[Griff]

Debt is a lifestyle choice. Its great for the mobile fully employed middle class suburbanite who can afford to play the government tax and education games that were written for him. Buying land on speculation may not be a great idea for working class country folks, with rural population wanning and the buying pressure from city folks inflating land prices (temporarily?). Agriculture is dead, we live in a difficult job market but won't have a banker on our butts if we lose our jobs. We live very different lives, let's not pretend that our economies are the same. My house is free and clear. I built (am building) it spending no more per month than I would have spent on a morgage so there was no initial lump sum that could have been invested differently. I did take a hit on salary but that was balanced by being the primary care-giver for my kids before they became school age and providing that crucial stability. You have to tune your debt to your personal situation. You can use debt but debt can just as easily use you. Griff