Giving Credit

(Pro 28:8 KJV) He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.

One of the building blocks of our modern prosperity and consumer culture is the existence of easy credit.  I recently talked to a college student who was getting his first credit card.  I think he is alert enough to use it wisely and control his spending.  I can’t say that for most people.  Our system is based on people buying a lot of things.  That in turn creates a lot of demand for goods which makes for more jobs.  In one sense it is a cycle that raises everyone’s ability to support their families and live a secure life.

In another sense it drives people to overspend and buy what they can’t really afford because they can make it to the next paycheck.  One summer my children kept demanding to eat so I took a third job selling encyclopedias door to door.  The only reason I did it was because they guaranteed a certain minimum if I would make a specified number of calls.  One thing I remember being told was to not talk about the total cost of the product but to emphasize how low the monthly payment would be and how a few dollars a month would help their children.  

So?  Debt is evil.  Maybe we would be better off if we had mothers home without the second car and the constant eating out.