Disgraceful

[Brogs]

Interesting Article !

This week, the new 'Mike & Friends Blog' section will be added to MichaelMoore.com. In additional to my blog, I have asked a few people, like Rep. Marcy Kaptur (the Democrat from Toledo who has deservedly become the star of my movie!) and Leah Fried (who helped organize the sit-down strike at Republic Windows and Doors in Chicago), to blog here on my site. Here's a sneak peek of my first blog post. Enjoy! -- MM

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

Pilots on Food Stamps
By Michael Moore

We're on the descent from 20,000 feet in the air when the flight attendant leans over the elderly woman next to me and taps me on the shoulder.

"I'm listening to Lady Gaga," I say as I remove just one of the ear buds. I know not this Lady Gaga, but her performance last week on SNL was fascinating.

"The pilots would like to see you in the cockpit when we land," she says with a southern drawl.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No. They have something to show you." (The last time an employee of an airline wanted to show me something it was her written reprimand for eating an in-flight meal without paying for it. "Yes," she said, "we have to pay for our own meals on board now.")

The plane landed and I stepped into the cockpit. "Read this," the first officer said. He handed me a letter from the airline to him. It was headlined "LETTER OF CONCERN." It seems this poor fellow had taken three sick days in the past year. The letter was a warning not to take another one -- or else.

"Great," I said. "Just what I want -- you coming to work sick, flying me up in the air and asking to borrow the barf bag from my seatback pocket."

He then showed me his pay stub. He took home $405 this week. My life was completely and totally in his hands for the past hour and he's paid less than the kid who delivers my pizza.

I told the guys that I have a whole section in my new movie about how pilots are treated (using pilots as only one example of how people's wages have been slashed and the middle class decimated). In the movie I interview a pilot for a major airline who made $17,000 last year. For four months he was eligible -- and received -- food stamps. Another pilot in the film has a second job as a dog walker.

"I have a second job!," the two pilots said in unison. One is a substitute teacher. The other works in a coffee shop. You know, maybe it's just me, but the two occupations whose workers shouldn't be humpin' a second job are brain surgeons and airline pilots. Call me crazy.

I told them about how Capt. "Sully" Sullenberger (the pilot who safely landed the jet in the Hudson River) had testified in Congress that no pilot he knows wants any of their children to become a pilot. Pilots, he said, are completely demoralized. He spoke of how his pay has been cut 40% and his own pension eliminated. Most of the TV news didn't cover his remarks and the congressmen quickly forgot them. They just wanted him to play the role of "HERO," but he was on a more important mission. He's in my movie.

"I hadn't heard anywhere that this stuff about the airlines is in this new movie," the pilot said.

"No, you wouldn't," I replied. "The press likes to talk about me, not the movie."

And it's true. I've been surprised (and slightly annoyed) that, with all that's been written and talked about "Capitalism: A Love Story," very little attention has been paid the mind-blowing stuff in the film: pilots on food stamps, companies secretly taking out life insurance policies on employees and hoping they die young so the company can collect, judges getting kickbacks from the private prison industry for sending innocent people (kids) to be locked up. The profit motive -- it's a killer.

Especially when your pilot started his day at 6am working at the local Starbucks.

[nwadc10]

"No, you wouldn't," I replied. "The press likes to talk about me, not the movie."

To get a little political here...M Moore is not a stand-up guy. His movies are not documentaries. He specializes in deceit to get his point across but he doesn't want you do know that otherwise people wouldn't listen to him. This is a pathetic man. (As you can tell, I get very annoyed by Moore and his "preachings").

With that said, I'm fairly certain this is my airline in the story. We get these "Letter of Concerns" after the 3rd sick call in 12 months and after the 4th we have a meeting with base management about how to stay healthy...pretty dumb but whatever. The airline I work for serves Moore's local airport and I do know we transport his fat ass from time to time. How he was able to have a "seat-mate" (I guess that's what ya'll are calling it these days ) I have no clue, he needs to buy two seats on these little planes. So, I question that part of the story. Anyways, back on topic...even with the "letter of concerns" we all know that the company can't do anything to us because it would be illegal. The crew who brought this up I'm certain is bitter about the ongoing contract negotiations and probably thought it would be a funny story to tell later in the crew room.

[dave colavecchio]

Ditto the fat ass comment! I got hired by American Trans Air in 1994 for a whopping $18000 per year as an assistant dispatcher. I was very poor for a few years but my HARD WORK and EXPERIENCE paid off a few years later. Hard work and experience are foreign words to Michael Moore who's father was wealthy enough to retire from an auto company at age 50. Michael Moore has never been poor and has no right to speak for the poor.

Bottom line: Aviation is an industry where experience is everything and you have to earn everything. UOtside of military pilots, everyone works for peanuts for awhile. A dumb rogue pilot bitching to Moore is all he needs. Moore EXPLOITS little stories and turns them into slanted movies.

Breaking news: Obama won the Heisman Trophy because he thought about watching a college football game.

[AmundRe]

Breaking news: Obama won the Heisman Trophy because he thought about watching a college football game.

