*Update: We’re Not Broke is now available on Netflix!
Back in August, New York City had it’s annual “Summer Streets” event, where I was on hand from Midtown East to write about the whole experience.
It was also at this time that I met Karin, who was somewhat struggling while on her roller blades. She was with her cousin Kameryn, and they lined up behind me at the free bike helmet line.
As the wait grew longer, we all ended up conversing, and I found out something really interesting about Karin’s line of work. She is an independent film maker, who at that point had just finished working on a new documentary.
Karin, of course, (if you’ve read the previous piece) is Karin Hayes, who produced and directed the documentary “We’re Not Broke.”
The film, which was recently made available for free streaming on Hulu.com, is “an exposé on how the government has allowed corporations to avoid paying taxes, and the growing wave of discontent that has fostered (among Americans).” The message of the film directly assaults any false assertions that our government has made in regards to us not having “enough money,” and just how broke Uncle Sam is. The truth is that the money is not only misspent, but a lot of where it goes is a mystery, and the film dissects the facts and figures for you, the American public.
For instance, to quote the film – “since 1961, the total percentage of US Federal Income Tax collected has been cut in half.”
And some of the biggest US multinationals have been tax-dodging shamelessly, such as Bank of America, Chevron and CitiGroup.
And then there’s General Electric, who is also responsible for some of the biggest defense contracts in the world. For instance, they were huge players with the war in Iraq.
Truth be told, the movie was quite ballsy, with moments of total genius by protesters. We’re Not Broke highlights some of the most intriguing, and disturbing facts with how corruption in America is really a game among elites, while the middle class and whoever is below gets to pay the price.
It’s all here – a basic explanation of how the George Bush-led right wing agenda gave the country headaches with budget deficits from two faux wars, after President Clinton left us in 2002 with a US Budget Surplus of $236.4 Billion in normal dollars.
You want to understand how the right came up with the incredibly idiotic problem of having to face a “Fiscal Cliff?” How even President Obama made the huge mistake of hiring GE CEO Jeff Immelt to his council on Jobs and Competitiveness, only to see the NY Times report (two months after Immelt’s nomination) that GE did not pay a single dollar in taxes after earning $5.1 Billion in US profits?
Watch the film.
Written, produced and directed by Karin and Victoria Bruce, the film has been nominated for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. They have been doing screenings in 2012, and have been working hard to spread the word in hopes of awakening a response from the public. It is a noble effort, and the momentum grows stronger every day.
We’re Not Broke is now one of the most popular documentaries on Hulu. You can watch it below, or on Hulu by clicking here.
