It is, perhaps, the greatest documentary I have ever seen.  It's from 2006, but I just saw it for the first time last night on ShowTime.  You really have to watch this movie - everyone should see this movie.  If you don't have ShowTime, its available on DVD.

Maxed Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders, by James Scurlock, provides an excellent perspective on what consumer debt is doing to America.  The government's solution to our economic problems has been to encourage its citizens to keep spending to spur the economy.  While cheap, easy credit has kept our economy growing, those days are coming to a close.  Americans cannot afford to continue to prop up the economy at the expense of the individual; they are maxed out. 

Credit card companies love to give credit to those who can only afford to make minimum payments.... most of the time.  The occasional late payment adds late fees, over the limit fees, and jacks up the interest rate to the maximum allowed by law.  Those people will continue to pay the credit card companies for the rest of their lives.

Maxed Out is sometimes humorous and sometimes... disheartening.  You will be surprised by some of the stories that are shared.  The attitudes of those who prey on society will, or at least should, shock you.  And... the government's attitude - Keep on spending! 

Rather than try to write a review of the movie - I thought it would be better to let you see a bit for yourself.  Check out the trailer.

Here is a segment from NightLine featureing James Scurlock and Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard Law professor and one of the leading experts on bankruptcy in the United States.

And... finally, a bit of the humor from Maxed Out. Although you should be warned that there is some fowl language in this clip.

Watch the clips... then try to find the movie. It is definitely worth watching.

 Robert A. Franco
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