I'd submit that the entire economy is a Ponzi to a large extent because of the over-reliance on the idea of "growth." Everyone has been sold the bag of good that unless we have MORE next week, next month, next year, we are somehow failing.

But when you look at it objectively... I need ONE toaster oven, ONE car, ONE bed, ONE loaf of bread and so on... and pitching me the idea that I need "5% more" next year is pretty much lunacy, and yet 95% of the world operates under the growth assumption.

I don't much care about bankers; we trade and barter for half the stuff we use there days...