Well . . .

1. Credit card companies had to do a lot of advertising in the beginning and they still do, though not nearly as much. Most credit cards offer incentives to use them. There were a lot of events that have led to where we are now and though it seems incomprehensible, the situation as is did not develop irrationally. Unfortunately, I am only passingly familiar with how things happened, but I do know that doing things like being able to borrow against one's property allows people to buy bigger things and allows banks to function the way they do now. Perhaps someone more directly involved with finance can better answer this one. @_refugee_ @ might know.

2. Again, this did not come about without cause. Remember, that the U.S. was not always the way it is now and from what I recall, leaving at 18 was initially because it was difficult for families to support children. The U.S. for a long time, was primarily composed of farmers who tended to have large families and 18 was seen as the age when one would start to really earn money. Later, 18 was about the age when people went to university and then jobs. Also, remember that most Americans do not maintain strong relationships with their extended families and that many people were (and still are) immigrants, so large extended families may not have existed for those people.