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Money where their mouth is??

What money?

You think it's easier to make a living wage and provide for a family of 4 as a sole wage earner now than it was in decades past?

I'll respectfully disagree.

No. And I didn't say that. I said "different", and yes there are more options. That doesn't mean it's easier, but it does mean there are fewer excuses.

You think it's easier to make a living wage and provide for a family of 4 as a sole wage earner now than it was in decades past?

I'll respectfully disagree.

It's just as easy if you want to live the way a lot of Boomers and their parents did. If you were born about mid-way through the Baby Boom, you came of age around 1975. You wanted a three bedroom, two bath house in the suburbs on a half-acre lot. If you got out of college and got married and went to work in a good job, you might have that and have it paid for by 1995 or so. You wanted maybe a truck for yourself and a car for your wife. The truck in say, 1985 was a standard cab that maybe had four wheel drive if you needed it. The car was an actual car, not an SUV that cost more than your truck. But if it was an SUV it was just a Bronco or Blazer, again with two doors. These vehicles and this house didn't cost what subsequent generations' expectations are now in the same things. They want a five bedroom, four bath house on a minimum of five acres, outside the city making commuting more difficult and expensive. The replacement wants for vehicles are a new truck for $50,000 (vs. about $15000 for what I described) and a new SUV for a minimum of the same vs. a $10,000 Impala. Hell you could get a brand new Impala for $16000 back about 2010 unless I'm mistaken. Nobody wanted one though. I'm not getting on the younger generation for wanting these things. Why not? But it's the Boomer's fault that they don't just get them handed to them? Give me a break.

If it's not easier, than why would there be fewer excuses? Not to pick an argument but that doesn't make sense to me.

It's just as easy if you want to live the way a lot of Boomers and their parents did. If you were born about mid-way through the Baby Boom, you came of age around 1975. You wanted a three bedroom, two bath house in the suburbs on a half-acre lot. If you got out of college and got married and went to work in a good job, you might have that and have it paid for by 1995 or so. You wanted maybe a truck for yourself and a car for your wife. The truck in say, 1985 was a standard cab that maybe had four wheel drive if you needed it. The car was an actual car, not an SUV that cost more than your truck. But if it was an SUV it was just a Bronco or Blazer, again with two doors. These vehicles and this house didn't cost what subsequent generations' expectations are now in the same things. They want a five bedroom, four bath house on a minimum of five acres, outside the city making commuting more difficult and expensive. The replacement wants for vehicles are a new truck for $50,000 (vs. about $15000 for what I described) and a new SUV for a minimum of the same vs. a $10,000 Impala. Hell you could get a brand new Impala for $16000 back about 2010 unless I'm mistaken. Nobody wanted one though. I'm not getting on the younger generation for wanting these things. Why not? But it's the Boomer's fault that they don't just get them handed to them? Give me a break.

I'm not saying it's easier to succeed. I'm saying it's easier to find options. The succeeding part is a separate issue. And just because it looks harder is no excuse, when so many options are available and easy to find. Yes, life is harder at tines, but that is no excuse for failing when fear of failure keeps you from trying other options.

you look at some big hitting issues for them - health care costs which affects all of us of course, housing and education

its not they don't have options, they just don't have as many options. Yea, they can join the military or go to a trade school, they can live in rural America in a 3/2 ranch if they are earning a professionals salary - but do they have the same options to get head at the same age we did?

I don't think its as clear cut as it may seem to some.

[quote=EthanEdwards]
It's just as easy if you want to live the way a lot of Boomers and their parents did. If you were born about mid-way through the Baby Boom, you came of age around 1975. You wanted a three bedroom, two bath house in the suburbs on a half-acre lot. If you got out of college and got married and went to work in a good job, you might have that and have it paid for by 1995 or so. You wanted maybe a truck for yourself and a car for your wife. The truck in say, 1985 was a standard cab that maybe had four wheel drive if you needed it. The car was an actual car, not an SUV that cost more than your truck. But if it was an SUV it was just a Bronco or Blazer, again with two doors. These vehicles and this house didn't cost what subsequent generations' expectations are now in the same things. They want a five bedroom, four bath house on a minimum of five acres, outside the city making commuting more difficult and expensive. The replacement wants for vehicles are a new truck for $50,000 (vs. about $15000 for what I described) and a new SUV for a minimum of the same vs. a $10,000 Impala. Hell you could get a brand new Impala for $16000 back about 2010 unless I'm mistaken. Nobody wanted one though. I'm not getting on the younger generation for wanting these things. Why not? But it's the Boomer's fault that they don't just get them handed to them? Give me a break.

Cost of education? I have to laugh about that. Yeah, in 1975 a year at a decent private college was $3500. But most of us were working for $2.10/hr after class and during the summer.

Sure, school cost has inflated drastically. But, if a kid can not find a job for $20.00/hr today for after school and summers, there is a good chance he/she is wasting their time and money in College anyway.

Using Michigan as an example....

In 1975-76, college loans comprised only 17% of financial aid dollars distributed to U.S. college students. By 2015-16, loans comprised 42% of financial aid.

In 1975-76, the maximum Pell grant (then called the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant) was $1,400 -- enough to cover tuition at a public university and some housing expenses. Today's maximum Pell Grant is $5,920, less than half the tuition costs at a Michigan public university.


According to the U.S. Department of Labor. , U.S. assembly-line work paid an average of $4 to $6 an hour in 1976, equivalent to $17 to $25 an hour in today's dollars.

Twelve weeks of full-time work at $4 an hour could generate more than $1,900 in summer earnings -- enough to cover average tuition, room and board at a Michigan public university.

You're saying hey, we made minimum wage in '76 and today they should get a job paying twice that much if they want to go to school - doesn't seem apples to apples

And more kids going to college than in the 60's, and many for the wrong reasons. Colleges have duped a whole generation with their scam, and the cost is their doingm as well. Don't blame that on anyone but the people perpetrating the scam, and those falling for it.

Mostly our definitions of lower class, middle class, and upper class have changed. Middle class used to mean two to three kids in a bedroom and a purchase of one used car per family, which was parked in the driveway.

not sure who is blaming the boomers for more kids going to college.

Exactly how I remember my childhood. And my parents always identified as middle class.

lol

Swing and a miss

I'm not arguing one way or another. America is still the best country on earth. If you have the heart and work ethic and backbone you can rise from the lowest tier of society to the highest. Opportunity is there. No doubt about it.

But the decent paying jobs at the mill/factory/mine/etc that was there in your home town in decades past is largely gone. The effort it used to take to reach upper middle class is now required to meet middle to lower middle class.

There is a reason the commies message resonates with kids, and it's not just because they are _____ pick your insulting label. Yeah a bunch of them are lazy worthless fugks, but who raised them? hmmm?????? And they ain't all lazy fugks. some just want to be able to work a 9-5 and have a modest little home and a wife than can stay home and watch the kiddos. That ain't an easy thing to do anymore, to put it mildly.