Storm is COMING!!

[yuiyoshida]

https://twitter.com/CanProveIt/status/644461026692440064

[leveymg]

1. Gawd, I hope so.

What took so long?

[progressoid]

2. Rec!

[Scuba]

3. K and effing R

[CoffeeCat]

4. I live in an upper-middle class suburb...

…three of the three kids who have gone to college, from our neighborhood--are back home now living with their parents. All of them.

I swear I'm not being an Alice Kravitz. I hope the best for these kids and their families. However, this didn't used to happen. People went to college, got jobs and moved into their own lives.

Kids are boomeranging back into their parents homes because the deck is stacked against them making it on their own.

We've got two kids in high school…and as is paying for college isn't scary enough--we've got their post-college struggles to be concerned about.

What's going to happen to this generation???

[daleanime]

5. I, for one, don't want to see....

Two generations do worst then their parents.

[mnhtnbb]

8. I have a number of friends who have adult kids living at home

after trying to make it in San Francisco or Denver or Memphis. One of them--after 18 months of
living at home in Dallas with mom, signed up for an intensive web designing program in New York.
Finished the program and immediately got a job. (He was a U of VA grad). Another one is
living at home with parents--working--but developed really out of control spending habits
when in Denver due to a high maintenance girl friend. Yet another one has struggled with
depression all his life and after trying SF, couldn't do it, returned home to the northeast
and hasn't been able to hold a job or stay in school--community college. Yet another
one has an adult child at home who got out of the Navy and didn't know what to do with
himself. He's living at home and going to college--studying video technology--and looks like
he will finish college and hopefully, be able to find a job.

So there are a lot of other things going on out there that result in kids moving home, and I think
in some cases it's not knowing what to do with their lives, where they want to live, what they want
to do or how to manage financially even AFTER being out in the world on their own for a while.

[canoeist52]

12. Well, in the old days, they could afford to experience all that angst in their own appartment!

[questionseverything]

33. exactly

now my cable bill is higher than my first apartment and rent included 2 out of the 3 utilities i needed

[C Moon]

17. My next door neighbor is a 73 year old man who works at an auto parts store...

his daughter had 4 kids. Bad marriage, and she was basically out on the street (was actually sleeping under the tree in front of our house for awhile, because he was mad at her); Anyway, she left the kids with him.
The children are in their early-mid 20's and living with him—unable to find work to sustain living on their own.
He's well into his retirement age, and is raising kids and working.
His wife has bad medical problems (basically can't walk).
He really is quite a nice guy—and guess what?: a Republican.

Sorry: my comment went every which way; but what I was saying is that there really are no jobs that can get many of these young people out on their own.

[Skittles]

75. used to be you did not HAVE to move home to make it

[CoffeeCat]

107. Exactly…I remember during the summers in college...

…I could get a full-time, minimum-wage job--and make a living. I could make a payment on a modest, used car and pay for my rent, utilities, groceries and I had enough to live on and buy clothes and other essentials.

Seriously. I doubt that could be done now.

I also remember growing up in the 1970's in our "Wonder Years" neighborhood. The guy down the street was a convenience-store manager. He raised a family, they took vacations, had nice cars and he paid for their college. He wasn't a white-collar worker. He was an average working guy. Our neighborhood was filled with people like this. Teachers, factory workers, blue-collar workers, people who worked in manufacturing jobs. They made a decent living.

Now, people who work in many of those jobs--are barely making it.

Our standard of living is too high today, as well. As someone mentioned--if you want cable, internet and a cell phone--that's $200 a month. Grocery prices…don't even get me started. Everything costs too much.

[Enthusiast]

11. The government needs to value American jobs. Not foreign manufacturing that profits the few.

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[1monster]

49. My son is taking one or two classes a semester. That is his choice and I wish he would

do more. But at the same time, I'm grateful that he isn't because I don't think I could afford it if he did. But at this rate, it'll take him six more years to finish his A.A. and ten years after that for his B.A. He is making really good grades thought; I'm hoping he'll get a full ride scholarship for his junior and senior years.

[davidpdx]

85. That must be frustrating for him that it is taking so long, but at the same time he's lucky you can

help to some degree. My parents weren't able to help me even with undergraduate and I'm knee deep in debt. Just finished my doctoral degree, so I probably don't even need to say a number for you to imagine it.

[1monster]

87. A friend's daughter finished law school with a $90,000 srudent debt...

She is not able to practice the kind of law she studied... she has to work in a law firm that will allow her to pay that off before attempting to follow her goals.

