Watch the movie, Inside Job and the PBS Documentary the Ascent of Money.

What is your analysis of the cause of the Global Financial Meltdown and the resultant bailout of the large US Banks and Insurance Companies such as AIG? You can answer any of the additional questions. Was this simply a failure in regulation? What ethical missteps were taken to allow such a serious blow that affected so many people in the form of lost jobs and homes? Does the blame lie with the powerful few and intense competition in an unregulated environment or is it something fundamental about human nature that causes such things to happen from time to time? Discuss these questions or pose questions of your own that deal with the root causes of the financial crisis. What role does personal consumption and our propensity to over-consume play in this (and other) financial crises?