Home Economics: How the Meltdown Affects All of Us

by David R.
(Portland, OR)

I want to direct a documentary about the individuals affected by the economic crisis. We know that many U.S. citizens believe the bank bailout was not in their best interests, but we have not seen much coverage of the individuals who have lost jobs or had their homes lose value. I would avoid the obvious narrative of consumers as victims suffering at the hands of evil banks. Many of us chose to take on debt that just didn't make sense, but factors contributed to that situation, including:

* Government incentives for howeownership, regardless of your credit

* Confusing debt agreements for credit cards, car loans, etc.

* Unfair lending practices like payday lending with rates above 25%

* Looser regulations that allowed banks to take risks with their depositors' funds

The documentary would use a mixture of anecdote and statistical analysis to explore these issues. One method for approaching the anecdotes might be to follow up with callers who have consulted respected consumer advocates like Clark Howard or Dave Ramsey.