Review: _Capitalism: A Love Story:_ Welcome to the new America

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I like watching Michael Moore's films. He's intense, honest, and while he does get out into the weeds at time, he doesn't hold anything back either. And in this new world we live in, where money is everything, and the vanishing of the middle class, it's a pretty good idea to sit up and take notice. Because we may not have a choice in the future. Think I'm being paranoid? Or imagining things? Moore starts out his film looking at just what is Capitalism. It's in a nutshell, the idea that money is put into a company by an investor, or group of investors, and that they have the right to decide who gets to have so much pay or profit. Namely, it's all about money. But now, we live in a country where the top one percent, the CEO's, bankers and shareholders are making money hand over fist, but if you're a worker, you can lose your job in an instant, with nothing. Worse still, with the massive amount of propaganda out there, you really can't imagine that anything get any better. Now, are you ready for the Big Lie? Here it is, and virtually every American believes it: If you work really, really hard, you too can get a piece of the pie and get to be fat cat too. That's a load of bull. In the meantime, it is perfectly legal for a bank to offer you a refinancing deal to use your home as equity, and when you can't pay any more, they'll seize your property. And you will be homeless. Moore shows us several families who have fallen into this trap and the wreckage left behind. Even more outrage follows: Right before the election of Barack Obama as president, Congress was bullied into agreeing to a bailout of the financial markets, to the tune of 700 billion bucks, exploding the national deficit. Thing was, the banks didn't -need- the money -- it was all a big scheme. Goldman Sachs, the big winner in this fraud, used most of the money to hand out bonuses and other goodies to its managers and board of directors. And this is just a fraction of the horror, and it's not going to get any better from as I see it. Our current head of state, as I refer to as OFL (Our Fearless Leader), is moving to push through legislation to remove banking resolutions, bring back the predatory lending practices, and keep removing rights for the working class. But the most insulting thing that I saw in this film was the practice of insuring a worker's life by an employer. This is known as a "Dead Peasant" policy. Go back, read that again. This is how the company that you work for sees you as. A peasant. One story that Moore tells is that of a young woman who died from a sudden illness. Walmart, the company that she worked for, received over 80,000 $US, and her family, well, they didn't see a dime. They were left with over 100,000 $US in medical and funeral expenses. Want to know how much you are worth as dead meat to your employer? Go to deadpeasant.biz Also, I discovered a new word today. Plutonomy. It's a government by and for the wealthy, namely that one percent that most of Wall Street and Congress are a part of. Go on, look it up. I was shaking with rage by the end of this. I wager that you will be too. I suggest that you take a long hard look at this one, check on the facts, especially as to how your Congressman and Senator vote, and start educating yourself about money and debt. You might not agree with everything that Moore says, but I bet that there will be an opinion or two that you will agree with strongly. Mobilize. Vote. Protest. Remember, we still have that right to vote and use it come this November. We can send a message that is loud and clear to Congress and our local government that we are not going to be used any more. Check out more of Michael Moore's views on this crazy world with _Bowling for Columbine,_ and especially _Sicko._