Hide Your Lunch

Admittedly that title may be hitting slightly below the gigantic supposedly anti-capitalistic designer belt.  Michael Moore is coming to Sacramento today to lecture the legislature on how to handle health care.  Because the musings of a filmmaker who, by the way, couldn’t look less healthy, are relevant to such a complex problem.  I guess in a state where portraying yourself as a robot from the future counts as gubanatorial portraying yourself as an expert on government conspiracies makes you qualified to pontificate on health care.  Glad to know our legislature is spending its time so wisely.  Perhaps to beat summer doldrums they can get George Clooney or Bono to come talk about Africa.   

52 thoughts on “Hide Your Lunch”

  1. Sub-category: Where will Michael Moore eat lunch in Sacramento today AFTER lecturing the legislature on providing better health care?

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  2. Michael Moore’s weight does not compromise the quality of the arguments in his film about health care and the pharmaceutical industry. His film has support from both the left and the right and even Republicans.

    I would suggest that you actually watch his film and learn what he’s trying to say, before you point your finger at him and say he doesn’t know anything because he’s fat.

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  3. Ah, but SinghCity, you are missing the overall point: I don’t have to watch any of Michael Moore’s films in order to call him fat. I only need to see a picture of him to deduce that.

    And the irony that Michael Moore is set to lecture about public health care, when he’s not necessarily doing a bang-up job on his own personal health care, is delicious. As delicious as Mr. Moore’s likely lunch options.

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  4. SinghCity you’re absolutely right, of course, that Michael Moore’s appearance has nothing to do with his crediblity. My problems with him have more to do with the fact that he presents himself as some kind of well-intentioned policy reporter rather than an extremely biased money-grabbing filmmaker and I think it’s absurd that people treat him like some kind of Shaman. Also I have a problem with the frequency with which completely unqualified celebrities are consulted on incredibly complex legislative problems. But still, can’t a girl kid around on a Tuesday morning?

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  6. Scooter & HeyMeg, y’all datin’?

    You will hate him because he is Michael Moore, no more, no less. Or, perhaps it’s something else apparently. To paraphrase Kanye West: Scooter hates fat people.

    There is nothing unreasonable about Michael Moore presenting his opinions on the health care industry. He’s a film maker who has created an acclaimed documentary looking at the problems in the “system” in this country, and therefore I don’t see why it’s unreasonable for the legislature to want to hear what he has to say.

    I’m taking issue with your calling him fat and therefore unqualified, without even seeing his movie. That is all.

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  8. let’s not forget who michael moore is. he preaches to the converted. any intelligent, reading person already knows the stuff he’s going to say, and most likely agrees to a point. but on healthcare, do you really think he has something new to say? he sure didn’t on Bill Maher while pushing Sicko. Anyone esle notice that he never does an interview or conversation with an opposing point of view? that speaks of his character to me. i just think michael moore is the liberal rush limbaugh. pretty useless in the sceme of things. just go back now and check all the facts from his previous 3 documentaries and see for yourself.

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  9. “When they can’t get into the U.S. naval base, Moore proceeds onto Havana where the patients are treated well and cheaply.”

    Show of hands – where would you rather get your appendix out: Havana, Cuba or Sacramento, California? You with the big mustache and military garb, put your hand down.

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  11. But seriously HeyMeg, I’d love to take you on a date- and maybe to this new documentary that I hear has all the California legislature talking- or… rather, listening.

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  12. I’ll have to stick with Sacramento but only if the hospitals operate more like Grey’s Anatomy and less like Scrubs. Besides I can’t have BBQ Tri-Tip after surgery thanks to God’s Embargo against those heathen Coca-Cola Marxists. And it would cost me beaucoup bux to fill up my v-8 enough times to get to Cuba.

    Where is G. Gordon Liddy when you need him? He was a real mustachioed militant with garb this country can get behind. And M. Moore is fat. COME ON!!!

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  13. Scooter my husband tells me I’m not fat. DOESN’T HE.

    SinghCity it’s not that MM is fat and “therefore” unqualified. He’s fat “and” unqualified. As for his qualifications I’m simply saying that making lucrative movies, acclaimed though they may be, does not qualify a person to shape legislative policy. Even assuming MM’s documentary is credible (which is a pretty big assumption given his track record), the legislature ought to be considering MM’s source material itself and drawing its own conclusions, not consulting wildly-biased hearsay commentary that they could just as easily find on Netflix.

