by Michael Snyder, The Economic Collapse Blog:
For years, our economy and our financial markets have been artificially propped up. Since 2008, politicians in Washington have added about 26 trillion dollars to the national debt, and bureaucrats at the Fed have pumped trillions of freshly created dollars into the financial system. If we could go back and undo just those two things, we would be living an economic horror show right now. Piling up the largest mountain of debt in the history of the world has enabled us to live way, way, way beyond our means. On a personal level, if you borrowed and spent millions of dollars that you did not have, you would also be able to live a lifestyle that you do not deserve. Debt is extremely seductive, because it is a way to make the present a lot more pleasant. But there is always a price to be paid in the end.