IV. Speaking Out
MODEL 1 Shop till you drop.
Susan: Still reading about how the bubble’s going to burst in the U.S. economy?
John: Yeah, and this is an interesting article called, “Shop Till You Drop.”
Susan: The rhyme between “shop” and “drop” is cathy, but what does it mean?
John: “Shop” and “drop”? You know: buy, buy, and buy, until you fall down from exhaustion.
Susan: Is that what the author is telling people to do—go out and spend money.
John: No, he’s afraid that consumer consumption is too high at 70 percent of the GDP.
Susan: You mean 70 percent of the gross domestic product in the United States?
John: That’s right. France and Japan are worried with 55 percent of the GDP.
Susan: What’s behind this big rush to buy things in America?
John: I Apparently the search for status symbols: luxury cars, holiday homes.
Susan: Amazing. So many people earn enough to buy a Mercedes and two houses.
John: They don’t; they buy on credit. And too much debt may burst the bubble.
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