[davidpdx]

91. Mine are higher than that

To get a law degree she only went to school twice, undergrad and law school. I have a bachelor's, master's, and doctorate which is why mine is more. Still that is a lot. I know I'll never pay them off and am not worried about it. They are forgiven after 25 years and if they get the laws changed I may be able to get them discharged sooner through bankruptcy. I don't live in the country anymore so my credit rating doesn't matter (though I check it to make sure the student loans are the only thing on there).

[coolepairc]

60. I feel the same way

I've noticed a general sense of pessimism among friends with grown children for their kids' future. Growing up, I remember older people saying things like "what I'd give to be your age again" to me with some regularity. I have never looked at young people today and thought that.

[Skittles]

78. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd think I am glad to be older

but I am

it is a sad state of affairs indeed - it should not be that way

[flygal]

67. This was actually a thing in the early nineties too

I remember People magazine (before they were super trashy) had an article about college educated adults living at home paying off loans and guess what - I was one of them too! I didn't feel weird, I do think our neighbors thought so as none of their kids were back home. But I did alright and don't see anything wrong with it as long the parties involved are alright with it.

[stage left]

6. K&R

Absolutely crazy.

[olddots]

7. the American dream lasted from 1950 to 1964

the rest of the scam is totall bull shit and getting worse everyday .

[philosslayer]

15. Tell that to any African American alive at that time

They would beg to differ. You have a myopic view of the world.

[mnhtnbb]

16. maybe for white males, but not so hot for women or anyone else of color.

[roguevalley]

29. he perhaps meant it generally. there is no one including me who lived it who doesn't

know that POC and women got screwed over. I will default to the concept of good intentions on that post. I hope we don't have to parse every tiny participle to ensure that our posts are understood the way they were probably intended.

[bettyellen]

103. good intentions? It is at best, a form of blindness about the lives of the majority of Democrats...

and significant, because the blindness persists to this day.

[kelliekat44]

24. You dreamed the American Dream but it was only a dream. nt

[BumRushDaShow]

36. My black WWII vet father could not use his GI Bill

housing benefit to move to any Levittown (or any other Dick and Jane white picket fence housing development with a Spot and a Puff) during that purported "American Dream" era. Nor could my black mother, with a secondary education degree teach in any high schools in Philadelphia in the '50s until after Brown v Board of Ed (and even then, new barriers were thrown up on her and her generation of black teacher friends). And high school teachers were paid more than elementary teachers so it was the "sucks to be you" time for black teachers through the '50s, '60s and '70s here before things started to change.

I suppose the "American Dream™" for blacks was that we could just go and sit down at a lunch counter without whites spitting on us or throwing shit at us or refusing to serve us or sticking us by the kitchen to get hit by the door every time a waiter came out.

[upaloopa]

43. I grew up in the 50's and 60's.

Our city, Dayton Ohio was racially segregated. I grew up not knowing anything about the Black community only what my racist dad told me. I caddied at a White Protestant country club. We rode the busses with the Black maids who worked at the big homes on the road to the country club. I felt like I was a servant too but I had it a better than the maids. I was curious about how they lived so I would ride my bike to the Black part of town to learn for myself what was what. I didn't know much about what I was seeing but I knew my dad was lying to me about why things were the way they were.

[BumRushDaShow]

61. My BIL's family is from Dayton

and I have been there a few times. His mother, sister, and one of his brothers are still there, although he and a lot his friends left (but he and my sister go back several times a year to visit). Joe Madison, who is a black SiriusXM talk host (who often appears on MSNBC) was born and raised in Dayton and talks about his time growing up there in the '50s & 60s (he just turned 66 this year and he often talks about Roosevelt High vs Dunbar high where the black kids went, although I believe he said that he went to Roosevelt - and was on the football team). Of course some of the most famous funk groups came out of Dayton (e.g., Ohio Players, Lakeside, Slave, Zapp, etc).

[Yavin4]

55. That 'Golden Age' was in response to global Communism

The powers-that-be at the time did everything to make like easy and comfortable for the vast White American (and European) middle class so as to squash any political will for either Socialism or Communism.

[raccoon]

81. Your post is certainly thought-provoking. You may be onto something there. nt

[Yavin4]

101. The powers that be at the time borrowed Socialist ideas but sold them to the public as Capitalism

Allowing organizing worker collectives and allowing collective bargaining is a Socialist idea. Expanding government programs like the GI bill and Medicare, these are Socialist ideas, but they were sold to the public as Capitalism.

In the 80s, the powers that be used White resentment towards the Civil Rights and Womens equality movements to elect Ronald Reagan whose job it was to destroy the protections of the middle class.

Finally, once the Soviet Union fell in the early 90s, there was no longer any incentives to maintain a fat and happy American middle class, and here we are today.

