Yes - one of the questions is just how far over-extended are most of the people who live in the exurbs?  I often have the impression of people working 2 jobs long distances away, and leveraged up the wazoo with variable rate debit.  But I don't know how much of this is really true.

Also, if we run electric light rail lines to these communities, they will remain viable to some extent.  I would expect them to eveolve into actual towns if they are to survive.

If the dollar collapses overnight you don't need to worry about credit card debt. We are in completely uncharted territory.
The most dangerous words in financial booms are "This time it's different!". But the bust after the boom is always different. Compare 1900+, 1929+, 1966+, and 2001+. Each was different.

Don't expect to have an administration that would do anything like that. If something hits the media in a big way (like the Ports story or China buying an oil company)they will block it for PR gain but basically the days are long past when the USA was concerned about where the money comes from. In fact, with the exception of some tax havens like the Caymans, the global elite have more control over the USA than any other first world country and they have no intention of giving it up.  

I actually did start last year. I wish I had started in 2001 when my paranoid (I thought) economist friends told me to.