Although I support awareness of "affluenza," there seems to be a pop-media push to stigmatize "materialists."  Remember that there is a spectrum of behavior between manic, obssessive spending and what I'd term Mindful Acquisition.  Some folks get a thrill out of searching out, chasing down, negotiating for, and possess...more

I doubt that even if you lived by 1950s standards today, you could still do it in 1950s dollar amounts.  Anyone care to try living in 2013 America on $6,000 a year?   A ten-thousand-dollar drafty firetrap house with no insulation, CO detector, A/C, clothes dryer, dishwasher, computer, or even a black & white TV? A 12...more

Unix_gawd -  " I have worked many gov't contracts and know the average civil servant is offered a pension, 401k, plus SS. All three are funded by the average Joe"     Dude, you're either sadly misinformed, or an intentional prevaricator troll: 401Ks specifically do not apply to government employees; for a long ti...more

Jim_in_PA is completely correct, and I breezed right past that line until he pointed it out. Nobody ever saved the majority of their income!  You might make a case that the majority avoided regular obvious interest payments, but the 1% still got theirs one way or another... higher retail with Layaway payments, et c. ...more

In the Chicago suburbs, a presentable home in a respectable neighborhood runs around a quarter million dollars... even if it's all paid for, real estate taxes will go from six to ten thousand dollars per year.  Own your own home, and you still pay more than $500 a month (before services, fees, & utilities) for the priv...more

Downsize "to reduce mortgage costs and utility bills..."     Really?  Hmm... might have to consider whether you're already underwater on the existing mortgage, how much cash you'd need to get out, and who in their right mind would give you another... downsizing isn't really going to save anything on the three-figur...more

The isolation effect of eerily quiet modern cars (not even "luxury" class), and the proliferation of privacy-tinted glass also add up to less data input from the road or the car, and a bored driver.  Bored people will find something else to do... that's just human nature.  Because your life is just a video game, ...more

Cranky Old (fiftyish) Guy here - Harrumph, harrumph!   When it was only hand-held cellphones, at least you could spot 'em.  The in-dash video/controls and hands-free systems just make it harder to identify the idjits.

I think part of the reason "distracted" driving is so widespread is that actual driver involvement feels less necessary.  Power assists, techno-gadgety controls, and the trend toward computer/sensor-aided highway use is a far cry from forty-degrees-of-slack manual steering, grabby-but-weak drum brakes, and whipping the...more