ConsumerCredit

U.S. consumers swiped their credit cards more often in March and took out more loans to attend school, driving overall borrowing up by the most in more than a decade. Total consumer borrowing rose $21.4 billion in March, the Federal Reserve said Monday. That's the seventh straight monthly increase and the largest since November 2001.

Credit is ever so personal, and ultimately it's your responsibility -- but it's not solely about you. Your state's creditworthiness can impact you too. For that reason, CardRatings.com's recently released rankings of the 10 Best and Worst States for Consumer Credit is worth a look-see.

Your credit card issuer already knows whether you have a pet, watch porn or garden in your spare time. But what they are most interested in are changes in your spending patterns. Start shopping at the dollar store instead of Williams-Sonoma and they may just take that as a sign of financial hardship -- a fear that could cause them to cap the credit limit on the account or close it altogether.

Well why not? What if they outlawed credit cards? Would the world end? Would it be financial Armageddon? Would we shuffle from food line to water queue in our now-tattered $250 blue jeans? It's never gonna happen, we know. So play along with me here. I'm not talking about business credit. That's an...

If George W. Bush wants to do something to stimulate the economy and cement a positive legacy for himself, I have his magic solution right here. If he could get this done, he'd salvage his entire presidency. I'll warn you right up front though, Democrats won't like this idea. So, if you are of the...