It's certainly easy to blame generation X. I certainly do and I think I am a member of generation X. I believe like an earlier letter writer feel that many of these underemployed, debt saddled youths are the children of privilege - enough privilege to do them a disservice, but not enough to be a trust fund baby. Kids from less affluent backgrounds are often more aware of the tradeoffs that need to be made.

However at the same time I am sympathetic. Kids are sent mixed messages. On one hand we are told to pursue what we love which may mean a degree in Archeology. On the other we're told to get a well paying job. The latter doesn't usually follow from the former. At the same time we're inundated with more credit, and more images of consumerism. You're not living if you're not driving a slick import, and sipping on the best vodka from Europe. While these pressures have always existed, I do believe the volume of media exposure has increased. Not everyone can have it all, and if you go by what you see on TV that's what it tells you. You don't live like Carrie Bradshaw making what a columnist makes. Hell, that's if you can even get a job as columnist.

Young people need to be given realistic representations of what life is like, or at least educated on the matter. Parents often because of their desire to provide for their children, and because they want give their children options that didn't have instead do them wrong by providing a safety blanket. For anyone who hasn't read the Millionaire's Mind, it does a much better job of illustrating what it takes to do financially well. Hint - it doesn't necessarily involve making a lot of money.

Before the calls for a divorce overwhelm this mailbox, let us remember the LW said this wasn't a deal breaker. It's obviously an issue he has. Is it superficial? Yes. Is unreasonable? Not particularly in the context his sexual attraction. Sexual attraction is a strange thing. Hairy legs don't do it for the guy.

In a healthy relationship, one does not just act in accordance to one's own desires but the desires of the other. The LW and his wife need to figure out what's more important: not having to shave legs and sacraficing some level of sexual attraction on the LW's part or having better sexual attraction with the added burden of leg shaving. They need to negotiate the matter. What would it take for the wife to shave her legs? And if not that what would it take to make the LW forget about the hairy legs?

I'm all for greenhouse gases to be priced in. I work for an Energy company, and while obviously there are segments of the industry that would stand to be hurt including my own company, higher electricity prices would be a ggreat boon to others. However, before everyone piles on the electrcity generating companies for polluting the environment, consumers and politicians must be willing to accept the consequences for tighter controls: Higher Electricity prices, much higher electricty prices. Higher electricity prices are not politically palapable. Given the run up in oil prices and other energy prices, electricity prices need to go higher but everytime the utilities go before the the state Public Utility Commision to raise rates all kinds of opposition is met in the interest of protecting the consumer. Working in the industry, I know first hand that not all power companies are reaping these huge windfalls from the recent strong energy prices. It takes energy to make energy. And deregulation on the the residential consumer level never took off, so residential consumers still go about their merry way thinking that cheap electricity is a god given right. It's not. The industry as a whole has no reason to oppose controls that would raise the price of product who's demand is generally speaking inelastic. It's the consumers that must be educated and readied to that reality as it is them that benefit the most from the lack of CO2 regulation.

Bankruptcy would be the dumbest thing to do. I'm not an expert on bankrupcty, but it ruins your credit for years (I believe at least 7) and even after that your credit is still terrible. Forget about getting an apt in New York after the landlords check your credit history. Besides, $4500 in credit card debt and another $2500 to landlord debt is really not that bad. If you're serious about moving to New York, pay down the debt. Talk to your old landlord about working something out so that he or she doesn't call a collection agency. Talk to your credit card company and see if they will work out a lower interest rate.

Most importantly, have a plan. Have a plan to save money, even it means making sacrifices. And finally, have a plan on when you are going to New York and what that means. Worry about the 'hows' and 'whens' rather than the 'whats'. While I don't want to sound like a plug, read David Bach's "Smart Women Finish Rich". My girlfriend, along with other women I know, felt it really did speak to them. At 25, you're still young and in pretty good shape, just pay off your credit card and landlord debt and don't make things worse by declaring bankruptcy.