Most people I know got caught in the gas and credit crunch and stopped buying much of anything months ago. No new nothing. And even going out to dinner or away for the weekend is wearing thin because of the cash involved to get there.

It's been the price of gas, the final coup de grace on the average Joe in America. That extra $150 a month to put gas in our tanks has stripped us of our extras and the malls and restaurants and small businesses are suffering. No wonder everyone is defaulting, the gas prices have snowballed, and finally toppled middle America.

For the poorer families, it has taken food and much more needed expenses away from them like the cost of medical help and drugs.