[raccoon]

105. Interesting line of thought. Your thoughts or from some other source? nt

[Yavin4]

106. These are my thoughts.

Economics drive politics. Go back to the 1930s, extreme economic dysfunction lead to extreme politics at the time. FDR figured out that the way to rescue Capitalism and democracy was to give the average man a stake in the economy.

[bettyellen]

57. not for women, not for POC- and WOW that WE never occurred to you to consider.

[Skittles]

76. correct

the nostalgia is purely for white American men

[nikto]

70. Let's not forget the real name for "The American Dream" ...

The New Deal.

[Major Hogwash]

72. About the same time they killed JFK.

The MIC was the most aggressive cabal ever formed in the U.S.

If they can kill the President . . . what's to stop them from reshaping Congress, and restructuring America?

[Enthusiast]

9. Kicked and recommended to the Max!

And the only Republicans solutions are more war, lower taxes and fewer regulations.

[LiberalArkie]

23. The reason for war is simple. If there was a smaller military, there would be a chance

for a rebellion as there would be way too many young people at home out of work.

[madokie]

10. In 1977 I was operating a dozer

making 12 bucks an hour. How to people get by with todays wages. I'm way over here in Oklahoma where the cost of living is low compared to either of the coasts.

[Enthusiast]

14. They will not be stimulating the economy with so few discretionary dollars to spend.

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[druidity33]

62. my neighbor

gets about $32 an hour for dozer and crane work. But he's really good.

[C Moon]

13. My brother lost his job, and after looking for an admin position via temp agencies...

he sadly stated that the pay is the same for temp admin work, as it was 20 years ago.
I'd bet heavily that the salaries for CEOs of these temp agencies isn't the same as it was 20 years ago.

[Angry Dragon]

46. CEO salary used to be 30 times average worker ----- now it is anywhere

between 300-350 times

[laundry_queen]

73. I believe that

My mom 25 years ago had an admin position for a small office of 6 people and she made $28,000/yr. She only had a high school diploma. She answered phones, took orders and did some basic accounting and typing.

I have a degree. My position is a specialized type of accounting clerk for which a degree is pretty necessary. I work for a corporate head office. I make barely $5,000 more a year than my mom did. I have worse benefits and even less time off.

I started my job with more experience and education than she had, my position is considerably more complex and higher up. And I barely make more than she did.

It's frustrating because during that time, minimum wage in my area has more than doubled. Yet starting salary for office jobs has remained pretty much the same, and STILL they expect more education and everyone seems to want more than 2-3 years experience to start. Crazy.

[smirkymonkey]

97. I recently thought that I would have to be looking for another job

and when I looked at what companies were paying, I was shocked! They were paying on the low end what I made 20 years ago and the high end didn't come anywhere near what I make now after being at my company for 10 years. It's terrifying to think you could be out there again, know that you will never make the same salary again and that life just keeps getting more and more expensive.

[SoapBox]

18. Damned f'ing landlords!

They literally drove 2 of our business locations OUT of business, with their rent increases during the recession.

One...rent started at $750...by time we shut it down, rent was $2500.

Second one...we bought it on January 1, 2006...rent was $2000...closed it in very late 2010...the creep had raised it to $5500 per month.

Neither landlord would cut use any slack, while business were folding right and left.

I HATE these filthy assholes...they are a dirty little secret inAmerica and they are a huge part of what is wrong.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

19. You bought the second business in 2006? Also, what type of place

were you renting? Was it a commercial location?

[camelfan]

22. Yeah, the free market ain't so free, is it?

Supply and demand? When the only demand comes from techies who move into places and drive up the price of everything, something is truly fucked up. Can't wait to see Alexandra Pelosi's take on that...San Francisco 2.0.

[jwirr]

27. Cost of housing is a big part of the problems today.

Plus the type of homes we have been taught to want - think Ma & Pa Kettle and HGTV.

If you drive through our community and look at the oldest homes they are huge 2 story 4 bedroom homes that were built during the hay days when business was booming. They belonged to the CEOs of the time.

There are also the smallest homes that housed their workers. One story with at most two bedrooms and maybe a basement. The one I live in had one bedroom and a living area that included the kitchen. That part of the house has a basement. Two bedrooms were added later. Often times they built the basement first to live in while they then added the one bedroom living area to it. Much of the work on these homes was done by the owner himself.

Then in the late 50s came the ranch style home with 3 bedrooms and a basement. Bigger, Better and More became the slogan. These came with 30 year loans. The difference was more space and a bedroom for mom and dad and two or three kids. More kids were accommodated by a girls room and a boys room.

From then on we were convinced that we needed bigger and bigger homes until today all you have to do is watch HGTV and you see what we think we need today. It comes as no surprise to me that so many of the people looking for housing on HGTV are rich. They are the only ones who can afford the kind of houses that the bankers are willing to finance today.

