citigroup,

1060
00:55:46,276 --> 00:55:48,870
the most potent
and short-term threat

1061
00:55:48,912 --> 00:55:50,709
would be societies demanding

1062
00:55:50,747 --> 00:55:53,341
a more equitable share
of the wealth.

1063
00:55:53,383 --> 00:55:57,752
ln other words,
the peasants might revolt.

1064
00:55:57,787 --> 00:56:00,153
Citigroup lamented
that the non-rich

1065
00:56:00,190 --> 00:56:02,658
might not have
much economic power,

1066
00:56:02,692 --> 00:56:06,219
but they do have
equal voting power with the rich.

1067
00:56:06,262 --> 00:56:09,231
One person, one vote.

1068
00:56:09,265 --> 00:56:11,927
And that's what
really scares them--

1069
00:56:11,968 --> 00:56:14,402
that we can still vote.

1070
00:56:14,437 --> 00:56:17,736
ln fact, we have
99% of the votes

1071
00:56:17,774 --> 00:56:20,572
and they only have 1 % .

1072
00:56:23,646 --> 00:56:27,605
So why do the 99%
put up with this?

1073
00:56:27,650 --> 00:56:31,086
According to Citigroup,
it's because the majority of the electorate

1074
00:56:31,121 --> 00:56:33,612
believe that someday
they will have a chance

1075
00:56:33,656 --> 00:56:36,181
of becoming
well-to-do themselves

1076
00:56:36,226 --> 00:56:39,389
if they just keep trying
hard enough.

1077
00:56:41,731 --> 00:56:44,029
The wealthy were pleased
that so many people

1078
00:56:44,067 --> 00:56:46,900
had bought in
to the American Dream

1079
00:56:46,936 --> 00:56:49,996
while they, the rich,
had no intention

1080
00:56:50,039 --> 00:56:52,940
of ever sharing it with anyone.

1081
00:56:52,976 --> 00:56:56,275
l think capitalism is a lot more
important than democracy.

1082
00:56:56,312 --> 00:56:58,678
l'm not even a big believer
in democracy.

1083
00:56:58,715 --> 00:57:02,310
l always say that democracy is--
can be two wolves and a sheep

1084
00:57:02,352 --> 00:57:04,013
deciding on what to have
for dinner.

1085
00:57:04,053 --> 00:57:07,284
Moore: This is Stephen Moore--
no relation--

1086
00:57:07,323 --> 00:57:09,757
a columnist
and an editorial board member

1087
00:57:09,793 --> 00:57:11,556
of ''The Wall Street Journal,''

1088
00:57:11,594 --> 00:57:15,030
the daily bible
of corporate America.

1089
00:57:15,064 --> 00:57:18,124
Look, l'm in favor of people
having the right to vote

1090
00:57:18,168 --> 00:57:20,636
and things like that, but you know
there are a lot of countries

1091
00:57:20,670 --> 00:57:24,538
that have the right to vote
that are still poor.

1092
00:57:24,574 --> 00:57:27,941
Democracy doesn't always lead
to a good economy

1093
00:57:27,977 --> 00:57:29,911
or even a good political system.

1094
00:57:29,946 --> 00:57:33,313
With capitalism, you are free
to do what you want,

1095
00:57:33,349 --> 00:57:35,408
to make whatever you want
out of yourself.

1096
00:57:35,452 --> 00:57:36,976
lt doesn't mean
you're gonna succeed.

1097
00:57:37,020 --> 00:57:41,423
Remember, the US Constitution
does not guarantee happiness.

1098
00:57:41,458 --> 00:57:44,086
Moore:
Ah, the Constitution.

1099
00:57:44,127 --> 00:57:47,893
All my life l've heard that America
is a capitalist country.

1100
00:57:47,931 --> 00:57:52,197
So l went to see the original Constitution
and check out if it was true.

1101
00:57:52,235 --> 00:57:55,671
l'm trying to see where it sets up
our economic system,

1102
00:57:55,705 --> 00:57:58,936
like where it says we have
a capitalist economy.

1103
00:57:58,975 --> 00:58:01,136
Guard:
The jurisdiction.

1104
00:58:01,177 --> 00:58:02,974
- Judicial part of the--
- Down there?

1105
00:58:03,012 --> 00:58:06,812
Moore: There was no mention
of free market or free enterprise

1106
00:58:06,850 --> 00:58:09,444
or capitalism anywhere.

1107
00:58:10,487 --> 00:58:13,752
ln fact, all l saw
was ''We the people,''

1108
00:58:13,790 --> 00:58:16,384
something about
''a more perfect union,''

1109
00:58:16,426 --> 00:58:19,793
and ''promoting
the general welfare.''

1110
00:58:19,829 --> 00:58:24,323
Welfare, union, we?

1111
00:58:24,367 --> 00:58:26,767
That sounded like that other -ism.

1112
00:58:26,803 --> 00:58:30,239
But no, that's democracy.

