Do americans live beyond their means...?
111954
Yes, we absolutely live beyond our means.  No, we don't "need" all of those things but we're spoiled.
447996
for one thing,americans are spoiled. it's true.  people come here from other countries and they work harder than most americans because we are complacent.
118726
The cost of living has gone up tremendously. The living wage has not. So, overall, I would say most are really struggling to afford to live A very elite few are getting by, actually paying their way without using credit. Very few!
348398
In America we have free enterprise and a class-less society. In other words, anyone can make money and be rich and be accepted here. We have no special laws for the rich and different set for the poor. Thats the American Dream. In China, Iran,Russia, and the French Revolution, they have a class society. In other words, if you were born poor, you will probably remain that way because the oppurtunities are not there for you to advance your status in life.
657289
Wow, so you guys are at work doing these Answer things, huh?  :O  ....  Wow.....  \n\nDid I ever explain my theory on why the cost of living is so high?
715959
If you can get along without modern conveniences it very well might be.  But I doubt most 21st Century Americans would want to live that way since it requires hard work and leave little time for goofing off.
670523
"Propagandists, from Shakespeare to Jacqueline Susann, have been telling the unrich that money doesn’t buy happiness. The unrich, not being immune to spasms of common sense, sometimes wonder about this." -- Anthony Haden-Guest \n\nPsychology has shown that richer people generally rank the overall quality of their lives more favorably than poorer people do. At the same time, their actual happiness seems to be motivated less by their ability to buy more than by being able to keep up with those with comparable resources in their own age group (five years older or younger), according to a new study.
297402
Excellent observation.\n\nPretty soon there will be only very wealthy and poor individuals/families.  There is no job security anymore so how can anyone buy a house or other objects related to the "American Dream"?  The American dream has evolved into a nightmare.
623476
not in the least but republicans do have a plan to middle and upper manage the world. More americans are needed to travel and assist overseas and south of the boarder operations given that most of those managers other then by birth would be picking cotton or other suitable work for the idiots colleges are turning out these days the idle rich have found a new niche in the world overseeing laborers in foriegn countries .americans are to good to clean up after themselves with both parents working jose cuts the grass for 20 dollars and takes him an hour so bob the homeowner is free to earn 75 dollars an hour to jump up and down yelling at employees to get busy or we will move the plant to mexico.where labor is cheaper and more reliable .this brings in a group of accountants that total up the assests of the company sell it to japaness business investors who have now broken the back of the union that use to work in the community.americans are rehired to do the same hard work for lower wages now because america is so loved by all the nations of the world we relocate the plant to chile where labor is only $3.00 a day bob makes several business trips a year to jump up and down  but to no avail he is promoted to the board of directors where him and his buddies vote for huge salaries and stock options upon which they retire.never doing more then yelling and screaming at others and taking all the credit for the work being done.being unfit to work in a society would normaly be a bad thing but here in america its an art form .we have plenty of people to work here in america they are just to busy jumping up and down doing nothing but selling american jobs down the river. creating a two class society those who work for a living and those who takee advantage of those who work for a living .so to end illegals we need to pay lettuce pickers 100 dollars an hour and  the management jobs of jumping which mexicans are good at they made it over the boarder and screaming have you ever seen them drink tequilia. the 10 dollar an hour worthless jobs after all jumping up and down screaming and yeeling has to be done by somebody right without executives flying all over the world in million dollar jets with million dollar salaries 700 guys in south america wouldnt go down in a deep hole digging for gold .right we arent that smart just that greedy that we deny people there natural resources work them long hours and spunge of others to make a living you republicans make me sick .
108719
I think people who don't have great wealth desire it because they think it will bring happiness.  Sure it would be nice to live comfortably, but money does not necessarily bring happiness.  I know several millionaires from when I worked in oil & gas in Houston and they were mostly miserable souls. They fought over more & more money and worried constantly about how to keep from losing it. Their kids were on drugs and had alcohol problems in and out of rehab.  I'm basically poor, but I've never been happier at this time in my life.
