not in the least
the average consumer buys a lot of shit he does not need, including the average middle class consumer. and although middle class Americans don't all buy "McMansions" they do buy houses they can not afford, do remodels they can not afford, take vacations they can not afford, buy boats, RVs, ATVs, continually replace appliances, spend money on restuarants, entertainment etc. The average middle class American has no control over spending. The article you cited is bullshit, like anything you spew on this site.
And life for the average American is a whole fuck lot better than it is for most of the world.