If I may ...
And another thing .....
I do not disagree with your sentiments. I was raised the same way, to be independent, self reliant, and to try to not accept charity. Pay my bills on time. Not take on unmanageable debt, etc.. And these really applied and worked before the decoupling of the dollar from gold in 1971. Prior to 1971, even though still in a fiat debt based money system, those who fell to the wayside were far fewer than today. There were tighter controls in place to ensure that loans were given to those who could repay them. Credit cards were in their infancy, if at all, and, were mainly given from merchants only, such as Sears, also known as installment payments back then. And while those sentiments still apply, to a certain degree today, the money supply expansion, known as inflation, has enormously affected every aspect of this Nation's economy and its people and cannot really be judged the same. Before 1971, it took only one person from a family to work to support the family, and live comfortably and have a decent retirement income. After, both now have to work with many having two or more jobs each, just to have the same standard of living as was prior to 1971, and, with no retirement, or very little, requiring continued work well into old age. Things have changed drastically for families, through no fault of their own. Everything is out of wack, and you can feel it yourselves. But you just can't seem to put your finger on the problem. Right? And this is the insidiousness of the current money system.
It happens so slowly, until one day you wake up and realize things have changed, and yet, can't figure out why. You know things are different, you can feel it, but are left scratching your head in wonder. There's more fighting. Divisiveness. Turmoil. Distrust. Hostility. Where your income, even with modest raises over the years, once provided everything you needed and wanted, now does not. You didn't change your behaviors, did you? No. So you cut back on spending because you just can't afford it now, and, you really didn't want that thing anyway, or to take that trip. Until one day, after all the cutting back, to where you can't cut back anymore, you might think to yourself, well geez, maybe we should take out a home equity loan to help us out and get us through this rough patch? Or, you start to use credit cards to purchase things you need, lacking the cash in hand for. Still, now, your sentiments, your work ethic, your morals, haven't changed. You are still the same good person. And here you are, through no fault of your own, on the road to financial disaster whether you know it or not. Where your one job was sufficient, now you consider taking on a second. Your health is affected. Your marriage strained. You might start to drink more than usual, or take something else, to get through the day. To diminish the stains of a now harder life. This is exactly what has happened, is happening, to millions and millions of people and families across this Nation. Through no fault of their own. Good people scraping bottom, through no fault of their own.
So, please, before you condemn others for perceived failings, learn about how our fiat debt based money system works. The real cause all of these problems.
