here is a Washington Post

[ybc]

here is a Washington Post article on the widening gap of income (you may need to register to view the article)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/09/AR2006070900914.html

Unfortunately, for some struggling at the bottom of the income spectrum, it takes very little (medical problems, job loss, etc) to disrupt their economic security. So they’d turn to home equity to tide them over. But I agree in principle that a lot of people here probably have forgot that one shall always underspend his or her income…