[thackney]

What it means is that the only way we can continue to consume

I would also point out it means our GDP is become less a function of commodities and more a function of services and increasing value from the original commodity.

[CowboyJay]

"increasing value from the original commodity"

The problem is, we're getting worse at that as a country, not better. That's why our GDP is in decline in relation to anything real. We're not creating enough real wealth or tradeable value that can be exchanged to afford the basic economic inputs we're using up, so we have to borrow forward against future production.

We've been kiting checks for gas money the last 15 years, and our creditors (individually, and nationally) are starting to put their foot down.