Maxed Out

I just watched Maxed Out via Netflix's "Watch It Now" feature. Seeing that I love great documentaries, it was inevitable that I would enjoy this one. Especially since it merges my enthusiasm for documentaries with my passion for becoming debt free once again. I guess you could say that I once again have drank the Kool-Aid and shaved my head when it comes to Dave Ramsey and Financial Peace University. Anyway, I heard Dave talking about this on one of his radio broadcasts and had the chance to check it out this afternoon. Definitely Two Thumbs Up and a strong recommendation to all my friends and family.




Movie review: 'Maxed Out'
By Kevin Crust Chicago Tribune March 22, 2007


Creditors knocking at your door? Up to your eyeballs in credit card debt? Besieged by offers for even more credit cards despite your inability to keep up with the ones you already have? Wondering how this is even possible?


Filmmaker and author James Scurlock wants to tell you in the timely documentary "Maxed Out," a biting critique of the credit card industry. Drawing on the stories of individuals from across the country, Scurlock etches a bleak view of the state of personal debt while taking aim at the predatory strategies of lenders, the entrepreneurial enthusiasm of collection agencies and the cozy relationships between govern-%ment and major financial institutions.


Americans, if you haven't heard, are racking up personal debt in record numbers. Reportedly, the average family has more than $9,000 in credit card debt. It seems that it has become a staple of the evening news to rattle off statistics such as these as financial gurus like Suze Orman ply us with promises of money makeovers and admonish us to repent or else.


So while the premise of "Maxed Out" may not surprise, some of the details will. Scurlock connects the dots between major banks and their practices in targeting those most vulnerable--college students, the elderly, the previously bankrupted--and makes a compelling case that something needs to be done. Many stories depicted are tragic, and some are plain strange. For a film dealing with numbers, it's surprisingly nimble, balancing interviews with people who have been personally affected and financial experts, members of the finance industry and even a surprisingly sympathetic pawnbroker. Scurlock does well to counter the film's more dire aspects with a razor-sharp sense of humor.The most troubling facet of the world depicted in "Maxed Out" is that it's yet another avenue from which the nation's wealth flows from the poorest to the richest. It's easy to dismiss the problem as one of personal responsibility--especially if you're debt-free--but everyone should be worried about the two-tiered economic structure it fosters, one in which there is no room for a middle class.

No End In Sight

Kenny and I watched "No End In Sight" last night. We definitely have a greater understanding of how the situation in Iraq came to be. Sad indeed...

Random Thoughts

For the last week or so, I've had insomnia. A few times this week, I've taken a sleep pill to help out. Normally, one good night of sleep reboots my system and I'm back on track. But not this week. I'm sure it is stress/anxiety related. Note to self: up medication dosage. In the meantime, I figured that I'd better get back to my blogging and purge out some of the random thoughts that I've had over the last few weeks....

Thanksgiving has come and gone. I'm sure that I gained at least 2 pounds. Guess I'd better hit the gym a little harder this week. Anyway, I did reflect on the many blessings that are in my life throughout that day and the days since. I, like most, count my family, friends and health as a blessing and am extremely thankful to have each.

And with the passing of Thanksgiving comes the Christmas season. I could post on how consumer oriented it has become, and probably will do so in the near future. For now, I just want to vent my bitterness toward the Salvation Army for sending out those bell ringers 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. Now, I don't mean to sound bah-humbug....but Thanksgiving, the holiday, gets more and more lost every year. The one day that we can just count our blessings and be thankful is getting snuffed out between Halloween and Christmas. I just want a little separation. Can we please enjoy Thanksgiving without big business shoving their agenda down our throats? I'm all for supporting charity, but PLEASE....keep the bell ringers at bay until we've eaten our turkey! Is that so much to ask?!?

Ok....onto other things that are chapping my backside right now. Umm...I just watched "Sicko" and gave it 2 thumbs up. Very thought provoking and worth checking out. The part the chaps my backside is the greed of HMOs and the lack of dedication that our government has in the matter of taking care of the least of these in our country.

