Housing costs punish family budgets - USATODAY.com

When you increase fixed costs (be they debt, taxes, or whatever) you increase risk since a very minor slowdown is so magnified (rememebr debt makes good times great, bad times horrible).

Thus, this USATODAY article is a partial (and obviously after the fact) look at what is causing so many problems in the sub prime mortgage markets.

Housing costs punish family budgets - USATODAY.com:

"For some, the financial burden is far worse: 14% of homeowners with mortgages — more than 7 million households — shell out at least half their gross monthly income to cover their home loan, property taxes, insurance and utilities, up from 10% in 2000."