- Life on the Edge of a Bubble is a heart pounding amusement ride though the never-ending sequence of intoxicating manias and inflationary bubbles culminating in devastating panics and crashes since the inception of the great American experiment. Although we rarely consider our financial system an experiment, changes in the montary games we have played undermine the integrity of the political system
- Financial Crisis. Panic. Bailout. The current crisis appeared to materialize out of nowhere. Even regulators and financial authorities would have us believe that they were taken entirely by surprise. Dire headlines demanded quick action to prevent the collapse of the financial system. Politicians told us that we have to bail out Wall Street to keep Main Street afloat. As many of us lose our savings, our jobs and our homes, they tell us that we have to swallow hard and make sacrifices for the good of the country. The same political class tries to convince everyday Americans that the reasons for the bailout are too complicated for us to understand, so we must leave the solutions to the financial experts . . . the same ones that didn't see this coming. At the same time, they give our hard-earned money to Wall Street fat cats, without any strings attached, turning a deaf ear to our intense and vocal opposition. They saddle us and our children with an alarming debt burden as they expect us to passively allow the greatest transfer of wealth in American history.
- Almost every 20 years since our nation's inception, each generation finds itself living on the edge of a bubble. Rising prices of real estate, stock, bonds, and commodities lure us to borrow our way to prosperity. However, our current crisis is not unique. Ride along as we uncover the real invisible hand operating this roller coaster, tempting us with hope as we climb the ladder of the American Dream, seemingly placed within our grasp, only to plunge helplessly as we watch it disappear beneath tidal waves of toxic debt. Is there hope that we can end this perpetual cycle, and in doing so secure the blessings of liberty and the promotion of the general welfare for everyone?
- Life On The Edge of A Bubble challenges the prevailing view of the sudden, unforeseeable and unique nature of the crisis by bringing to light the unfamiliar historical pattern; in fact, each generation has found itself precariously perched on the edge of a bubble. While the media focuses on symptoms, this film addresses the root causes that politicians, lobbyists and corporate executives conveniently avoid. The pattern unfolds for the viewer in an entertaining and accessible blend of archival footage, historical vignettes, and snapshots of current events, revealing the story in a sometimes irreverent, often surprising manner.
- Run time: approximately 102 minutes plus bonus material
