Behind the plastic curtain

Think that the purpose of credit card companies is to bilk unwary consumers, trap them in a spiral of debt, and rake in supercompetitive profits?  If so, you’ll lenjoy the new television special The Secret History of the Credit Card, jointly put together by PBS’s Frontline and the New York Times.

Lowell Bergman hosts the program, which is designed to explain “how the credit card industry became so pervasive, so lucrative, and so politically powerful.”  There are teaching materials, links to other stuff, and you can watch the whole program online.