SNIP
>... Besides, I also have zero sympathy for those living beyond their means.

You may have little sympathy, but it is exactly that that keeps your economy rolling these days.

And it's gotta be nearly impossible, given all of the marketing for goods and 'cheap' money (imagine, people actually take out interest-only home loans!!!), for people to resist. This psychology has been carefully nurtured over several years now, and credit card "minimum payment" amouts are wholly designed to push this as far as it can go.

And this is just great for business, notably the corporations, who not only continue to rake in $$$ as they outsource their business, but also have remaining staff so fearful of losing their jobs (how would they pay their credit card minimum payments, car payments, etc) that they work longer for no extra $$$, take benefits cuts and take pay cuts and have their pensions (legally!!!) taken away from them.

Talk like yours, Mark, won't get you elected, but it could get you erected (as on a hangman's rig) < s >.