Film review:

It does not take a financial genius to see that the United States of America is in deep financial trouble. It does however take a financial genius to make sense of it all. Inequality For All, a documentary made in 2013, explores the economic inequality in the United States of America and how it is prevented the recovery of the U.S. economy. Heading this examination is Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton. In this documentary, Reich examines the cause of the economic downturn of 2007-2008, how it paralleled the Stock Market Crash of 1929, and how the 400 richest Americans hold more spending wealth than 150 million Americans combined. Through the use of graphs, figures, and certifiable sources, Reich paints a grim picture. According to him, the economic growth in this country has been unprecedented. However, while GDP has gone up, the average yearly wage of middle class Americans has steadily gone down since 1978. Reich points out that Americans have been able to cope with it up until this point, but they are now running out of options. While he admits in the film that the Clinton administration could have done more to help the economy in the 1990s, there simply was not enough political willpower to do so. As the film plays out he has several suggestions to help fix the problems of the economy. The first suggestion he has is to raise the minimum wage o where people will not have to live paycheck-to-paycheck anymore. 

    Next, he suggests allowing workers to have bargaining rights with their employers. According to him, the reason why companies are able to cut back on employee benefits and pay is because workers do not have any real voice to object. 

    Finally, he suggests raising the tax rate for the wealthiest of Americans to the rate that is was during the greatest economic booms, around 95%. For the most part, this was a well thought-out and interesting documentary. It brought to light many issues that this country is currently facing, as well as forced the audience to view the ones they already knew in a new light. 

    Some may argue that Reich’s ideas for economic reform border on Socialist. However, as the film points out, the highest point of America’s economic prosperity (the 1950s) saw the rich paying taxes at a 95% tax rate. That tax rate was under the Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was a Republican. Indeed, Reich states that one of the main problems in this country as it stands is a lack of bipartisan communication. He states that this is perhaps a side effect of the weak economy. 

    According to the research the documentary presented, partisanship between political parties increases as income inequality increases. However, Reich is not saying that income inequality is bad per se. He says that in a capitalist country it is bound to happen, and that it is a good thing, or there would be no upward momentum and no incentive to work hard. 

    While his arguments were sound and interesting, there were a few things that could have been clearer. For instance, while he his ideas were good, he did not give any indication or suggestion for what the common American is supposed to do to make these ideas reality. 

    Despite this one nitpick, Reich and the filmmakers brought their point home in a concise manner. In this day and age where feelings are facts and facts are only facts when they benefit an agenda that is something to applaud. Inequality For All receives a 3 and-a-half stars out of four.