Nat Cap Club

Hi, I’m PackerBackerBob!

I like Bob, the guy who started this NatCapClub, because he understands guys like me. He knows I’m a good guy – I love my family, I don’t wanna hurt the earth or people or nothing.

Sure I know I do things that aren’t so good, but between my job and the kids and everything, I just can’t be bothered with changing things. Hey, just because I smoke doesn’t make me a bad guy. Christ all mighty, some of these Do-Gooders, they are telling me to get rid of my lawn mower and take shorter showers and stuff. They are outa their ever lov’in Frig’in minds! Bob, he’s big into all this stuff, but even he gives them a F’n Goofy award.

Bob, he’s got a job he don’t love either. It pays the bills, but it’s not doing nothing to help the environment or people. That is, when he has a job. And in this economy, man, is it tough.

About 15 years ago he was getting all bummed out about it, cause he was do’in all this volunteer work for Do-Gooder things. You know, so he’d feel like he was doing something good. But that took away from his fun time to party and rock climb and play beach volleyball. Read’n The Ecology of Commerce, he knew that everything he did was do’in bad stuff to the environment, and people, like with Sweat Shop labor. Jez, no wonder he partied so much back then.

So the lighbulb hits him, “Wouldn’t it be nice if the company he was work’in for, just by the way they did everything, was not mucking up the Earth, and not screwing over People?” Then he’d have more time off work to do fun stuff.

And that’s what this club is about. Oh, this ain’t a club like with membership and dues or nothing.

All of us, no matter how schmucky our jobs are, we’d feel better if the place we worked for was really do’in their best not to screw over people and da earth while they made money. That’s what he calls “The Do-Gooder Economy.” Sure, it’s gonna take time. But they gotta be always improv’in. Just like the AA slogan, “One Day at a Time.” Oh, and “Easy Does it.” I know all this because Bob used to work in a public alcholol detox, back just outa college.

Back to Do-Gooder’s. Bob stole that term from Mike Royko. Or was it Slats Globnick. Mike and Slats, they really understood us Regular Guys. They was smart too. But they used Do-Good-er in a negative way, to point out their faults. Like how they closed the flop houses on Van Buren street, but didn’t find new places for the bums to live.

Anyway, he explains it really simple. And where to go for more info. And he ain’t asking us to change. He just shows us how we can encourage other people to change. People like everybody you buy something from. Or your church, or where your kids go to school. Hey, they got a good reason to listen to you. Maybe even where you work. Just ask ‘em

“What are we do’in to become part of the Do-Gooder Economy?”

Man, he’s made tons of mistakes, more than anybody I know. But he’s kept his sense of humor, and has great ideas for how we can. And this whole site is a blog, so tell him whatcha think. He grew up 8 outa 10 kids, so he’s used to people disagreing with him.

And you can get together with others at NatCap Club MeetUp.com.
He’s outa work and has to spend some time job search’in, so this site may not be perfect. But he’s got an angle to help you if you too are out of work.

One last thing, he explains stuff about the only book he recommends for everybody

See ya later,

PackerBackerBob! (a Bears fan)

The origin of PackerBackerBob!

In the Fall of 2004, I went up to Milwaukee to do volunteer work for the John Kerry campaign. Pretty much every weekend. The Wisconsin Democratic party REFUSED to let anybody do any kind of people contact on Sundays. Seriously. You never want to risk interrupting a Packer game.

I came up with the strategy – Packer Backers for Kerry! As every good Cheesehead and many FIB’s know, Green Bay Packer fans call themselves Packer Backers. The Pack is their religion, the bar their church. (FIB = F’n Illinois Bastard)

The idea was a bunch of volunteers go to bars on Sunday’s and watch the game. With Kerry buttons and such on.

Two rules:

1. Do not preach to anyone in the bar.

2. Do not argue with drunks.

The Kerry staff started calling me “PackerBackerBob!” The name stuck. I embraced it, especially after Russ Feingold loved meeting me. It improved morale – everybody said it with a smile on their face.

Some people don’t understand it’s a marketing tool. Some of my Bear fan friends disapprove of it. And Packer friends too, because I’m not really a Packer fan. It all proves I love my country more than I love da Bears.

I’ve loved it. I’ve created business cards, had PackerBackerBob! Super Bowl parties for liberals. Used it when I hung out with Cindy Sheehan.

Chicago great columnist Mike Royko had his ‘friend’ Slats Globnick.

I have PackerBackerBob! A regular guy.