"Everybody has a mortgage to pay"

Last night I saw the movie "Thank you for smoking" . Interesting how that statement "Everybody has a mortgage to pay" came up multiple times. I wonder how much of the current troubles with corruption and acquiescence may be due to something this basic.

That and "follow the money" explain a lot.

to change the world. Then you get married and get a mortgage, or as a single person get a mortgage. Then you get credit cards and start charging. The next thing you know you're in debt to the tune of $200,000. Of course, if you had a student loan in college, you may be that much in debt before you get your first job. Then the married people have kids. You have mouths to feed, even if it's your own. And being an employee, you have to keep your job. If you get behind you can get a second job or steal. We are always looking ahead. Getting better homes, cars, education for the kids. For some reason, we just can't be happy with what we have. The economy works on people wanting more. If they don't, then apparently there is a recession or depression.

Does economic history suggest that, at some times and places, all economic participants stopped wanting more?

have to be constantly finding new customers, new products, and why everyone seems to be afraid of the consumer stoping their current buying habits. The gov't is more afraid of people not buying than of the people getting into deep debt.

Depressions are caused by the rich stripmining the economy to the point that people don't have the means to buy what they want.

Then the whole thing collapses, the rich ride it out and tolerate reform for a few years, then put us all back on the merry go round.

dirt poor before the depression started. THe Dust Bowl probably contributed more to their misery than the Depression. The rich had been in power for centuries. They owned the economy. So there has to be more than than.

I saw "Thank You For Smoking" as well, and loved how they called it "the Yuppie Nuremburg Defense". I think it's going to be my new .sig line. ;)

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media -including all the news. They are big business. * & the repubs are big business. Just rubbing each others back.