[BuckRogers]

I'd argue you can't "win" in any form, if you're in debt. That's like trying to lose your way to the top of a ranked competition. You never move up the ladder of life by losing.

Broadly speaking, it's a position of weakness and servitude. It's a similar suggestion that if you're deep in debt, you "win" if you get hit in the head with a baseball bat. Sure, you enjoyed spending the money and now you're mentally deficient so you got away with not having to pay it off, but you've still been beaten over the head with a bat.

But ultimately, even if my view is an inaccurate description of reality, what you're saying is true, but I'd argue it's still a net loss. The end-goal over a lifetime of earning is to be in the black, not red. It's difficult to lose your way to the top. Wages don't track inflation (contrary to those 2% raises a year, because salaries are suppressed from downward pressure on wages). So the relatively short time someone is in debt doesn't outweigh the time spent out of debt thus the advantage you speak of isn't worth it.

All that said, debt is not inherently bad.. but that's another discussion and not in the context of this discussion.