I finally watched “Inside Job”, the documentary about the financial crisis, directed by Charles Ferguson. Well, it really has the wheels in my brain turning.
I have to admit, I have never been interested in the goings-on of Wall Street. The jumble of letters and numbers on the stock ticker mean absolutely nothing to me. When my husband watches CNBC, I leave the room, because to me, they are all speaking (yelling), Greek. And when they aren’t yelling, it’s a giant snooze fest. And when my husband tries to discuss trading with me, my eyes glaze over and I start writing my grocery list in my head. Really, I try to pay attention, but math and I have always had a rocky relationship (he says I never pay attention to him).
Another thing I've never given enough attention is politics. First of all, I am not big on debating or making decisions (I’m a Libra). Second, I’ve always had this idea that politicians are lying, cheating scoundrels (they haven’t done much to prove me wrong), and that my vote doesn’t make much of a difference anyway. And how can you truly know who and what you’re voting for? Everyone is lying and paying each other off and sneaking special interest earmarks into bills presented to the voters.
Well, Charles Ferguson took these two things that I generally ignore, and shoved them in my face. But that’s a good thing. Apathy on the part of the public is one thing that contributed to the mess we’re in.
Now that I have a child, and a mortgage, and a business, and retirement to think about, and the economy is in the toilet, I’m a little more concerned about what Washington and Wall Street are doing. Ok, A LOT more concerned, especially about what they are doing for each other. I have to be concerned, and this documentary has shown me some of the reasons why.
I don’t want to give away the movie. I just want you to watch it. Listen to the interviews. Hear what is and isn’t being said. Find out about the connections between the government and Wall Street. Find out about who and what contributed to the financial meltdown. Find out what’s happened to our money, our jobs, and our country.
Now, I know you can’t believe everything you hear or see. A documentary is still a film meant to influence the viewer, but this isn't a Michael Moore film. (I don't have anything against the guy but he tries really hard to make you see things his way)
And maybe some of you don’t care. For the longest time, I didn’t.
Maybe you feel like you don’t understand the numbers. I don’t. But I’ll tell you about some numbers we can all understand. Unemployment is at 9%. Banks repossessed more than 1 million homes in 2010 (according to RealtyTrac).Total U.S. household debt was at 13.4 trillion in 2010 (WSJ.com).
Maybe you’re just busy trying to survive. And that’s what the good ole boys are depending on. They think they can get away with things as long as we’re preoccupied and not paying attention. We need to show them that we aren’t stupid and we don’t want to be taken advantage of, and they all need to be held responsible for their actions, not ‘bailed out’. We need to demand tighter regulation of Wall Street, corporate tax reform, campaign finance reform, all kinds of reform!
Puff, Puff. Ok, now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I’ll quietly step off my soapbox. I don’t mean to be another person trying to shove their opinions down your throat. I just ask that you to watch the movie, and think about it. And maybe tell the boys in Washington to stop texting inappropriate photos of themselves, and clean up the mess they and their buddies in banking made of our economy.
And if you are interested in hearing more from someone who cares and actually understands the goings-on of Washington and Wall Street, please check out Dylan Ratigan’s website.
No comments:
Post a Comment