It may well be true that *some* (hell, many) Americans fall prey to materialism & usury, but *all* of us have to live with the industrialized world's worst conditions for the average working citizen.
We don't have adequate public transporation and therefore *need* our cars, our health coverage (if we have any at all) is expensive and limited, and we get *way* less paid time off from work than our counterparts across the pond.
Living within one's means and resisting the lure of every new gadget that appears on the Shopping Channel does *not* help one get a quick convenient ride to work, better hospitalization coverage, or more vacation time.