The evidence is there to see

There is a road a short distance from town that I remembered as a narrow, hilly two-laner with nothing much on either side. So why, I wondered, was it showing up in the news so often? We drove down it a couple of days ago and it was a shocking experience.
On both sides were allotments of expensive houses on small plots of ground. Fancy houses, the kind we used to think were occupied by rich people. But there aren't that many rich folks around so the occupants were everyday people living beyond their means. Despite the fancy name for each allotment, this was foreclosure country.
I feel no sympathy for those who suddenly wake up to reality. They knew these places were too much house, three-thousand or so square feet while they had a one-thousand foot income. They were over their heads the day they moved in and they knew it. Then they maxed-out credits cards to have a big-screen TV and all the latest electronic gadgets. And didn't they "deserve" a gas-guzzling SUV or van?
It is obvious that most are living from paycheck to paycheck. For some, even that won't do it so they have to visit payday lenders charging exorbitant interest rates. Not too long ago there was no such thing as a payday lender.
Most of us my age learned better during the Great Depression. The lessons were good ones: Don't buy something until you have money to pay for it. The roof over your head doesn't have to cover several thousand square feet. The vehicle you drive doesn't have to be a top-of-the-line model equipped with every luxury imaginable. We worked hard for little money, but what we possessed was really ours and stress wasn't included in the price tag.
So that ugly phrase "the American Dream" has turned into a nightmare for millions. Should the rest of us bail them out? Or bail out automakers or banks or any other business? Not on your life. That's just postponing the inevitable. Once again Americans need to learn a hard lesson. When they have, you won't find a payday lender on every corner.

www.dickstodghill.com