My staff and I spent a little time with film maker John Degraaf (Affluenza) today to screen and comment on his new film about the economy.  Pretty sobering.  Lots of facts and figures as well as comparisons about our current state and how it compares with the Great Depression. 

One of the things that struck me hardest was where America rates on various social and environmental issues.  How we use incredible amounts of natural resources on one hand and have a huge GDP, but that has not made our babies safer than those of other developed countries or led to longer life.  And neither has it made us happy.  Interestingly, in the happy and healthy countries people seem to work fewer hours, live longer, pay higher taxes, invest in renewable energy, pay less for health care, have lower infant mortality rates, etc.  Can we learn from this or will we be forever stuck in our consumptive rut?

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