in which a clue is finally gotten (pardon my passive)

I just finished reading this Yahoo! article on finance and the "Great Recession--which is technically over, economists insist--", and the following statement jumped out at me:

"Researchers studying long-term trends among American consumers believe that a 20-year spending binge, fueled by easy credit, is over for good."


I wonder if that's true? I hope so. I think it would be a good sign that people are starting to realize we're all in this together--and individual attitudes toward money will determine the financial condition of a nation.

Just a thought.