There are people that work with me that live paycheck to paycheck, with lots of debt. I'm looked at as a personal finance guru and cheapskate. I tell them what they need to do, and how they need to do it to improve their financial situations. But when they get their bonus checks and tax returns they just waste them, instead of eliminating high interest debt.

Some people choose to be in the situations they are in, and will gladly choose to stay in them, even when opportunity to improve comes.

As a society we need to concentrate our efforts on helping the willing improve, get educated, and get jobs.