Reply #42: I agree -- it's easy to tell people to live below or at their means [View All]

[LisaLynne]

but for some people, situations arise where they simply can't. The cc companies, the conservatives, etc, all like to pretend as though those in financial trouble are only in that situation because they lack control. But, that's not always true. Medical expenses can overwhelm people quickly and they may not have been able to afford insurance or even get it. People do get laid off -- people do lose their jobs when the company they've been working for closes up. Living expenses are high and sometimes take everything that a family has to just keep a roof over their head. Then, if something unexpected happens -- even just a car dying -- they can not keep up.

I guess my point is that it's easy to fall into the "just stop spending" mentality (and granted, for a lot of us, that is the main issue) but for a LOT of people, they are only trying to keep food on the table. The CC companies don't want us to look at those people, though. They want us to blame the people in debt as being "weak."