The TARP Queen: Why we should all bow before Elizabeth Warren (even if you've never heard of her)

We’ve covered Elizabeth Warren regularly on this blog, and now James Scurlock (author and director of Maxed Out) has published this witty and insightful tribute to her in Slate.  His movie and book were among the first public platforms for Warren, who has since become head of the Congressional Oversight Panel (COP) overseeing the TARP funds.  She is also one of the most visible and compelling consumer advocates on the scene.

Scurlock’s article highlights some of Warren’s most prescient insights, such as her 2003 observation that “families literally cannot afford not to borrow, and unregulated financial products, with their limitless interest rates and myriad fees, are literally killing them.”  Or, more recently she pointed out that “We can’t have  modern economy without solvent banks, but we can’t have solvent banks or a functioning economy without solvent families.”  Scurlock adds, “That such a notion remains controversial is almost mind-numbing.”

Warren’s 2003 book, the Two Income Trap, is a must read.  You can see Scurlock’s entire Slate article here.