Yeah when I heard he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize I about crapped my pants. What has he done to promote world peace? But as if one Nobel prizefor no reason isn't enough, in this economic recession Obama has now won the Nobel prize for Economics. What?!?!?! But as far as M. Moore is concerned, he is everything wrong with this country. He should be thankful for the freedoms he enjoys, instead he pisses on them and abuses them to make himself rich and famous. I think it is sad that anybody in this country, or even in the world for that matter will even give this guy the time of day. But what's worse is that the soldiers that he has slammed in the past die every day for his freedoms, and the industries he knocks provide for his way of life, the airline industry he berates provides his transportation around this country. Is it legal for airlines to refuse to fly a person just because he's a jackass? And one more thing, $405 a week ain't bad, according to FAR regulation a pilot can fly no more than 32 hours in 7 days, so do the math. $405/32, that works out to $12.66 per hour, and you know what? That isn't a half bad living. I make minimum wage right now and I'm not on food stamps. My wage is almost half of what that pilot makes and I'm doing okay, and before anyone gets upset, yes I do live on my own. However, given how many times a day Michael Moore orders pizza, it wouldn't suprise me if the pizza boy made more than $405 a week in tips alone.

[Brogs]

WOW !! touched a nerve there !

[eek]

WOW !! touched a nerve there !

You have no idea. I nearly .357ed my monitor a la Elvis, when I read that. I find it ironic that he decries capitalism. The same system that allows a bloated, ignorant, douche bag to become filthy rich, making bullshit propaganda movies. It's really an indictment of our education system that so many people buy into the crap he's selling.

Speaking of crap, Obama winning the Nobel isn't that surprising, since Al Gore won it promoting the global warming fantasy. He kowtows to a few despots, reads about "dialogue" from his teleprompter, and remains tight lipped as Iranian protesters are slaughtered in the streets. Yeah, I guess you could say the world is more peaceful. Corpses and slaves don't put up much of a fight.

[Eugenio Leal/1878]

Obama was awarded the Nobel peace prize TO FORCE HIM to make more moves towards peace.


Now he has to respond to his prize.

[nwadc10]

Obama was awarded the Nobel peace prize TO FORCE HIM to make more moves towards peace.


Now he has to respond to his prize.

So why haven't the conservative presidents been awarded the prize for the same reason? The Nobel institution is a very liberal group and they wouldn't dare support a conservative. I believe he got the prize because of his celebrity status and the Nobel institution wants in on the action. He has done nothing to even hint at earning the prize and the world over should be insulted of the action. Apparently, like the *slight* majority of the American public, the Nobel institution believes words speak louder than actions.

In short, Nobel has lost the respect of many people by what they did last week.

[dave colavecchio]

Peace through strength, not weakness! GOD save the republic from Obama!
The United States Declaration of Independence states:
"that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Our rights are given to us by God, not granted to us by Obama!

[Brogs]

Obama was awarded the Nobel peace prize TO FORCE HIM to make more moves towards peace.


Now he has to respond to his prize.

So why haven't the conservative presidents been awarded the prize for the same reason? The Nobel institution is a very liberal group and they wouldn't dare support a conservative. I believe he got the prize because of his celebrity status and the Nobel institution wants in on the action. He has done nothing to even hint at earning the prize and the world over should be insulted of the action. Apparently, like the *slight* majority of the American public, the Nobel institution believes words speak louder than actions.

In short, Nobel has lost the respect of many people by what they did last week.

The Nobel Peace Prize is a Joke !when Al Gore won for his warnings about Global Warming,' which by the way will happen regardless of us and not because of us, its a Cyclical thing that has been going on for Millenia!' the other person in contention was a Polish Nurse in her 80,s who at the time of the Warsaw Ghetto smuggled 2,500 Jewish babies approx at the rate of one or two a day past German Guards and out of the Ghetto thereby saving their Lives, I know who i would have given the Prize to ! not the Arch Advocate of a Theory thats got completely out of hand

[nwadc10]

Obama was awarded the Nobel peace prize TO FORCE HIM to make more moves towards peace.


Now he has to respond to his prize.

So why haven't the conservative presidents been awarded the prize for the same reason? The Nobel institution is a very liberal group and they wouldn't dare support a conservative. I believe he got the prize because of his celebrity status and the Nobel institution wants in on the action. He has done nothing to even hint at earning the prize and the world over should be insulted of the action. Apparently, like the *slight* majority of the American public, the Nobel institution believes words speak louder than actions.

In short, Nobel has lost the respect of many people by what they did last week.

The Nobel Peace Prize is a Joke !when Al Gore won for his warnings about Global Warming,' which by the way will happen regardless of us and not because of us, its a Cyclical thing that has been going on for Millenia!' the other person in contention was a Polish Nurse in her 80,s who at the time of the Warsaw Ghetto smuggled 2,500 Jewish babies approx at the rate of one or two a day past German Guards and out of the Ghetto thereby saving their Lives, I know who i would have given the Prize to ! not the Arch Advocate of a Theory thats got completely out of hand

And that is everything that's wrong with Nobel. The group should be dismantled and the trust money used for good instead of a celebrity prize like it's the Oscars.

[AmundRe]

Obama was awarded the Nobel peace prize TO FORCE HIM to make more moves towards peace.
Now he has to respond to his prize.

And that is everything that's wrong with Nobel. The group should be dismantled and the trust money used for good instead of a celebrity prize like it's the Oscars.

Firstly, Eugenio, you don't win a prize on speculation. You shouldn't do anything on speculation. The last time we did that we got Black Tuesday back in 1929 and nobody wants that again. The Nobel committee should've waited till 2012 when Obama's term is up and then decided whether or not to give him the prize. His response to being awarded the prize should've been easy, turn it down. He lost what little respect I had for him when he accepted those awards, and Justin, I could not agree more. If they took the money that they gave Obama and say gave it to the red cross or something it might have actually been put to good use, but now it's just going to line the pocket of a pompous speech giver with too much power.

[peter]

ENOUGH!!!

This is a flight sim site not politcal - in addition people are using marginal language.

[thansson]

And as such, I believe this topic has run its course and is now locked...