On another note, Kenny and I are shopping for a house. We actually put a bid in this evening on a house in our neighborhood. It's a foreclosed house...bank owned...and about $35k under market value. For that price, we're willing to sacrifice the big yard and spend 2 years living in it. After 2 years, we'll see about selling it along with the Reno house and then buying something a little more suitable...mostly, something with a larger yard. Well, I guess I shouldn't get too ahead of myself. The bank has to accept our offer first. If they do, I'll post progress pictures on the house. Right now, it needs a major clean job and new carpets. We'll probably add new counter tops in the kitchen as well. But like I said, I need not put the carriage before the horse.

I guess that's it for now. Just sitting here bored and AWAKE. I think I'll add some more songs to my myspace play list/jukebox. Either that, or maybe I'll go rearrange the pots and pans in the kitchen cabinets. Good Lord...please let me get drowsy soon!

Pushing the Limits

After attending last night's church service, we decided to stick around for the pot luck. I thought for sure that after consuming what I put on my plate that I would experience my first "treatment". However, so far I've been safe. Not that what I ate was all that bad. I ate mostly meats and cheeses since I'm trying this no-carbs-during-the-last-meal recommendation from my friend Fred. (On that note...Freddy: this is killing me. You do remember where we grew up? Home of great mexican food, including your mamma's tortillas?) But the meats were kinda fatty and the cheeses were, duh...fatty. And of course I couldn't pass the brownies without snagging a couple of small squares.....yes, they are my downfall. Anyway, so far...so good. No "treatments" or anything unusual. I've eased into this program and hopefully will see some results within the next couple of months. I've got to believe that eventually, my body will kick in and start to shed those extra pounds that are stubbornly holding residence around my mid-section.

On another note, I just finished watching a great documentary on Wal-Mart. It is titled, "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price". The film outlines many areas of Wal-Mart's business practices ranging from the 1.5 billion dollars it costs taxpayers because the most profitable retail business in the world is too cheap to offer its employees affordable health coverage...to their lack of concern for their patrons safety while in their parking lots. (Local case in point added 08/27 here .)

It also looks into the corporations intimidation tactics used to assure that potential labor unions never gain traction with their associates. Heaven forbid that their employees have labor representation which might get them a decent wage and benefit package.

Environmental issues, sex discrimination, oversea factory working environments, tax subsidies....even the generosity (or lack thereof) of the Walton family comes under scrutiny in this film.

After watching this film, I just don't know how I will ever be able to spend another dollar in one of their stores. Every time I give them a single cent, I am sending the message that the way they practice business and the way that they treat people all over the world is ok with me. I know that one family won't put a dent in their bottom line, but the lesson that I can teach my children about characteristics like generosity, accountability, truthfulness and integrity will be worth the sacrifice that will need to be made for us financially. I just wish that everyone who supports this company by shopping there would watch this film as well.

Street Fight

I remember seeing Cory Booker, current Mayor of Newark, NJ on Oprah a few months ago. I was immediately impressed with him when he admitted to living in Brick Towers, a public housing project in Newark's Central Ward. I thought, "What did he just say? He's the Mayor and he lives in the projects?!?"

He said that he lived in Brick Towers so that he could understand the struggles that his constituents faced on a daily basis. WOW, talk about putting your money where your mouth is!

Rewind to 2002. Ivy league graduate & Rhodes Scholar, Cory Booker, attempts to topple Sharpe James for the right to be Newark's next Mayor. No easy task considering that James has claimed that title for the last 16 years.

This film documents the battle that ensues between the two camps. Booker is a newcomer with a passion for change and determination that will not cease. Sharpe has veteran status and political muscle. He also has the ability and willingness to deploy tactics that I believed to only occur in Communistic societies. To say that I was floored by Sharpe's political manhandling would be an understatement. Several times throughout the film, I murmured to myself, "This is America! How can that happen?"

I enjoyed this film tremendously, not for entertainment value, but because it gives me hope that there are still politicians out there with passion, integrity and a sense of duty to the people. So often in the past, I have associated the word "politician" with the likes of, "snake, crook, puppet, liar, dirtbag, out of touch, for purchase." When going to the polls, I have often voted for the lesser of two evils and then departed with a hopeless feeling.

Knowing that there are Cory Bookers and Barack Obamas out there injects in me a hope for our country. We need more politicians with their passion, their willingness to change the status quo and their determination to truly represent what the people of this country desperately need.