I’ve thought of that also: paying off your house is better than money in the bank.

But, why would we repeat a Depression? I wasn’t alluding to that, although I have no idea why it can’t happen. Is a depression possible? Are all the same risk factors in place?

I was suggesting a recession. A recession is not a bad thing at all, just a normal part of economic cycles. Like a forest needs a good fire now and then, an economy needs recessions. Did you know that the redwood seed needs the heat of fire to crack its hard shell and make it sprout? Fire cleanses dead weeds and underbrush and shifts nutrients from flora to the soil. Recessions also have their place, as they curb excesses from the markets.