Robert Reich is a prominent economic analyst who was recently touted as one of the 10 most respected public servants in the last 30 years. He served at the request of three presidents including an appointment by President Clinton as his Secretary of Labor. Time Magazine called him one of the best Secretaries of the 20th century. He has written 13 books including his latest “Beyond Outrage – what is going wrong with our economy and our democracy and how to fix it”. He also produced a documentary film entitled “Inequality For All”.

The Video – In the following short video clip, from an interview with Bill Moyer Mr. Reich explains, in his own words, why he is “Beyond Outrage” with the current state of our economy and political climate.

To watch the entire interview see billmoyers.com/episode/full-show-inequality-for-all/.

Economy is Based on Rules that Determine Economic Outcomes – Mr. Reich explains that the economy is based on a set of rules that determine economic outcomes and that for the most part these rules are stacked against the average wage-earner.

Why not Take Advantage of Favorable Rules? – So, the question becomes, why would anyone not take advantage of rules that work in their favor? Bankruptcy rules are intended to favor individuals and small businesses that have taken risks and failed. The theory is that with these protective rules investments in risky small business ventures are encouraged and jobs are created.  If the business fails, the owner can generally receive protection from his creditors and in most cases, either save the business or obtain a discharge of his debts and a “fresh start”.

What the Big Banks Say – For decades the “Big Banks” have successfully convinced many individuals that you should be “ashamed” to take advantage of these favorable rules. Suffice it to say that we strongly disagree!