The Financial Crisis

I read "The Curse of the Starving Class" by Sam Shepard last night, an amazing play, and late in the play the character of Weston, the archetypical alcoholic Shepard patriarch, gives a speech that I thought articulated a lot of what I and possibly many others have been thinking about this whole financial crisis we're in, credit, "the cloud", etc. Here it is:

WESTON: (after pause) I remember now. I was in hock. I was in hock up to my elbows. See, I always figured on the future. I banked on it. I was banking on it getting better. It couldn't get any worse, so I figured it'd just get better. I figured that's why everyone wants you to buy things. Buy refrigerators. Buy cars, houses, lots, invest. They wouldn't be so generous if they didn't figure you had it comin' in. At some point it had to be comin' in. So I went along with it. Why not borrow if you know it's coming in. Why not make a touch here and there. They all want you to borrow anyhow. Banks, car lots, investors. The whole things geared to invisible money. You never hear the sound of change anymore. It's all plastic shuffling back and forth. It's all in everybody's heads. So I figured if that's the case, why not take advantage of it? Why not go in debt for a few grand if all it is is numbers? If it's all an idea and nothing's really there, why not take advantage? So I just went along with it, that's all. I just played ball.