Maybe it is bravery, or stupidity, but I refuse to let my fear of making a small error in the message stop me from getting the message out. There is so much to be said, or shared. So many people around the world need a voice and awareness about financial issues, concerns and problems.

I’m not saying I’m great because there are a lot of people that are smarter and lead lives that are more connected at the most high levels of commerce and government. I guess what I’m saying is that at least I try to do something each day to put one foot in front of the other to raise education and awareness about problems and issues. At the end of the day I’d rather go down fighting with a voice than simply suffer in silence.

I urge and invite you to get involved in issues involving consumer debt by commenting on my articles and blogs and to participate in the discussions that matter. Share something most valuable, your informed opinion. I care what you have to say and others do as well.

Of course, any news story from China that begins with "Young going crazy for credit" is going to get my attention.

From the story "Young people living in urban areas are increasingly using credit cards to pay for goods instead of cash."

I'm shocked (web based sarcasm). People are always in love with credit cards. They love and lust to have a plastic wafer in their pocket that can let them buy a television at will or let lonely and drunken business men pay for anonymous sex.

From the story "A survey conducted by Daily Business News showed that by the end of this year, China will have 60 million credit cards, 80 percent issued after 2005."

Holy crap! You've got to work overtime to pass out that many cards. I suspect that a couple of those slipped through without much regard to the card holder's ability to pay. Call me crazy but it sure sounds like the goal is to get the cards out as quickly as possible.

I've got this mental picture of an old DC-3 flying over China filed with credit cards standing up and snapped to the line ready to bail out. There is a banker at the door shouting "Go, Go, Go!" as they dive out the door.

From the story "Banks try to attract more customers by offering various perks, cooperation with stores, airliners, hotels and even universities."

Yeah, it's called marketing.

I have to admit that it is interesting watching new countries assimilating credit cards into their culture while watching the wave of credit card use go from gleeful embrace to the "oh crap what have we done we can't pay our bills.", mentality.