The middle class is scrounging to get to stay middle class instead of falling into poor. And more are falling into poor.

Truth is even if we had no credit and paid cash for everything, we’d still have those who didn’t save and expect help.

When people are broke from cancer and need treatment will we really allow them to die?

When people are at the end of their lives, do we refuse any treatment unless they can pay?

Do we refuse surgery on a gunshot unless they have the cash in the bank? Things like this will never happen.

The reality is there will always be free services and services rendered without payment upfront.

And that will never change. Unless we decide who is rich and who is poor and who can die.

I think you hit on something, there.

As many countries before us have found out, it does the rest of society no good to have a bunch of desperate people with no way up and out of their situation. Desperate people do desperate things. They turn to crime. In extreme cases, they turn to revolution.

And not just that, but it even benefits the rich to have poorer — and even middle class — people thinking that one day they might be rich, too. Let’s face it, we live in a democracy where most people are not millionaires. So long as they feel like they could make it, they’re not going to do much against the rich. But when they feel like they’ll never be rich, that’s when they’re going to go after the rich with more taxes, etc.

I can’t help but wonder if that’s what is going on now. I think a lot of people have given up hope of the American dream, that every generation can do better than the last and even the poorest might even become a millionaire. People see the class divide growing. And they’re getting frustrated because even when they do everything they think they’re supposed to do, and sacrifice, and work hard… they feel like they’re just running on a treadmill, or worse, slipping further into debt.

There is no jail time. No real repercussions. And all doctors are swearing an oath to help. So they won’t let someone just die.

Cannot and will not ever happen. UNLESS one day every man for himself. Then the US will probably be empty because then it will justify shooting others and having no laws.

I agree with your last statement, and my point is we need to, at some point, say “sorry, no help is available anymore, you should have saved, you should have lost weight, now deal with the situation you created.”

You asked, when people fail, what are you going to do? I say don’t do anything. Let them fail and deal with the consequences.

Credit is still given out. They have a paid for home typically. What bills are there?

And it doesn’t suck. You can easily enjoy that lifestyle because you never worried so you’d be happy with what you have.

This is not only a problem with healthcare, but with savings as we discussed in another post about manditory retirement savings. At what point do we just let people fail and say “sorry, you’re an idiot, you blew it, you did this to yourself… pick yourself up and learn from your mistake”?