[goodnesswins]

"what percentage of americans live 'beyond their means.'"

Yeah, and what's it all going to cost us to support them when their little world falls apart? (Medical, retirement, etc.) The poorest people seem to want to look like they HAVE money...by the standards of the TV advertising they see...not by how they REALLY live and run (or ruin) their lives. /Rant.

[strider44]

Too true. These people will never know how great it feels to be debt-free. The tough argument though is that all the profligate spending by the millions of dopes in this country drive the ecomony. It's a double-edged sword.