One relevant piece of information to put this into context is the number of dual-income households in the US has doubled in the time period we're talking about.

One relevant piece of information to put this into context is the number of dual-income households in the US has doubled in the time period we're talking about. Yet the percentage of household income spent on housing, transportation, energy, etc. has increased. The problem we're having now is they've running out of rabbits to pull out of their hat. The US government has been on a spending spree for the past 40+ years and running up a huge tab, and US households are now dual-income households and have just about maxed out their employment options. Then what?