I once saw a sign in a country store that really put the credit issue in focus for me. It read, "In God We Trust....Everyone else pays cash!" The word credit comes from the latin word crederio, which means; to believe. I for one no longer do. Credit was not invented by people who sufferd from privation nor was it created for them. They would not have been able to pay back the loan so they were not the intended target. The "mark" was a person who had enough to supply their basic needs but wanted more. And there was the oppurtunity! Those with money could lend it out and make a profit(intrest) on it's return there by creating a credit industry. From there we find ourselves in the very spot we now stand. There was a lot of changes along the way, usually all in favor of the lender, but the basic concept remains the same. If you can't afford to buy it outright you shouldn't be allowed to buy it! This would have prevented the "housing (house of cards) mortgage collapse and the enormous debt that we and now our Government is about to drown in. Oh, and we will drown, the life boats that were all ready launched have holes in them the the lifevests(PFD) are too small and too late..............Truth in Lending(BFD)! Lend me an ear or lend me a hand but, keep your money!