By Jessica Reed
James Scurlock's documentary 'Maxed Out' is -if perhaps briefly- available on Google video; if you are thinking about signing up for another credit card, you might change your mind after watching it.
The documentary, made in the vein of socially-liberal-leftist movies such as Supersize me or Moore's most recent effort Sicko, explains the incredible amount of debts the American middle class is currently facing, and how increasingly difficult it is for families to pay off dozens of credit bills. While bankruptcy used to be the only way out for many households, this last resort is made more difficult by a recent law signed by President Bush in 2005. (more...)
One of the most striking scene is one starring Harvard Law Professor Elisabeth Warren, who explains how she led a study on American debts only to find out that the average family is on theory not spending more than fifty years ago on entertainment or leisure; on the contrary, it is the coverage of basic needs (health insurance, cars, food, housing) which leads families to accumulate pending credit payments.
Maxed out also ties consumer debts to governmental debts (8,903,559,481072 US dollars as for today according to this website, enlighting the practice of 'surfing' (undertaking further debts to pay off overdue debts) enthusiastically used by the Reagan, Clinton and Bush administrations.
Related: Mefi debate on the movie, Britons face 'lifetime of debts' (BBC).
