We are becoming a nation of hamburger flippers.  The collapse in the markets has been linked by some observers to the bloating of the financial sector which has led to the formation of a "casino society" in the West and particularly in north America.  This "bloat" has been linked to the legalization of usury.  Usury even in ancient societies was viewed as a social evil that ought to be contained by legal restraints.  The returns available from usury (think credit cards and payday loans as two salient examples) has caused the returns from the much risk