1113
00:58:30,273 --> 00:58:31,975
And l began to wonder,
''What would it be like

1114
00:58:31,975 --> 00:58:32,999
And l began to wonder,
''What would it be like

1115
00:58:33,042 --> 00:58:36,375
if the workplace
was a democracy?''

1116
00:58:36,412 --> 00:58:39,745
There's always been a big separation
between how the country is run

1117
00:58:39,782 --> 00:58:43,013
and how businesses
are supposed to run.

1118
00:58:43,052 --> 00:58:44,246
Moore:
lt's true.

1119
00:58:44,287 --> 00:58:46,152
There seems to be a disconnect

1120
00:58:46,189 --> 00:58:48,521
between our professed love
of democracy

1121
00:58:48,558 --> 00:58:51,584
and how we're so willing
to accept a dictatorship

1122
00:58:51,628 --> 00:58:54,495
every day we show up to work.

1123
00:58:54,531 --> 00:58:58,331
lt's not that way
at lsthmus Engineering in Wisconsin.

1124
00:58:58,368 --> 00:59:02,202
They design and build
robotic machines for industry.

1125
00:59:02,238 --> 00:59:05,401
lt's a $15 million-a-year business.

1126
00:59:05,441 --> 00:59:07,238
Man:
All of the workers

1127
00:59:07,277 --> 00:59:10,610
are the owners of the business.

1128
00:59:10,647 --> 00:59:14,208
Moore: He's not talking about
some bullshit stock option.

1129
00:59:14,250 --> 00:59:17,651
He means they're the true owners.

1130
00:59:17,687 --> 00:59:20,520
Man: And it's a democratically-run
operation where every member

1131
00:59:20,557 --> 00:59:23,526
has one vote and an equal say.

1132
00:59:23,560 --> 00:59:25,824
- All in favor?
- All in favor?

1133
00:59:25,862 --> 00:59:28,888
Man: lt takes the money
out of the equation.

1134
00:59:28,932 --> 00:59:30,957
Moore: By taking the money
out of the equation

1135
00:59:31,000 --> 00:59:33,230
so that they can call the shots,

1136
00:59:33,269 --> 00:59:35,601
they end up making more money.

1137
00:59:35,638 --> 00:59:38,266
Cool, huh?

1138
00:59:41,945 --> 00:59:44,743
And how patriotic
that they want to extend

1139
00:59:44,781 --> 00:59:48,615
their love of American democracy
to their job.

1140
00:59:54,924 --> 00:59:56,858
Just imagine if the place
where you worked

1141
00:59:56,893 --> 01:00:00,056
was run by you
and your fellow workers.

1142
01:00:00,096 --> 01:00:01,961
You probably wouldn't
lay off your coworkers

1143
01:00:01,998 --> 01:00:04,933
to increase the value
of your stock, would you?

1144
01:00:04,968 --> 01:00:06,435
Or give yourself
a pay raise

1145
01:00:06,469 --> 01:00:09,336
while making your coworkers
take a pay cut.

1146
01:00:09,372 --> 01:00:11,237
Man:
We don't really do that here.

1147
01:00:11,274 --> 01:00:14,869
You really can't because everyone else
would be looking at you

1148
01:00:14,911 --> 01:00:17,471
saying, ''Why is this guy
so fricking greedy?''

1149
01:00:17,513 --> 01:00:20,107
You know,
it would be too obvious.

1150
01:00:20,149 --> 01:00:22,014
The bottom line is you've
got plenty of people

1151
01:00:22,051 --> 01:00:23,848
who roll up their sleeves
every day and go to work.

1152
01:00:23,886 --> 01:00:25,786
But if there's someone
way up there on the chain

1153
01:00:25,822 --> 01:00:28,848
that collects all the extra money,
that's not fair.

1154
01:00:28,891 --> 01:00:32,657
Moore:
Huh, fairness in the workplace--

1155
01:00:32,695 --> 01:00:35,027
what a novel idea.

1156
01:00:36,466 --> 01:00:39,697
Out in California,
there's a bread factory

1157
01:00:39,736 --> 01:00:43,297
where workers make thousands
of loaves of bread every day

1158
01:00:43,339 --> 01:00:45,330
Man:
The more hours you work towards

1159
01:00:45,375 --> 01:00:46,672
the benefit
of the co-op,

1160
01:00:46,709 --> 01:00:49,576
the more you share
in the profits.

1161
01:00:49,612 --> 01:00:51,807
Man #2:
The workers are happy here.

1162
01:00:51,848 --> 01:00:54,316
No big ls, little yous.
Everyone's the same.

1163
01:00:54,350 --> 01:00:57,842
Me as the CEO,
l get the same share

1164
01:00:57,887 --> 01:00:59,912
that anybody else does.

1165
01:00:59,956 --> 01:01:01,753
And that has proven

1166
01:01:01,791 --> 01:01:04,123
to be very lucrative
for us as workers.

1167
01:01:05,962 --> 01:01:10,524
Moore: Assembly-line workers here
earn over $65,000 a year,

1168
01:01:10,566 --> 01:01:12,659
more than
three times the pay

1169
01:01:12,702 --> 01:01:15,262
for a starting pilot
at American Eagle.

