Diagonaldi Very well executed

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

wayno-6 I.O.U.S.A. (the DVD - released on April 7, 2009) This PBS Documentary, discusses the four areas of deficit facing the U.S.1. The Deficit of the Budget 2. The Deficit of Trade 3. The Deficit of Saving 4. The Deficit of Leadership It well documents how we got into this mess, and very succinctly, states what every one already knows: "There is NO free lunch!" A must see for any Taxpayer.It aptly discusses the crises of leadership provided during the Bush administration, and the doubling of the national debt.Can we afford to mortgage future generations? Can we afford to mortgage our own? Very scary. Reuters said it best: "May be to the U.S. economy what 'An Inconvenient Truth' was to the environment."Rated 5 stars.

jdesando "Ask the economists. I think I only got a B-minus in economics. But I got an A-plus in cutting taxes." George W. Bush Although it's easy to bash Bush on the deplorable state of the American economy, Director Robert Creadon's horror documentary, I.O.U.S.A., ascribes the problem to practically every breathing legislator and greedy consumer, all of whom abetted the credit crisis by allowing or encouraging or simply taking advantage of the buy now, pay later syndrome that left the country vulnerable to mortgages they couldn't pay and credit card balances that crush.In their heroic effort to encourage debate about the financial state of the country, US Comptroller General David Walker and Concord Coalition head Bob Bixby have been traveling the country before the election in a "Fiscal Wake-Up Call" for the electorate to stir debate about the crisis. This well-documented doc highlights the testimony of Fed chairman Paul Volcker, billionaire Warren Buffett, and former secretaries of the treasury Robert Rubin and Paul O'Neill, all of whom agree on how the United States accrued $10 trillion in national debt. The doc inevitably will be compared with Al Gore's prize-winning Inconvenient Truth, and rightfully so, because while Gore's is simple in its illustration of future climate challenge, I.O.U.S.A. is complex, almost wonky, in its details about the lethal connections that brought us to the brink.If you believe we can continue to spend what we don't have and reduce the taxes of those who have, then this is not the documentary for you. To its credit, the film hears from all sides of the political stakeholders with nary a dissent about the problem. In Gore's case, some important scientists still disagree about the severity of global warming; in Creadon's case, no one disagrees about the fiscal cancer.Insights abound in this overflowing screed such as the warning about a future where there will not be enough wage earners to sustain Medicare and Social Security. The film emphasizes the catastrophic cost of Medicare, exacerbated 40% by the addition of a prescription drug plan that dwarfs the impact of the Iraq War and earmark excess. While Walker and Bixby do their best to be balanced in their reactions to such a choker, they rightfully cannot repress their awe of the ignorance that committed us and our grandchildren to debt for decades."A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing." Alexander Hamilton

Flash-349846 The subject of estimated unfunded liabilities of the Federal Government did not originally come from David M. Walker, the former head of the GAO. Dr. Lawrence J. Kotlikoff and Scott Burns wrote a book on this subject much earlier (Lawrence J. Kotlikoff and Scott Burns, "The Coming Generational Storm, What You Need to Know about America's Economic Future," MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2004).In this book, Dr. Kotlikoff also states that in 2002 Paul O'Neill, George W. Bush's first Secretary of the Treasury, had asked Dr. Kent Smetters to use generational accounting to estimate the unfunded liabilities of the U.S. Government in the future, which was then done with a Dr. Gokhale. The report had been included the 2004 Budget. However, when the White House (i.e. Bush, Cheney, and their cohorts) found out about this, they removed the study from the 2004 Budge and fired Sec. O'Neill.The publicity that David M. Walker has been getting for himself by talking about this very serious problem has helped bring it to the light of the TV talking heads and the makers of this movie, but Drs. Kotlikoff, Smetters, Gokhale, and others are not getting the credit that they deserve, which I consider a serious injustice. If this were being conducted in peer reviewed journals, it might be considered to be on the verge of professional misconduct.If I were an adviser for Barak Obama (which I am not) or John McCain (which I am not), I would recommend Drs. Kotlikoff and O'Neill to be senior Economic Advisors to the President and/or Secretary of Treasury or both. Everyone that wants to know more should read Kotlikoff's book or its most recent update (if there is one)

folsominc2 I.O.U.S.A.This is a very fatalistic and realistic film about where our nation's financial security stands.This is also a very deliberate ploy, no matter how many references to "non-partisan" they are proclaiming, to promote the Democratic Party in the next presidential election.Like all films or media or crooked politicians, they are slanting the facts in to promote their own way of thinking and in this case, a way that will leave the American people to believe that the only salvation they will have are to vote a Democratic president into office. In other words, it is an Obama commercial.Everything they said is perfectly true from the financial debt in the beginning of our country to the mess we have now and the reliance our financial security stands on a Communistic and non-democratic government, China. And don't forget the other real threat that if our financial debt fell into a worst regime such as a forceful Middle Eastern country.However, what are some of the truths that they are not presenting? The issue that our political leaders, Republican AND Democrat, are usually bought with "campaign funds" – in other words bribes – to sell out the American people. From foreign countries who do not want to pay heavy tariffs for importing junk into our country; to credit card companies and banks and financial institutions that are allowed to hike up the APRs on "fixed" and "adjustable" interest rates which increases bankruptcy and foreclosures on the middle and poor class citizens; to the health care fields who have little or no regulations on increasing the cost of necessary medicines; to giving citizen rights and health care to illegal aliens who broke the first law of our land in illegal entry to our country; to give the ACLU carte blanche to control and restrain our freedom of speech laws and if they win or lose, they get paid either way! Other truths they are deliberately not referring to is the fact that Clinton and his administration – and wife – seemed to have pocketed quite a bit of funds for themselves. Where did the money go when Clinton pardoned at least 140 criminals – and millionaire traitors to our country – in the last two days of his office? Who benefited from renting the White House like a hotel to enemies of democracy? Why wasn't the threats to the World Trade Center stopped with the first bombing? What about the increase threats to the Freedom of Speech that we are battling today with "hate" crime laws and lowering the age of consensual sexual acts? Bush has not been an angel. He has no idea how it feels to be poor making less than the average wage, no benefits and having to live in Affordable Housing by force. He gives tax breaks to those making $40,000.00 and up when the middle and poor need this much more, incentive bonuses to those who have made certain amounts of money, and much more.Nevertheless, these are just a few of the problems that are the base of the country's problems that have caused us this tremendous financial burden. Once a country and the country's leaders – both Republican and Democratic – are willing to sell out their own people for a few more measly dollars, it is no wonder that our debt to the world is more crucial than our debt to ourselves.During the live broadcast aired on Thursday, August 21 with such distinguished speakers as Warren Buffet and David Walker, it was very unclear on how the average American citizen could influence this issue and maximum spending.The representatives stated that we should take care of our health, save money and vote to elect the correct officials that will listen to our needs and causes.However, until they eliminate the possibility of "campaign funds," lobbyist for large companies that get little or no regulations, take away special governmental perks like free traveling expenses, voting in pay raises, and working multiple consecutive terms for the politicians – then we might get in some really honest men and women of all nationalities and creeds who will care about doing their job and remember their sworn oath and not care about acquiring all the freebees.Remember a little known president called Harry S Truman? What is one of the personal idiosyncrasies he is well known for spurning? Franking. He refused his rights in this area and used regular postage stamps as any American citizen.Until there are more like him or people of like minds to not fleece the common man, America will continue to go more and more into a financial decline jeopardizing not only our children's future but our own.