National Debt Film and Deliberation
On Monday February 6, 2012, I attended one of the Film and Deliberation sessions facilitated by the Jean O’Connor Snyder Interns at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The topic of this particular session was the national debt. Students and community members gathered together in UAB’s Heritage Hall to watch the PBS documentary “Ten Trillion and Counting” and discuss their reactions to the documentary, as well as possible solutions to the national debt issue.
After watching the film, participants shared their perspectives on the issue. Members of the group pointed out that the general public knows very little about the debt or the role it plays in decision-making at the federal level. Several of the participants discussed the need for drastic budget cuts, while others were interested in how the US might increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
One participant asked, “Couldn’t we privatize things like the US Mail?” This sparked discussion about how regulations would be put in place to ensure that private companies still maintained governmental standards. The lively discussion ended with DMC intern Jordan Bailey reminding everyone that information on the issue is readily available.
The next Film and Deliberation event will be held at 7pm on February 20th in Heritage Hall on the UAB campus. If you are interested in attending this or any other part of this series, please contact the UAB Faculty Mentor Kristin Boggs at kboggs@uab.edu.
- Ashley Kontos (Community-Based Research Coordinator, New College)
