Thanksgiving—around the world, there is a tendency to associate that holiday solely with the United States, but we must not forget that our Canadian neighbors to the north also celebrate the feast, albeit in October rather than in November.

It’s not unusual these days to celebrate the birthdays of friends and relatives who are entering the decade of octogenarians. In point of fact, a baby born in this country today is fully expected to reach the age of eighty, and while it is definitely a pleasing milestone birthday, it is less of an “achievement” than it was half or even a quarter of a century ago.

When it comes to the matter of debt—be it Government, corporate, or consumer—one can read endless tomes on the subject regarding both its value and its risks. Countries, empires and dynasties have risen and fallen on account of the wise and the not-so-wise use of borrowing…