Roger & Me Page #7

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So now I assume they're on the phone,

trying to get a trailer...

from Mark's Trailer Rental

up on Carpenter Road.

Why are all the trucks being rented here?

People are probably moving.

With GM closing,

there are so many people leaving town.

We've handled

over 82,000 address changes.

We're having a lot of people

just abandon their house sometimes.

Thank God we're getting

new equipment here.

We're getting new higher-tech computers

that will be able to process more mail.

I don't foresee this job evaporating.

I feel we're secure in forwarding mail.

Usually we see somebody every day

that we know...

that's moved on, left town.

A lot of people are looking

for work elsewhere.

My husband's currently laid off, and we're

giving some thought to it ourselves.

The GM layoff.

We have been having so many trucks...

go one-way to places like Florida...

and places south of here.

We have a very hard time

keeping trucks in the Flint area.

It's expected we'll get some

of our fleet back towards midsummer...

but with the layoffs coming heavier...

it's going to be very hard

to keep a truck around here.

I continued to dog Roger

all over the country.

From Detroit to Chicago...

to Washington, D.C., to New York City.

I followed a trail of three-martini lunches

in pursuit of the chairman.

I finally found Roger at the

Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City...

where he was getting an award

for the car of the year.

We weren't in the hotel five minutes...

when GM security recognized

one of our crew members...

as a relative of their arch nemesis,

Ralph Nader.

They called the New York City police

and carried him out...

chair and all,

down to precinct headquarters.

As soon as I could,

I headed to Detroit to Roger's office...

where I was determined this time

to get on to the 14th floor.

Excuse me.

- Where are you guys going?

- We're going up to the 14th floor.

- Do you have an appointment?

- We're going to see Roger Smith.

No, you're not. You're not getting

on one of those elevators.

- Why's that?

- You're not going without an appointment.

Can we go up

and try making an appointment?

Why?

I need Tony or Denise.

- The reason to talk to Roger Smith?

- Michael Moore.

No, what's your reason

for seeing Roger Smith?

- Excuse me. I need to see you.

- We're making a film...

I quickly sized up the situation:

Three guards in the booth,

plus the one with the corsage...

a dozen security cameras...

and four new cars with inflated

sticker prices parked in the lobby.

If I made a run for it to Roger's office,

what's the worst that could happen?

Before I could fully explore

the consequences of such an action...

my escorts to the 14th floor finally arrived.

Mr. Smith is not in at the present time.

We'd be happy to take your request under

advisement, as with all appointments.

I've been told that before. I've called,

written, and I've been here before.

- Have you written?

- Yes, I've written.

- To whom?

- To Roger Smith...

General Motors building,

Grand Avenue, Detroit, Michigan.

John, how about we have a letter

sent to your office?

Why don't you send a letter to us...

and we will be happy to,

as I say, take it under advisement...

just as we do all requests

to see the chairman.

It's just that I've been waiting for a year

to get this.

It's been under advisement for a long time.

What I'd like to do

is just go up to the 14th floor...

and set up an appointment

with his secretary.

That would be impossible.

Obviously, I was getting

the big blowoff once again.

Meanwhile, things weren't getting better

back in Flint.

More jobs had been eliminated.

The city had become

the unemployment capital of the country.

The visits from the stars

and the creation of new jobs...

had failed to pull Flint

out of its depression.

Just when it appeared

that all hope was lost...

the city fathers came up

with one last great idea.

You don't usually think of

tourist attraction when you think of Flint...

but people here in Flint

would like to change that.

And they're willing to go

to some pretty extreme lengths.

Flint officials would like to see

the local tourist economy explode.

Flint's Convention and Tourism

Bureau president...

says visitors should take advantage

of Flint's convenient location.

Millions of travelers pass by our doorstep.

Now, with this active

and aggressive promotion...

we'll be able to draw them into our city

and experience what we have to offer.

As part of the plan

to attract tourism and conventions...

the city spent $13 million in tax funds

to build a Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Although most people in Flint were now

too poor to afford a room at the Hyatt...

the hotel allowed the public

on opening day...

to come and ride the city's only escalator.

We put a luxury hotel

in the heart of our city...

just like other cities

with their luxury hotels...

with everything from the fountains

and high ceilings...

the atrium lobby, to the large windows,

the large plants.

The quality is there...

what you would find

in Chicago, or Atlanta, or San Francisco.

We've got some great facilities,

as far as places to stay...

interesting places to see, museums...

And it's a nice community to visit.

Meet Mr. And Mrs. Roberts.

They're two of the thousands of people...

who decide to spend some time

at Genesee County each year.

There's the sign. We're almost there.

I can hardly wait to see some of the places

in the brochures.

Let's pull off and fill up first.

- You from out of town?

- Yeah, we're on vacation.

Welcome to Flint. You staying here?

Yeah, we are. Lots to do?

Sure, there's lots of attractions here.

Have you seen Crossroads Village?

See how a little hospitality, right

from the start, really makes a difference?

Suggesting things to see and do

builds our own image...

and it creates

positive word-of-mouth endorsements...

the most inexpensive, yet most valuable

type of advertising there is.

Once again, you see our slogan:

"Flint:
Our new spark will surprise you."

Capturing a lot of enthusiasm.

Letting people know there are some

new and surprising things in the Flint area.

This is our visitors' log book.

I see West Germany here, Australia.

Jackie, what are some of the things

that visitors ask us?

First off, "Where is the bathroom?"

That's the question I get asked most.

Then, "What is there to do in Flint?"

The city had a hard time attracting

major conventions to the Hyatt.

It settled for groups like the Michigan

Ready Mix Concrete Association...

and the statewide organization

of Scrabble players.

On this last game,

I made a seven-letter word, "partier."

P- A-R-T-l-E-R.

So we looked in the Scrabble bible,

which is this dictionary...

and it isn't allowed there.

They allow "partied," P-A-R-T-l-E-D...

and "parties," P-A-R-T-l-E-S...

but no "partier."

So don't claim you are one ever.

Flint's leaders needed more tourists.

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