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But then a car loan was 3 years. Now it can be 7. What does that tell you ?

It tells me consumers now have more choices.

Frankly, that made no rational sense whatsoever. If the car loan has to be stretched because the consumer can no longer afford to buy a new car in 3 years, and the price of the car is the same adjusted for inflation, obviously the buying power of the purchaser has dropped considerable from 1970.

405 "...40 year and interest only mortgages..." 406 "If England, for instance, had ditched free trade ..." 407 "The West won the Cold War because it promised workers security..." 411 " ... America lost TV manufacture, it also lost VCR manufacture, DVD player ..." 423 "the decline of blue collar living standards since 1980 ...because of free trade." 440 "the buying power of the purchaser has dropped considerable from 1970."

So basically you're saying that America is in bad shape ---low purchasing power, lost manufacturing, increasing debt.

Let's focus. Please tell me how you know this stuff. I'm always interested in new sources. My family and I really need to know how the economy is doing, because to be able to run my business (and feed my family) I have to really know what's going on. So far, I've been really studying these things, and what I've been finding so far is that purchasing power, manufacturing, and family wealth is up. By knowing this, my business has made my family rich (so far).

Please tell me where you get your info. Look, I've got to tell you that the info has to be right. I mean, if I just listened to say, someone's buddies at the union hall, or if I just went with say, your feelings, then my family would be poor, and I'd be calling for higher taxes on others to protect me.

Frankly, that made no rational sense whatsoever. If the car loan has to be stretched because the consumer can no longer afford to buy a new car in 3 years,

Oh please. A car loan is a tool like any other tool. It can be misused. You can still get a 3, 4 or 5 year car loan. You can still get over leveraged with a 20% down payment 30 year mortgage.

Did you ever find a source which showed what % of car loans are actually 7 years? Or have you just been whining about something that's only 10% of the market?

and the price of the car is the same adjusted for inflation, obviously the buying power of the purchaser has dropped considerable from 1970.

Maybe consumers are using this extra cash flow to buy a larger house. That doesn't mean their buying power has dropped, just that their buying power is being used for something else.