Exactly.

Upper middle class in the in the mid 1980's: When our company's VP bought a 3,500 square foot home, it was almost a scandal..."Just who does he think he is?"

In the 2000's: That isn't even considered big for a house, let alone big enough to receive comments over. And truly, who really needs a house bigger than that?

Yes, I sometimes think, in fact, that perhaps the silver lining of this recession will be a scaling back of this out of control consumption as a model. (Well, I have to have some silver lining on which to focus as I watch my carefully accumulated retirement accounts evaporate).