    (CoolDMZ adds: P.S., this was our 5000th comment!)

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  14. Sorry I forgot. Activism isn’t cool (where do you get your insulation anyways?)!

    It’s not like California doesn’t appreciate political grandstanding in all its forms.

    And as for legislature that dig for resources and draws its own conclusions, honey, if the world worked like that, all the lobbyists slated to live in all those new stylish downtown lofts would be SOL.

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  15. The general public at large is not qualified to vote and yet they still do vote…well, some of them anyway.

    If qualifications actually mattered in politics, most of the politicians currently holding offices would be out of a job.

    Still, I too get annoyed when a celebrity expounds an opinion on a political matter. Like I care what the guy from Cheers has to say about gerrymandering.

    Personally, I think that the insurance industry is just horrible…all of them…medical, home, car, etc. They are almost as evil as the oil companies.

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  16. I heard Moore speak and I saw the movie. I was without health care for years. This is the only Michael Moore movie I’ve seen. The last time I saw a movie in a theatre was about two years ago. I thought the movie was fascinating. I learned that there are four health care industry lobbyists for every legislator; and the health insurance industry spent 100 million dollars to defeat the Clinton health care plan.

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  17. I was fortunate enough to get to see this film tonight and I would strongly urge you to go see it when it comes out everywhere. No matter what side of the aisle you vote for, you will find a very stirring and clear message in this movie. Even if you are not a big Moore fan, I hope you will see the greater picture. He sure knows how to get a point across.

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  18. did anyone see cbs 13 at 4pm? there was an introduction to the story of michael moore being at the state capitol. let me repeat myself. michael moore was speaking at our state capitol. so what graphic did they use? it was a picture of michael moore with the words “”sicko” in sacramento.” i find very disturbing, regardless of your feelings about michael moore, that our local news would stoop to such a level. kcra 3’s “help delt to the smelt” headline was bad enough, but this is not only insulting to mr. moore but to the sacramento public as well.

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  21. TP: nice catch!

    Another Moore in Sac scandal: this morning on “Good Day” Mark S. Allen called out KCRA for broadcasting video of Moore being interviewed…by Mark S. Allen. I can’t tell if that is bad or not; I know that it’s customary to see another station’s microphone in the shot sometimes, but this was more like an interview (couldn’t schedule the awkward sitdown I guess) and less like a press appearance. Can’t find the KCRA video on kcra.com or their YouTube…

    The thing I most care about is that the movie must acknowledges to some degree that the *care* people are getting in the US is nothing less than the best in the world. It does look like he’s attacking the insurance/HMO/billing status quo. I can be persuaded by that. You have to wait years sometimes to get non-emergency care in countries that have socialized healthcare. (Why do I sound like Lynn suddenly?)

    But you have to admit that Moore having a sitdown with the legislature is total bs, mostly on the legislature’s part. Fabian Nunez telling him we’re finally going to get some healthcare reform. Uh huh. Wow, good thing there happened to be a camera crew and a buzzworthy documentary coming out the day you decided to really get on that issue.

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  22. Actually..it was not an exclusive interview with Mark S. Allen.. It was outside the theater…a “press availability” for everyone in the press. Not a “one on on” with Mark. He probably just didnt like them using the responses HE got. But there is nothing wrong with it. It wasnt HIS interview.

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  23. anon: i figured it was MSA being completely full of himself.

    the only thing that made me question it was that MSA had video of Moore answering his questions, and then turning to the KCRA camera and saying “do you guys have any questions?” and you can hear the KCRA guys saying nope, we’re good. so it didn’t seem like the kind of thing where you see 5 microphones and everybody uses their own camera footage…

    say hi to Dave and Lois for me!

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  25. It is interesting that with my Medicare and Medi-Cal cards, nobody will treat anything I ask them about. Both plans are not funded enough to cover anything. What do these plans pay for, anyway!! What are these cards for, to liven up my wallet? And run, don’t walk, away from any Western Dental office, which is like Lucy and Ethel in the candy factory! Go to Dr. Jeanette Okasaki in Midtown! Bye!

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  26. At least channels 13 and 31 spent a lot of time talking about Moore and his movie. Channel 10 didn’t.

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  27. How dare a fat person have an opinion! How dare a documentary filmmaker spend three years researching something and then deign to tell others about it! How dare he try to speak for those of us who cannot or do not speak for ourselves!

