Most of these people in debt do it to themselves. They are out playing, dining out, buying toys......when they should be home saving and living in their means.

I blame our current economic and mortagage crisis on all you that are living on credit cards. When you spend what you dont have, eventually we all suffer!

Why cant people be smart and plan!!

Our household income is about 80k, which I think is above average, but even with an above average income we can't afford all the "extras" other people have. We drive cars that are about ten years old, we eat out about once a month and we buy a lot of our clothing from Walmart. At the same time we don't have any credit card debt or the stress that goes with it.

I think everyone is "keeping up with the Joneses" instead of realizing that the Joneses are broke too. It's time for Americans to value financial peace more than all the unnecessary luxuries. (The problem is people think that getting their nails done and having cable TV is a necessity.)

I used to be caught up in that game. We were spending beyond our means to the tune of $35,000 in credit card debt. I was fortunate enough to have sufficient money in savings so that after we divested ourselves of several toys we were able to completely pay off ALL of our c-card debt. We then cut up all the cards and started a new budget where we save each month for annual expenses. Things that we should have been doing all alon. I am not going down the c-card road again! Credit card debt is a self-inflicted malady! We need to live within our means and do without the toys we think we need! It is harder done than said!

Ms. Toomer-Clark your article reads like a favorable endorsement of credit cards as a way to solve a crisis created by over-reliance on easy (not to mention usuriously) expensive. Who's payroll are you on. How could you not point out that deferring payment of the balances on those credit cards can easily run to nearly 30% AYP?

Why not write an informative article about prioritizing expenses, eliminating unnecessary treats, paying the highest interest accounts off at an accelerated rate and learning to save at least a little something every month.

This nation has been given several wake up calls in various subjects in the last few years, and the media doesn't seem to be paying attention very well. They certainly are not providing the necessary information to maintain Thomas Jefferson requirement for sustaining a democracy which is "an informed electorate."

His program & Zion Bank's 'E.N.D.' really works, I love My life now!