1. At The Hands Of
The Robber Barons
A Short Film By
Keith Dion,
Jay Stokes
Pablo Vazquez
For 3:05 AM Films Ltd In Association With
LHF Productions
2. Though a century has passed since the
apparent heyday of the great industrialists
and financiers, debate continues: were these
men great captains of industry, or were they
criminal robber barons?
Has Anything Changed ?
Where do we draw the line between unfair
business practices and unscrupulous
competition?
3. The Robber Barons:
The Architects of Economic Collapse
The Robber Barons is a pejorative term used to describe the powerful 19th
century American businessmen who fleeced the public and cut a wide and
destructive path of greed across North American and world society. By the 1890s
the term was used to attack any businessman who used questionable practices to
become wealthy at the expense of others. It combines the sense of criminal
“robber" and illegitimate aristocracy "baron".
4. By October of 2008 it was Déjà vu all over again, with corporations who were too
to fail and too big to jail bringing the world global financial system to the brink, and
then reaping the rewards with taxpayer bailouts and mega million dollar bonuses,
while record home foreclosures and unemployment rates rocked the nation
The October 2008 financial meltdown was not the result of a cyclical economic
phenomenon, but was premeditated and is the most serious economic crisis in World
history. The "bailout" proposed by the US Treasury does not constitute a "solution"
to the crisis. In fact quite the opposite: it is the cause of further collapse. It triggers an
unprecedented concentration of wealth, which in turn contributes to widening
economic and social inequalities both within and between nations.
5. Ironically, the Wall Street banks --which are the
recipients of the bailout money - are also the
brokers and underwriters of the public debt, and
in a bitter twist, the banks are the recipients of a
$700+ billion dollar handout at the same time
they act as creditors to the US govt.
6. We are dealing with an absurd circular relationship:
To finance the bailout, Washington must borrow
from the banks, which are the recipients of the
taxpayer bailout. What an arrangement!
7. Federal, State and municipal governments are
increasingly in a straightjacket, under the tight
control of the global financial conglomerates, with
these creditors calling the shots on government
financial reform. This is known as conflict of
interest and is outright criminal behavior. This is
the story of the modern era Robber Barons.
