The Big One Page #2

that goes to

the Pillsbury Doughboy...

to be promoted

in Third World countries.

MOORE:

With my interviews over...

I told the escort

we'd be back in a few hours.

We headed out of the city...

to Centralia, Illinois,

home of the PayDay candy bar.

People have been making

PayDays here for over 60 years.

Back in 1992,

Clinton visited Centralia...

on his first campaign

for president.

My own state is full of places

like Centralia...

places where

there are good people...

who work hard

and play by the rules...

who've been forgotten

in George Bush's America.

I want to tell you something.

It doesn't have to be this way.

We can do better.

It is scandalous

to waste the potential...

of the people of this community

and our country.

[Bell clanging]

MOORE:
They used

to say that in Centralia...

every day is payday.

On the day I arrived...

they were told

this would be their last.

MOORE:
Who's been here

more than ten years?

You've worked here more...

more than ten...

Who's been here

more than 20 years?

She was here for 50 years.

It will be. Already is.

MAN:
Know how we found out

we were losin' our jobs?

The head of

Leaf North America...

sends a videotape

in to all the Leaf plants...

telling 'em how they're gonna

reorganize and stuff.

"Oh, by the way, we're shuttin'

the Centralia plant down."

A videotape.

- "And by the way."

- Yeah.

When was the last time

you had a strike here?

We've never been on strike.

- Never been on strike?

- No!

- Never had a walkout?

- No!

We've never

even had an arbitration.

Do you have any idea...

what kind of profit

you were making here?

MAN:

27 million is what they said.

MOORE:
Twenty million here,

just inside this building?

Profit, out of this plant.

And now, now what?

People will go off the deep end

that lose their jobs in America.

It happens all the time.

Suicides will go up,

divorce rates...

people start beatin' their kids

that normally wouldn't.

I mean, damn!

People just lose it when

they don't have an income...

or they have to go from

making $10 an hour...

down to $5.00 an hour.

It's tough!

MOORE:
Do you know

what he's talking about?

Yeah?

Are you worried about this?

- Yes!

- I'm a single mother.

I can't buy a house

or anything on $5.00 an hour.

MAN:
Tell me something.

I want to know...

what's going to happen to

the United States of America...

when they downsize everything...

and we get down to where

everybody's makin' minimum wage.

Who's gonna buy $30,000 cars?

Who's gonna buy homes?

Who's gonna buy this stuff?

I want to know!

And it's just gonna be

like a snowball effect...

because then the automakers

are gonna be out of work...

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