Mark Cuban is a good source for the "every man" point of view as his views on things are largely incorrect and shallow. I take his opinion on this device as a kid pacifier very seriously. I believe many other people might be similarly inclined. "Here kids. Go play with your iPad." No kids installing virus software, no tech support needed. It's like a Fisher-Price computer.
Amazon.com delivers product suggestions by profiling you. Google provides better search results by profiling your search history. How can this be a bad thing for you?
Buying local works for things that are unique and unavailable outside the "local" context. So, the local pizza joint or local dining chain may be successful in getting people to "buy local" but the mom and pop retailer selling Tide detergent or Whirlpool will likely not, since they add no value aside from being a local business.
Local businesses must provide something beyond what can be provided by national or regional chains. People will not spend more money simply to subsidize an inefficient business.
The fact is, credit needs to be tightened up. People like Cunningham get in over their heads. That's on them. The onus of extending risk to such borrowers is on the lenders. These lawsuits are just going to be another factor in calculating risk, which will ultimately, one would hope, tighten up credit.
Rampant, aggressive debt collection is just the flipside of loose credit and lending.