1170
01:01:15,304 --> 01:01:18,102
Man: l'm just hoping
that people take notice

1171
01:01:18,141 --> 01:01:20,302
of this type
of organizational activity

1172
01:01:20,343 --> 01:01:23,744
and start considering it
as an alternative.

1173
01:01:23,780 --> 01:01:25,111
Why do you want
to get rich?

1174
01:01:25,148 --> 01:01:27,082
How many cars do
you really need in life?

1175
01:01:27,116 --> 01:01:31,712
Moore: Clearly, he's not a car guy,
but that's okay.

1176
01:01:31,754 --> 01:01:35,281
His bread factory and hundreds of other
worker-owned businesses

1177
01:01:35,324 --> 01:01:38,919
are proof that people aren't always
motivated by profit.

1178
01:01:38,961 --> 01:01:41,759
( fanfare )

1179
01:01:41,798 --> 01:01:44,426
Announcer:
An historic victory over a dread disease.

1180
01:01:44,467 --> 01:01:47,834
Moore: lnstead of using his genius
to make a ton of money,

1181
01:01:47,870 --> 01:01:51,135
Dr. Jonas Salk spent
all of his time

1182
01:01:51,174 --> 01:01:53,665
putting monkey kidneys
in a blender

1183
01:01:53,710 --> 01:01:55,769
trying to find a cure
for polio.

1184
01:01:55,812 --> 01:02:00,681
And when he did,
he decided to give it away for free.

1185
01:02:00,717 --> 01:02:03,777
This man could have been rich
many times over

1186
01:02:03,820 --> 01:02:07,153
had he sold his vaccine
to a pharmaceutical company.

1187
01:02:07,190 --> 01:02:09,624
But he thought
his talents should be used

1188
01:02:09,659 --> 01:02:10,853
for the greater good.

1189
01:02:10,893 --> 01:02:13,828
And the decent salary
he made as a doctor

1190
01:02:13,863 --> 01:02:16,263
and a research professor
was enough for him to live

1191
01:02:16,299 --> 01:02:18,358
a comfortable life.

1192
01:02:18,401 --> 01:02:20,801
Who owns the patent
on this vaccine?

1193
01:02:20,837 --> 01:02:22,805
Well, the people,
l would say.

1194
01:02:22,839 --> 01:02:26,400
There is no patent.
Would you patent the sun?

1195
01:02:26,442 --> 01:02:30,276
Moore: Yes, we've come a long way
since the days of Dr. Salk.

1196
01:02:30,313 --> 01:02:34,443
Because today our best minds
are used for something else.

1197
01:02:34,484 --> 01:02:35,251
Where do we send our top
math and science people?

1198
01:02:35,251 --> 01:02:38,516
Where do we send our top
math and science people?

1199
01:02:38,554 --> 01:02:39,885
lnto finance.

1200
01:02:39,922 --> 01:02:42,390
They don't go into
science in America.

1201
01:02:42,425 --> 01:02:45,121
They go to Wall Street.

1202
01:02:45,161 --> 01:02:48,221
Moore: Today's students,
unlike in Dr. Salk's time,

1203
01:02:48,264 --> 01:02:50,824
can graduate from college
with a student loan debt

1204
01:02:50,867 --> 01:02:53,893
of up to $100,000 or more.

1205
01:02:53,936 --> 01:02:56,234
These students are then
beholden to the banks

1206
01:02:56,272 --> 01:02:59,241
for the next 20 years.

1207
01:02:59,275 --> 01:03:02,108
And the best way for them
to pay off these banks

1208
01:03:02,145 --> 01:03:04,079
is to go to work for them

1209
01:03:04,113 --> 01:03:06,741
instead of working
for the common good.

1210
01:03:06,783 --> 01:03:11,152
Black: We've taken people that could
be enormously productive--

1211
01:03:11,187 --> 01:03:12,814
just what we're short of
in America--

1212
01:03:12,855 --> 01:03:15,881
and we take them and we
put them in an activity

1213
01:03:15,925 --> 01:03:17,916
that isn't simply less
productive,

1214
01:03:17,960 --> 01:03:20,758
but where they're
actually destructive;

1215
01:03:20,797 --> 01:03:24,597
where actually every day they work,
they make the world worse.

1216
01:03:24,634 --> 01:03:27,694
Moore: So what exactly were the top
students from Harvard

1217
01:03:27,737 --> 01:03:29,728
and other schools
working on these days?

1218
01:03:29,772 --> 01:03:31,797
Derivatives... derivatives...
derivatives... derivatives...

1219
01:03:31,841 --> 01:03:34,241
Credit default swaps.

1220
01:03:34,277 --> 01:03:36,302
l can't make any sense
out of this.

1221
01:03:36,345 --> 01:03:38,108
l might as well quit.

1222
01:03:38,147 --> 01:03:40,047
Moore:
That's exactly how l felt