End of the American Dream

[rodeosweetheart]

When my parents were young and first married (1950's), my Dad, with only a GED, made enough money to own a house and allow my Mom to stay at home. He didn't have a fancy white collar job either. That scenario does not happen today. A high school graduate working full time at a minimum wage job (or even a couple of dollars above minimum) can barely afford to pay rent on a one bedroom apartment. I'd hardly say that's a spending problem. It's a everything-has-increased-in-price-except-wages problem. Minimum wage jobs are only meant to be for high school and college students (as most conservative politicians say)? Tell that to my husband (48) who has a masters degree and has to work two part time low wage jobs to equate one full time one because its impossible to find higher paying "career" jobs here. I've worked at my job (office job) for 13 years and only this year finally hit $15.00/hr. We're fortunate that we live in a state that has one of the lowest costs of living in the country, otherwise we'd be screwed financially. And to hint that we're lazy and it's our own fault for making so little really makes me see red.

+1

[Gregg]

When my parents were young and first married (1950's), my Dad, with only a GED, made enough money to own a house and allow my Mom to stay at home. He didn't have a fancy white collar job either. That scenario does not happen today. A high school graduate working full time at a minimum wage job (or even a couple of dollars above minimum) can barely afford to pay rent on a one bedroom apartment. I'd hardly say that's a spending problem. It's a everything-has-increased-in-price-except-wages problem. Minimum wage jobs are only meant to be for high school and college students (as most conservative politicians say)? Tell that to my husband (48) who has a masters degree and has to work two part time low wage jobs to equate one full time one because its impossible to find higher paying "career" jobs here. I've worked at my job (office job) for 13 years and only this year finally hit $15.00/hr. We're fortunate that we live in a state that has one of the lowest costs of living in the country, otherwise we'd be screwed financially. And to hint that we're lazy and it's our own fault for making so little really makes me see red.

+1 Emphasis mine.

[bae]

It's a everything-has-increased-in-price-except-wages problem.

Might want to take a gander at the data on median household income over the past N decades:

[bae]

Note the fun fact that you can cherry-pick smaller timeframes from this dataset, and change the scaling on the axes to convey your particular marketing message...

[Ultralight]

Endless economic growth on a finite planet is not possible.

Obviously wealth inequality is a major issue. But I think everyone from "successful working class" on up the class hierarchy needs to learn to be happier with much less.

[iris lilies]

...Obviously wealth inequality is a major issue....

That's not obvious to me, but I salute those marketers of victim hood who have managed to implant the phrase "wealth inequality" in the brains of most Americans. That is an awesome accomplishment in just a few short years.

[Alan]

That's not obvious to me, but I salute those marketers of victim hood who have managed to implant the phrase "wealth inequality" in the brains of most Americans. That is an awesome accomplishment in just a few short years.

It's been over 50 years since Kurt Vonnegut published Harrison Bergeron. Luckily, we don't yet have a "Handicapper General' to enforce mandatory leveling, although Bergeron was set in the late 2000's so there's still time.

[Ultralight]

It's been over 50 years since Kurt Vonnegut published Harrison Bergeron. Luckily, we don't yet have a "Handicapper General' to enforce mandatory leveling, although Bergeron was set in the late 2000's so there's still time.

K-Von was a democratic socialist and a secular humanist!

[Williamsmith]

Income levels are pretty inconsequential really. What is significant is the debt of younger adults. Student loan debt being the most offensive. Doesn't 6.8 % seem a bit abusive to you? Yet many current student loans are that high. And now they get out of college and the easiest way to get rid of that debt is to join the military. How convenient to let the debtors fight and die for the lenders. Or they go to their parents and now that great retirement plan gets put on hold maybe a decade. It can't be stopped with political elections and it can't be stopped by revolution (not enough firearms in the world to take on the military).

It will only be stopped by eliminating the dependency we have chosen to be a part of. So what if the masses decide not to participate in the buy, buy, buy and more, more, more. What if we say, we are satisfied. Go sell your crap to somebody else willing to go in debt to you for it. What if we bring them down to our level. Just simply live and starve the rich bastards to death.

[Ultralight]

It's been over 50 years since Kurt Vonnegut published Harrison Bergeron. Luckily, we don't yet have a "Handicapper General' to enforce mandatory leveling, although Bergeron was set in the late 2000's so there's still time.

Also, they made a movie of that story back in the early 1990s. And I think they made one recently...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2081_(film)