On Oct. 29, the Office of Student Legislative Affairs partnered with FUSE for the movie screening of the political-thriller documentary “HEIST: Who stole the American Dream?”
Students participated in the event by watching the movie, examining economic affairs in a group discussion, and learning about engagement opportunities here at Bellevue College.
With a turnout of close to 20 people at the event, the OSLA Director Kristin Velez considered the volume of attendance as a “pretty good number.” The OSLA chose to show “Heist” in order to give students the chance to “step back for a moment and ask what issues are pertinent on behalf of higher education, [and] the first thing that usually comes to mind is tuition-and rightfully so, tuition has gone up by 12% this year alone,” said Velez.
After comments from the Obama Administration and the Romney Administration during the domestic affairs debate, students should be aware of what factors caused the economic downfall in 2008, and how some of society believe the destruction was carefully calculated from the past few presidencies, dating back to the 1970’s. The documentary concerns the roots of the American economic crisis and the struggles of the middle class citizens.
“Heist” questions the current structure of the economy, examining alternative pathways to economic justice for Americans. One of the purposes of the film “Heist” is to organize passionate local workers for a green, resilient, locally sustainable economy.
Giving the middle class the power to illuminate paths to economic and political reform will repress subjugation by large corporations and businesses.
Steve Early, the former International Representative of the Communications Workers of America said, “this film is an invaluable educational tool for labor ad community groups that want to do membership and public education about the abuses of corporate power in America. Heist tells a story that continues to be misrepresented or ignored.”
The film’s producers Francis Causey and Donald Goldmacher see their creation as an indispensable bridge in the gap between economic experts and ordinary taxpayers in demanding accountability and support built for economic justice.
Being a student is very expensive. Velez addressed that Funding would be a reoccurring conversation this year and a difficult one.
She predicts that strains to the budget this year will be from the Governor’s agreement with unions, Supreme Court Education Ruling, and the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion. External risks of Europe and the Fiscal Cliff are also some of her concerns.
According to Velez, cuts, tradeoffs and new revenue sources will be the most likely sources of funding at BC. “In order to move forward, the economic crisis must become a topic of conversation. That is the conversation that we are trying to start,” said Velez.
“Heist” was presented at BC with the hopes that viewers came away from the film with the feeling that they grasped an understanding of who broke the economy and how, and knowing what is needed to fix it. To learn about screenings of “Heist: Who Stole to American Dream?” visit the film’s webpage at www.heist-themovie.com