Two New DVD's Shed Light On Predatory Lending Practices

Two recent DVD's bring to light some of the seamier aspects of the debt addiction Americans find themselves caught up in.

James D. Scurlock's "Maxed Out" examines the credit card culture Americans have fallen prey to and some of the scurrilous practices by those that lend. It's a kind of tragi-comedy, as the subject and its participants are very real, the characters are exceedingly interesting. As a side note, Spurlock almost maxed out his own credit cards in the making of this film. This film has won awards and notice from the Wall Street Journal. Give it a look.

The other DVD is Danny Schechter's "In Debt We Trust". Schechter is an Emmy-winning journalist who drew his inspiration for this film from the current book "Credit Card Nation" by Robert Manning, and he has created a sobering view of how Americans are affected by this debt explosion. Schechter points fingers at the Bush administration (who doesn't these days) and spends some time on the particularly odious practice of "payday loans", especially as to how they are actively pursuing military bases and their families.

Having these two important films come out relatively close to one another, both addressing a similar theme, only serves to underscore the reality of the problem we face as a nation groaning under a massive debt load. Hopefully they will get wide enough play to open some more eyes to the problem.