Now and then I step outside the lines. So, the post today is not about Reverse Mortgages, and our individual solutions to securing our lives in these ever-changing and uncertain times. It's a look at the much bigger picture of where our country is.
And, as this is an election year and we have to choose who can lead us in the right direction it seemed to me that this was an entirely appropriate post for this site.
The new movie I.O.U.S.A. is a particularly brave look at what can happen in our future, and some ideas of what we, as Americans, need to be aware of and to do. As I scanned the internet about this movie, I came across one site that had a compliation of the movie, interviews with knowledgeable sources and clear understandable videos.
So in the interest of opening our eyes, I have posted the items below. I think you might be as overwhelmed and facinated as I was, and will think creatively about what we can do to make things better.
Gloria
I.O.U.S.A. It's A BIG Budget Movie!
Wake up, America! We’re on the brink of a financial meltdown.
I.O.U.S.A. boldly examines the rapidly growing national debt and its consequences for the 
United States and its citizens. As the Baby Boomer generation prepares to retire, will there even be any Social Security benefits left to collect?
Burdened with an ever-expanding government and military, increased international competition, overextended entitlement programs, and debts to foreign countries that are becoming impossible to honor, America must mend its spendthrift ways or face an economic disaster of epic proportions.
Throughout history, the American government has found it nearly impossible to spend only what has been raised through taxes. Wielding candid interviews with both average American taxpayers and government officials, Sundance veteran Patrick Creadon (Wordplay) helps demystify the nation’s financial practices and policies.
The film follows U.S. Comptroller General David Walker as he crisscrosses the country explaining America’s unsustainable fiscal policies to its citizens.
With surgical precision, Creadon interweaves archival footage and economic data to paint a vivid
and alarming profile of America’s current economic situation. The ultimate power of I.O.U.S.A. is that the film moves beyond doomsday rhetoric to proffer potential financial scenarios and propose solutions about how we can recreate a fiscally sound nation for future generations.
Pointedly topical and consummately nonpartisan, I.O.U.S.A. drives home the message that the only time for America’s financial future is now!
Recent I.O.U.S.A. News:
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Dangerously in Debt? Former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker speaks out on the perils of the rising federal deficit in the new film "I.O.U.S.A."
I.O.U.S.A.Glenn Beck and David Walker talking about how America's national debt is out of control and if we don't do something soon we'll all be paying the price.
Fiscal woes hit the big screen Lou Dobbs speaks to the makers of I.O.U.S.A., a documentary that warns of the consequences of the U.S. economic crisis.
Filmmaker: Debt to hit $53TYou think it's easy to get a documentary film shown at the Democratic and Republican national conventions? It isn't, according to Stratham native Addison Wiggin, executive producer and co-writer of the film "I.O.U.S.A.,"
Documentary on DebtAddison Wiggin, I.O.U.S.A. executive producer and co-writer, discusses the document
ary and how they translated a difficult concept into film.
Movie paints picture of catastrophic futurePremiering Thursday at 358 theaters nationwide, "I.O.U.S.A." is part of Peterson's campaign to give the ballooning debt a central role in the presidential campaign.
Indebted Ever AfterScared by National Deficit? You Should Be, Filmmakers Say.
A private-equity billionaire, a former federal government official and a Baltimore newsletter editor have made a documentary film that they hope can do what an endless parade of policy papers has not...
Bill Meyer of KMED (1440 AM) interviews Addison Wiggin, executive producer of I.O.U.S.A., about the massive buzz surrounding the movie and the Aug. 21 one time event.
Listen Now >>
Blackstone's Peterson Backs Film on U.S. Debt Through Nonprofit Blackstone Group LP co-founder Peter G. Peterson celebrated the launch of his $1 billion foundation last night by showing off his latest acquisition: a documentary that examines the perils of the U.S.'s debt.
Spending $1 Billion to Restore Fiscal SanityPeter G. Peterson, co-founder of the Blackstone Group, will finance a media blitz to get the public to focus on what he considers the real news of the day: the nation is going broke. 
An Inconvenient Debt: Baltimore company's documentary 'I.O.U.S.A.' delivers plain talk about the shaky status of the U.S. economy.I.O.U.S.A., a documentary screened three times at the 10th annual Maryland Film Festival, uses every tool available to drum home its message that deficit spending is bad, that a country built on it is heading for nowhere but trouble.
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Problem banks: What you need to know
The FDIC is keeping close tabs on 117 banks. Here are answers to common questions about how the agency IDs troubled banks.
By Tami Luhby, CNNMoney.com senior writer
Last Updated: August 26, 2008: 3:47 PM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- With the number of troubled banks on the rise, many Americans are wondering whether their bank is safe.
The bottom line: the vast majority of banks are in good shape, and when banks do fail, customers rarely lose money because most deposits are insured. (Read more about FDIC insurance.)
But the troubles facing the banking industry raise questions about how regulators identify troublesome banks - what the FDIC calls its "problem list."
According to data released on Tuesday, the list included 117 banks in the second quarter, up from 90 at the end of March. The number has been increasing since the third quarter of 2006, when it hit a historic low of 47. Assets at the problem institutions totaled $78.3 billion in the second quarter, up from $26.3 billion.
What is the problem list?
Problem banks have serious deficiencies in their finances, operations or management that threaten their continued viability. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. publishes the number of banks in this condition in its Quarterly Banking Profile report.
The agency doesn't reveal the banks' names, but it does give the total assets of these institutions.
How does a bank get on the list?
Each bank in the country is examined at least every 12 to 18 months. Regulators rate the banks on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the best. Factors that go into the ratings include: management controls, earnings, quality of assets, capital levels (which cushion against loan losses) and liquidity (which allows banks to meet their obligations, such as withdrawals by depositors).
Examiners are looking for problems such as an abundance of delinquent loans without sufficient reserves to cover the losses, weak risk management policies or a lack of cash to cover withdrawals.
Regulators then give the banks a report card, assigning a composite rating based on the bank's performance in each category. Those that receive a rating of 4 or 5 are put on the list.
What happens to a bank when it's on the list?
The bank's executives see a lot of regulators during this time. Bank officials are told what steps they have to take to shore up their business."The management of the bank has to address the problems that got them into the penalty box in the first place," said Christopher Whalen, managing director of Institutional Risk Analytics.
If the bank can't correct the problems, it either sells itself to another institution or it is taken over by the FDIC.
How many banks on the list actually fail?
Only 13% on average. So far this year, nine banks with a total of $40 billion in assets ($32 billion of which were at IndyMac) have failed - a far cry from the turbulent times of the savings and loan crisis of the early 1990s, when more than a thousand institutions shut down.
Why is the list not made public?
Since most banks on the list don't fail, the agency wants to prevent making things worse by scaring customers, vendors and other players in the financial system while regulators are working with a problem bank.
"Regulators can give banks frank evaluations of their condition without threatening their stability," said Chip MacDonald, partner in the capital markets group at Jones Day, a law firm.
Should consumers be concerned?
Considering there are about 8,500 banks in the United States, the number of problem banks is not that large, said L. William Seidman, a former FDIC chairman. During the S&L crisis in the late 1980s and early 1990s, about 1,500 banks were on the problem list.
"Just because a bank is on the list doesn't mean it's going to fail," Seidman said. "If customers have deposits of under $100,000, they don't have to worry. They will get their money."
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