Jim's Go or Don't Go- "I.O.U.S.A." & "Maxed Out"

One thing for sure, I.O.U.S.A. will never be described as "The Feel Good Hit of the Summer." If you're looking for a little escapism to get your mind off of current events, this is not the film for you. But if you are concerned about your country and its financial future, I highy recommend this movie.

I.O.U.S.A. is a 2008 documentary that does an excellent job of laying out the current financial state of our nation. Don't worry, this is not a political partisan rant against those big-spending Democrats, or mean-spirited Republicans. The film rightly lays the responsibility at the feet of all of us. Through clever graphics and simple, common sense language, I.O.U.S.A. explains our national debt in light of our the United States' present and future finacial obligations.

Let me just say this - it's quite a wake-up call. This is not an absract concept - it's a matter of national security and the future of our country. The scary thing about this movie is, it was made before all of the recent handouts - er, I mean "bailouts" of the last six months. So while you're watching this film, just tack on several trillion dollars to all of the numbers that they mention.

My only complaint is that the film is short on solutions. Simply saying, in essence, that "we are Americans and we'll get through this/figure something out" is not enough. Unfortunately, recent actions by our so-called leaders in Washington are not inspiring confidence in me that they have a clue, or, if they do understand the problem, that they are courageous enough to do anything about it. In fact, we seem to be making the situation worse. But that's a whole other post.

I say "Go."
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In a similar category, 2006's 'Maxed Out' examines the consumer credit crisis. This wry documentary parades a seemingly endless group of "victims" of the evil credit card companies. Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of banks that try to get college kids with no credit history to sign up for credtit cards with loan shark-like interest rates. However, I doubt that most people that are drowning in credit card debt got there by making responsible, absolutely necessary purchases. We have been living in a buy-it-now, pay-for-it later culture for the past 30 years, as the bill is finally coming due.

The real problem that I had with this movie was its recommended solutions. The film maker seems to believe that more people should simply be able to declare bankruptcy. Somehow this will make everyone's problems disappear. Let's remember - these debts represent actual goods and services that were provided by real people and businesses. So, are they not entitled to get paid for these? Apparently, in the eyes of Maxed Out, no. It's one thing for someone's debt to be forgiven, but someone always has to pay the price for that debt. That's just the way the universe works.

The film is rightly critical of our federal government's financial malfescence. However, on one hand, the film chastises the government for spending money that it doesn't have, but on the other hand supports "free" healthcare for everyone. At several points in the film, it virtually argues for flat out communism. As I seem to remember, that whole communism thing never really panned out.

Never make the mistake of thinking that any documentary is impartial. The film maker always has an agenda. Maxed out is no exception. This movie was a missed opportunity to address the credit crisis in a responsible way. Instead, it shamelessly plays the victim card and repeatedly uses class warfare to make its case for bigger government. I say "Don't Go."