the article ignores that a) Ernie Bishop wasn't defaulting on his loan (and Potter was stealing money - Uncle Billy's misplaced deposit) - the quoted scene is just an expression of Potter's elitism - Ernie didn't deserve a loan because he was socially and economically beneath Potter, not because he couldn't make the payments. No doubt Potter played a few rounds of golf with Hank Paulson's father. And (b) the article ignores what 'Pottersville' looked like compared to Bedford Falls.

So yeah, if the article's author thinks Pottersville was a more ideal community then Bedford Falls, and if he thinks it's the inconvenience of all the 'little people' wanting a decent home and a decent life that's really the problem, than by all means Potter is right. Of course Potter would have also securitized all of the loans his bank issued, sliced and diced them six ways from Sunday into things like credit default swaps, and then taken the whole town down with him when his bank failed, but we wouldn't want reality to stand in the way of a clever piece of writing.

If you really want a Capra film that's closer to reality, Meet John Doe or Mr Smith Goes to Washington are a much more accurate reflection of the times. Except, maybe, for the happy endings.