I my former life, I spent 20 years in the financial world and was also a trained economist and researcher, before moving on to trading/sales and fund management.
While not being in total sync with his political affiliation, I think this recent speech by Larry Summers is worth your 54 minutes.

My highlights, if you do not have the time;

opening intro, political financial/industrial bailout and its results

17 min - 27 min. macro overview and insight

29-33 Healthcare

33-39 Education and business

Greater Boston Chamber Blog: Video of Today's Government Affairs Forum with Larry Summers (http://blog.bostonchamber.com/2011/03/video-of-todays-government-affairs.html)

I can trim 54minutes down to 3 words without even watching the video...

We. Are. Screwed.

I'll take a look at the video tonight. Thanks for posting it up here.

Listened to the video--sounds like the same general "it takes government" philosophy that has been growing for the past 100 years. And the same bromides--close the gap in education, close the gap in the standard of living, close the gap in the access to health care. Enjoyed the reference to Brandeis's States as laboratories, but that disappears, doesn't it, when the Federal Government picks one State's solution and imposes it on the rest, effectively closing down the "laboratories"?

As for the economic opinions, who knows?

the US economy is a facade. most corporations are hiring offshore.
Spending is flat domestically. Everyone's afraid to blink.