Responsibility

Do you think the majority of Americans are capable of taking responsibility for their actions?

Sometimes I wonder...

Divorce rates in the U.S. hover around fifty percent. What does that tell you? It tells me that people make a conscious commitment to another person, but ultimately fail in that commitment. Then they ask a court to equitably settle the assets accumulated during the relationship -- don't even get me started on the involvement of children in this process. Can you just chalk it up to the volatile nature of love and relationships, or is it an inability to take responsibility for your actions?

How about debt? According to CreditCards.com, the average outstanding credit card debt for households that have a credit card was $10,679 at the end of 2008. Wow! That was my reaction.

According to Peter Morici, an economics professor at the University of Maryland, Americans have been spending 105 percent of their income the past several years. Again... Wow!

You don't have to be an economist to deduce that many Americans are teetering on the brink of economic disaster -- don't even get me started on personal bankruptcy filings.

Now, I realize there are catastrophic economic events -- unforeseen medical problems, accidents, etc. -- but, in most cases, these are the exception.

In the absence of catastrophic events, does American credit card debt and spending habits demonstrate responsibility for economic actions?

I still give Americans credit for being conscious of their choices, and responsible for their actions, but sometimes when I look at statistics such as those above, I scratch my head and wonder...

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