Sounds to me like it's a good rule. I don't think that's unreasonable at all in most of the US. Of course this depends on income and family size, etc.and location. Not everyone wants to live in Ohio and no one is going to, nor can they, provide a house on the beach, a chalet in Tahoe or even a decent tract in the Central Valley for $200,000.
Fortunately (unfortunately for her/him) s/he doesn't make the rules...s/he has to learn to live by them.
In most of America, that rule works. In about 5 or 6 states it does not. For me, personally, I'll more than likely choose not to live there.