Only in America? Our greatest health challenge isn't starvation, it's obesity. And despite the dire warnings of populists, the greatest material challenge of the American middle class may be too much stuff.

Some people will tell you that the American middle class is being squeezed by greedy corporations and corrupt politicians. David Strom, president of the Minnesota Free Market Institute, sees the rise of economic populism, and says that it is the greatest threat to our continued prosperity.

Do the popuulists have a case?

It is true that Americans are being squeezed. But they're being squeezed by their overflow of too much stuff.

So says a study from UCLA anthropology professor Jeanne Arnold, who poked into the garages of a group of middle-class families and observed how much time they spent in their backyard pools.

Author Jeanne Arnold says that for the families she looked at, "most cars can't fit in garages because they're too full of clutter from the house." Further, she said "(f)rom construction materials to excess furniture and toys, storage of material goods has become an overwhelming burden for most middle-class families." She estimates that 75% of families in Southern California suffer a "storage crisis."

Think that debt is piled on by sneaky mortgage brokers and other evil doers? Think again. Arnold concludes that many families in her study " seem to fuel their stress and frustration by buying more possessions than their homes can absorb, adding to their debt."