This video takes you to London, where the global economic crisis has hit almost everyone. The NewsHour's Margaret Warner talks to a cab driver who says business is way down and he has to drive every day to earn any money. She also talks to a contractor who used to make a comfortable living remodeling kitchens, but is now working as a garbage collector and looking for a second job just to stay afloat. The British economy is dangerously reliant on financial services. According to the Wall Street Journal, one in five British jobs depended on the finance business, compared to one in 16 in the U.S. At the end of the report, Margaret talks to two members of Parliament who lay out the dilemma faced by the United States and most nations at this time of crisis: whether to fund stimulus packages which will surely necessitate higher taxes in the future. Quotes "The business is really right down. We have to be in the cab seven days a week to earn any money, really." - London cab driver "It's like offering a bag of candy to a child and say, 'Just take one.' He's going to take the lot, and that's what the banks did. And you can't really blame them for that, because within the parameters of what they were allowed to do, that's what they did. And nobody wanted to get left behind." - David Buik, British brokerage analyst "We have seen in the United Kingdom insanity, of housing going up 600 percent to 700 percent in a decade, which is ludicrous, with mortgage banks allowed to lend 100 percent mortgages and 125 percent mortgages. Let's get real. This is insanity. And the government should have said, 'No.'" - - David Buik, British brokerage analyst Warm Up Questions 1. Imagine you are a cab driver, a construction worker, an investment banker, lawmaker - how is the struggling economy affecting you? 2. What are the connections between the U.S. economy and Great Britain? Discussion Questions 1. Margaret reported that one in five British jobs depend on the finance business, compared to one in 16 in the U.S. Why do you think that is? 2. Do you think it's fair to blame bankers, real estate agents, lawmakers or others for this financial mess? 3. Look at other reports from London (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/)What surprises you about the situation there? What do you think will happen? Additional Resources Transcript of this report French View of Crisis In-depth: World View