As recently as last week, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit Europe. It has been four years since I was last there and a lot has changed. One of the greatest surprises was being welcomed as an American. On my previous visit, my family and I were spit at in Italy. Now they yell, “We Love Obama.”

Now that I am a little older, I became aware of something that was hardly on my radar during my earlier trip but was very evident this time around. In Europe the culture is all about living within your means. Americans, in particular, pride themselves on over indulgence. We even praise the Paris Hilton  types who are able to achieve the American dream without having to ever lift a finger. The