Well, yes, European workers have it much better and I know this, because I'm married to a European.

But I'm telling you -- Americans are, by and large, not suffering because they just can't stop blowing money. They are suffering because they cannot cover the cost of living, even though they're working themselves into an early grave. My Dutch husband remarked, when he first moved here, that the boss I had at the time would be in jail for the hours he had me working.

I wasn't blowing any money at all. It took every penny I could grub up to pay for the most basic living expenses.