Minor? I guess the Great Depression was just a minor inconvenience for Americans, too.

Have you been following what the Greeks are having rammed down their throats in the name of austerity? The mainstream media is not really reporting the details, but it's basically another example of what Naomi Klein describes in her book, Shock Doctrine. Your average Greek person is facing a Great Depression of their own which is unfolding as we speak.

It is not unlike how smart, prosperous middle class Argentines were suddenly literally digging through dumpsters during Argentina's crisis back in the 90's, too. Considering how many Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck and on their credit cards--just to eek by--we're certainly not immune to the possibility of ending up collectively in the poor house ourselves.