572312
Americans are a very diverse group of people.  Some live paycheck to paycheck.  Others save varying amounts.  Still others live off of debt from credit cards and home loans.  Their income levels don't really have a lot to do with it.  It has more to do with their values.  I know wealthy 2-income families that live paycheck to paycheck, and I know poor people making minimum wage that save something each week.\n\nOn average, it doesn't look like Americans save very much at all (I think the stats show we are one of the worst in the world), but there are two factors that confuse this measurement.  First, there are a large number of savers in this country, but there are also a large number of 'negative savers' (debtors) who balance them out.  Secondly, Americans have reaped the benefits of increasing asset values, both in stocks and real estate lately, so while their active savings may not have risen, their savings portfolios have grown during this period.  It's just that less is coming out of the paychecks.
425497
In the US, you have a chance to make somehthing out of yourself, no matter where you comes from or your socio-econimic status.  There is no aristocracy in the US.  We are what we are driven to be.
158470
they dont make us lazy. we'd have to work for the money to pay for the things in life. that's modern life for us. its all about money aint it? how can u enjoy the amenities of life without money? \n\nimagine for a moment that you r living a primitive life somewhere in the amazon or borneo or the arctic. with barely any 'modern inventions'. would that make u any more hardworking to make ends meet? the life of the primitive peoples are so simple. why work any harder than getting food on the table?
587348
Do you live in the US?
751290
No. My husband and I both work and I respect him very much, as he does me. And in today's world, at least in the US, you need 2 incomes to keep a household running.
373804
Our culture has become one of consumption and materialism.  Americans feel entitled to material wealth, and we value money above almost everything else, although few would admit it!  It's disgusting, really, when you look at the gap between rich and poor in this country.
1003633
The middle class isn't exactly expendable.  To be honest this question is ambiguous because it can apply in so many different ways.  Theres actually a lot to this so lemme get into some background:  The middle class is the largest group of americans (for the rest of this when I say american, I am reffering to anyone who resides in north america) on this continent.  the range for salary income is very large in comparison to upper-middle class.  (which has become the new rich/wealthy label)  There are many families who would be considered middle class yet they starving close to poverty and very close to the physical line (statistically speaking).  Its very easy to be an american and live middle class with a blue and/or gray collar job.  Many jobs  falling in these classes require little academic schooling and a bit more vocational education/training.  This makes it easy to get into an industry in demand for labor.  So mostly all dropouts, hs grads, associate grads., and vocational grads. all fall in the middle class.  Now add many of the 4 year college graduates that didn't do high knowledge carreer-specific diciplines (engineers, programers, law/med professions, specialized) and you get a rough picture of the size of the middle class in comparison to the rest.  The poverty live and below represent a small proportion in the gutter, and the upper-middle/wealthy classes represent an even smaller number.  Because of this large volume of our workforce being middle-class, it makes us naturally more dispensable.  By holding these jobs that a competent halfway educated human being can do, we place ourselves in risk of being replaced by another middle-class "body" or worse, outsourced.  Technology advances also eliminate the extra need in labor.  Please also realize that the middle class is the most extorted in terms of businesses trying to wrench every last hard earned dollar into their particular  "product"  created.  What allows the system to work so well is that these same companies are funneling their revenue into advertising that flows from mass media.  Mass media is an issue because in addition to advertising, its all free-form brainwashing.  When you have famous, well known upper-class celebrities endorsing SUV's with no gas mileage  (who btw will almost never drive them as a normal day by day person would), when they endorse the $500 handbag made with $10 of material and 38 cents of labor, and when they exploit the free money from product endorsing all this extra "junk" we don't need, it affects people.  Take a look at the commercials.  There are no commercials for really expensive or exotic/hard to come by items.  However, as far as the eye can see and ears can hear, are commercials for products that fit in just right for middle class citizens.  The modern John doe may have no care or need for things yet when they see someone they admire on television endorsing a product, they get this blind illusion:  its like they think that they'll have more in common, and thus be more like the celebritiy by going out and buying "insert brand/logo here" product.  Most middle-class americans who are making a high salary in comparison to the location mean salary are still in "virtual poverty"  Though they may be paying a mortgage on a house with a car note and a high paying job, the system is designed with pitfalls and traps to lose everything.  Credit cards, re-occuring subscription services, fees, contracts, and penalties are just a few of the several thousands of corporate traps meant to suck all your money away.  Think about how much money the system makes everytime you use up your anytime minutes, or miss a payment, or forget to cancel the free membership, a system designed full of penalties and late fees comes into play to charge more money.  A large problem is that many middle class units will still live paycheck to paycheck.  The lifestyle that many middle class ame