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  29. Yeah, is that really Malcolm Gladwell? I totally started to read “Blink” but ironically I had a bad first impression and put it down. Just kidding, what I read was great and I’ve been meaning to finish it.

    When he talked with that Cuomo guy on ABC, Michael Moore admitted that it was “hypocritical” of him to not eat better and try to get healthier and that he is taking steps to eat more of those things, what are they called, vegetables. His joke.

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  31. DMZ, Moore’s admitted as much before regarding his diet and the realization he’s had about his health during the production of his film.

    HeyMeg, exactly what part of “Sicko” is not factual?

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  32. DMZ: he also made the same joke about being a born again veggie eater on bill maher about 2 to 3 weeks ago. that kinda goes with my point. moore does easy-for-him interviews. in his films he alsolikes to catch people off guard and ask loaded questions…ie. why do i pay so much for such a lousy product? though his points are valid it’s his method i have a problem with. i don’t think you can have constructive conversation while calling your opponent names ( a reason i don’t like al frankin and the air america crew). moore is right in his overall message: health care is a criminal racket.

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  33. right, he called himself a hypocrite, acknowledging that his poor health in some way compromises what he’s trying to do in his film. after all, one way to improve the healthcare system is for obese people to make with the good eating and the exercising.

    i don’t know what HeyMeg had in mind about “Sicko” but for the most exhaustive chronicle of the factual problems with “Fahrenheit 911” you have to go with Christopher Hitchens, a pro-Iraq war lefty
    http://slate.com/id/2102723/

    you don’t want to get on Hitchens’ bad side…

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  34. His weight nor his acknowledgement that he doesn’t eat right do not compromise what his film might say about how health care in this country is delivered. His film is not about teaching people to eat right, but how a for-profit system is not providing the best care for this country.

    Again, you guys simply hate Michael Moore, and so you begin leg-humping arguments to try and discredit anything and everything he does, regardless of the legitimate points he makes – as demonstrated by this blog post.

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  35. A for-profit system that bleeds millions every year to help people who have neglected their own health. I think it’s a legit argument to say that this compromises his arguments that something else is wrong with the system. It’s also a really unimportant argument, definitely just a nit to pick. Maybe he attempts to prove that the oft-cited thing about obesity driving up healthcare costs is wrong.

    I do dislike Michael Moore, but I think Michael Moore himself does plenty to discredit any legitimate points he may come across. That Hitchens post’ll make you go hmm.

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  36. Thanks for admitting your own bias in this argument.

    It’s commonly acknowledged that the US health care system bleeds from bureaucracy and overspending. This country spends more per capita on health care and gets less for what is spent on a national basis, compared to other countries. Where is all that money going? Oh, wait…

    And, obesity is a problem, yes. But, Michael Moore’s obesity isn’t why tens of millions of people in this country aren’t getting the health care they need. His health is also not the reason why people who are on Medicare or other such program, as “Mom” says above, can’t get care even when covered.

    Hitchens piece is about “F9/11” and is full of hypotheticals and assumptions. We’re talking about Moore’s film “Sicko” here…or, at least that’s what I thought we were talking about.

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  37. “bias” is an overrated concept. however i am shocked, shocked that you have a negative opinion on Hitchen’s piece.

    the obesity of tens of millions of people is a strain on the system. i still haven’t seen “Sicko” because it is still not set to release for another 2 weeks, so i can only attack his track record. maybe this is the film where he turns that around, like you’re saying. Malcolm Gladwell, wouldn’t you agree that it’s important for me to trust my instinct?

    truth be told, i’m way more likely to see this movie and be moved by it than you think.

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  38. It’s not that I “hate” Michael Moore. It’s that I think he’s an extremist windbag and kind of a buffoon and therefore I feel entitled to make fun of him on the internet. You can’t seriously have a problem with that. You’re not seriously telling me that if Rush Limbaugh or the dude that drives around downtown shouting anti-gay slogans from his pick-up truck was advising the legislature that you wouldn’t at a minimum make jokes.

    This has nothing to do with my opinions about public health care. This has to do with my opinions on legislative process. I think it’s ridiculous for the legislature to consult a film director on a policy issue as difficult and complex as public health care. To me it shows a problem with the process.

