Labor & Employment Law

?America Is Not Broke,? Michael Moore Tells Cheering Thousands

By admin

This is a cross-post from the Wisconsin Labor History Society.

Film producer Michael Moore captivated the thousands of protesters at the state Capitol Saturday, March 5, with his speech, “America Is Not Broke.” He said, the “country is awash in cash. It’s just that it’s not in your hands” but with 400 of the uber-rich, whom he called “little Mubaraks,” who now have more cash, stock and assets than more than 155 million Americans combined.

Moore told the cheering crowd that “until Madison, Wis., and this last month, we have felt helpless against the rich.”

The country has been told three big lies, which he said, were 1) that “Wisconsin is broke,” 2) “There are weapons of mass destruction” and 3) “the Packers can’t win the Super Bowl without Favre.”

He said the rich have done a couple of “smart things,” the first being is to control the media. “They control the message by owning the media,” he said. “Their version of the dream is that you, too, can be rich some day….Don’t fall for it. They’ll play these things for you day in and day out, because you don’t want to rock the boat and be sure to vote for the party that protects the rich man you might be some day.”

“Second smart thing,” he said, is the “form of economic terrorism” the rich have foisted on America. They told the nation that it had to “hand over trillions of dollars or we will crash this economy straight into the ground.

“Millions lost their homes anyway and millions lost their jobs and still there was no revolt. Until now! On Wisconsin! You have aroused a sleeping giant known as the working people of America. Your message has inspired working people in all 50 states to say ‘We Have Had It.’” And that cheer resounded throughout the crowd. View the entire speech by clicking here.

To read the prepared text, click here.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on March 07, 2011 (boomark / email).