    SinghCity as for those credibility problems, 10 minutes on Google can answer your questions. I’m not going to index the list of factual errors and intentional misrepresentations present in MM’s past films here because that’s frankly kind of boring and it’s been done in about a dozen other places. I don’t think MM’s past mistakes condemn him as a filmmaker. But the natural response to previous misinformation is to question present veracity. And I don’t think MM’s hypocricy condemns him as a person, but it does diminish his integrity as an advocate. At any rate, the point I’m making above is simply that the legislature should get over being star-struck and stop interviewing unqualified celebrities when making important policy decisions.

    Just to further clarify, I don’t think MM’s worst act of hypocrisy is being overweight while pontificating about health care. I really was just making jokes because it’s fun to make jokes sometimes. Don’t pretend you’re above that. MM’s hypocrisy is more evident in the fact that his life’s work is to preach about the selfishness and materialism of the evil rich American capitalist elite while raking in millions of dollars for his movies, tens of thousands for his speaking engagements, jet-setting around to film festivals, riding in limousines, staying in luxury hotels, residing in multi-million dollar homes, sending his daughter to an exclusive private school on the Upper West Side and otherwise sheltering himself from his supposedly beloved working class. I don’t suppose for a minute that he would set foot in just any old public hospital for treatment in this or any other Country. I do suppose that he would use his plentiful resources to take advantage of a competitive capitalist market and choose the best possible options for him and his family regardless of what others are getting. Without commenting on the degree of ethics in that approach, I’m just saying that MM is no different than the American elite he so powerfully despises.

    HeyMeg out.

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  41. They better get a better platform than fatphobia.

    But I guess some people think cheap jokes about people’s appearance are funny.

    I just think it’s lazy. And, oh yeah, bigoted.

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  42. I want to reiterate that the argument I advanced, that Michael Moore’s poor stewardship of his own health undermines his arguments that the American health care system is broken, was a pointless argument that I advanced mostly because I had free time. I am far more concerned that the CA legislature is full of hypocrites and downright snakes. You really do have to see the little clip of Fabian Nunez saying we’re finally going to work on health care reform.
    http://www.kcra.com/newsarchive/13491726/detail.html

    Lulu: I would be far more likely to run for vice president on a platform of more beef or “Kill McDreamy” than on a fatophobia campaign. I am about 30 pounds overweight myself.

    I want HeyMeg’s comment to fight Hitchens’ article…

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  43. Moore might live in a mansion… but he still cares about common people… he has to care to spend three years making a movie about health care.

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  44. Not being a big fan of MM, I can still see the validity of his testimony. After all, many other “experts” have their own agenda and the last thing we need is health insurance executives lecturing on how to address the issues.

    Anyone who thinks we don’t have a problem with health insurance has never attempted to obtain a policy with even a minor health risk (high blood pressure, prior cancer, older, etc.). The present system of employer based health insurance is failing even those persons who want to obtain insurance not just those who can’t afford it.

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  45. but if the problem is bureaucratic overspending, any sort of government-provided system would be far worse.

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  46. Go to medical school yourself so you can treat fat poor people for free, or at your own loss.
    Health care ain’t broken: The drugs and machines for diagnosis/repair are second to none in the US. Like high end cars in Italy. You don’t see Italians bitching about not being able to drive a Tetrazzini Fasterossa because the car companys charge too much. You want a fast car- save up. You want a new liver to replace the one you drank under the table- save up. Or get a job/pension that provides benefits along them lines.
    It’s all life choices kids. If you are an 89 year old who can afford a new lung, good for you- the 89 year old who worked at Starbucks all his life, and partied and took vacations and bought new (crappy) cars doesn’t get the same lung. Too bad. Who the heck said special health care was a consititutional right?
    If you REALLY want to make health care more “affordable”, eliminate the extraordinary measures we take to save: 1) the very elderly (diminishing returns), 2) “undocumented” peoples (they didn’t pay (however minimally) into the system in the first place) and 3) people with behaviorally induced “conditions”: fattness (diabetes, CHD), AIDS and other STDs, lung and skin cancers, etc. NOW you are saving some real money. Oh- and supply only band aids and asprin to prisoners. You just saved a billion bux there alone.

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  47. I have only one thing to add to the whole argument: That C. Everett Koop guy was no slender model of fitness himself, so there. That’s it.

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  48. just when you think we can’t all agree on something, there it is: that Turty Squip guy is freakin nuts. can i get an amen, SinghCity and HeyMeg?

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