IMO the little house movement is the best thing that has happened in the housing industry lately. While everyone cannot live in a little house at least we are getting away from the idea that we need a mansion to live in.

And by the way I do not see living in a two or three generation home is such a bad thing.

I remember my grandmothers both had their children living with them. One lived with her widowed daughter in her little house because they needed to use their combined income in order to be able to live anywhere. The other had the same problems and here two single daughters lived with her to supplement the income. I lived in my parents home when I first got divorced and they lived with me when I went to college so that they could help with childcare. Mother came to live with me when she was old because she needed care. Today I am living with my grandson because he needs the extra money to pay the rent.

My family always saw it as being an extended family.
We have never stopped being an extended family. And I actually hope we never do.

One of the big problems I see with government housing programs is that they are still demanding the Bigger Better and More ideal. They are giving loans to people for those HGTV houses when they are dealing with poor families. They are ignoring those who would be perfectly happy in smaller housing which they could actually afford.

[raccoon]

82. Great post. I notice the same thing, when I was a kid, many 3 or 4 kid families

had houses with 3 bedrooms and one bath. Unthinkable today. We've been
conditioned to bigger and more, as you said.

However, I disagree here.

And by the way I do not see living in a two or three generation home is such a bad thing.

My family lived with my paternal grandmother until she died. It was NOT a happy situation.
I'm sure in some cases it can be, but I think most of us wouldn't want to live with our in-laws.

[jwirr]

95. I see your point. My mothe in-law hated me to the

day she died.

[SheilaT]

34. I don't know what your business was,

but I'm often surprised that so many are renting, rather than buying the location. I suppose the economics of most businesses simply don't allow for the purchase of the place.

Here in Santa Fe two very popular restaurants were forced to relocate after many years in the same locations (I think about twenty for one, and about thirty for the other) because of either a raise in rent or a non-renewal of the lease.

Very often on this board a debate will arise about renting vs owning your own home, with people absolutely adamant about which they prefer, and think that the others are nuts.

[PatrynXX]

20. Should set that to Dune

the score that is

[Scootaloo]

77. The sleepers have awakened!

Dun dun duuuun duuuuuun!

[yuiyoshida]

94. this?

I loved that movie, watched it over and over!

[Scootaloo]

108. I always wonder who thought David Lynch should be in charge of that movie

The only possible way it could have been weirder is if they had stuck with the H.R. Giger set design originally planned. That looked like some "Tomas the Tank Engine meets Hellraiser" stuff.

[Javaman]

21. My girlfriends daughter is living with us now.

and going to school. she's in hear early 30's.

It's quite frankly impossible for anyone in her age group and younger to go to school and support yourself.

I was born at the tail end of the baby boomers; 1963. I think people in my age range were the last of a vanishing breed of Americans who could afford to go to school and support oneself.

It honestly breaks my heart to read and witness what young men and women have to deal with these days.

[mnhtnbb]

35. My youngest is 25 and in grad school

on an excellent financial aid package which covers most of his tuition at an Ivy League school.
But he's on his own for living expenses. We talked him out of taking government loans--so we're
funding a fair amount--but it's interesting that the university requests financial info from parents
at his age! I suppose we could refuse to comply--he is 25 !--but you don't know if you refuse
whether that would help or hinder his financial aid package.

My husband is 72 and I'm 64. When he went to Med school at UCLA in the 60's he was on
a Regent's scholarship and worked nights as a janitor to pay his living expenses because his
parents were not able to help at all. When I was at UCLA in the late 60's/early 70's, tuition
was $99/trimester.

[shanti]

38. depends...

but you are mostly right. one of my sons is 33. He is now employed as a sous chef, after an intensive 2 year culinary arts program (and accompanying AA) from the local community college. It's been just over a year, and is the first full time regular job he's ever had. Before that, he floundered, taking temporary gigs, student loan debt, and still going to college. He lived in a variety of dumps, oh and did i say, he has a 7 year old son too? So money is still tight, and he has about 30 large in SL debt at this point.

He's also going to school PT, as he has a goal to be a CPA eventually. His chef job allows him to do this, but it's going to be quite awhile until he finishes his degree.

He has lived with me on and off over the years, but just recently got into an apartment and has a female roommate with a young daughter, and it's much closer to his work.

It's not like the old days, where when you were 18, you were expected to be OUT on your own, FT job, and everything would be fine...

[PatrickforO]

104. Me too. I was born in 1958 and when I went to college in the 80s, tuition cost

$450 per semester. By the time I got my graduate degree in 1994, tuition at the state college I attended was nearly that much per credit hour.

I pay more for my lousing cable/internet/land line/cell phone bundle than I did for my first apartment. By over $150.

Every day, I get nickel and dimed, and I'm horrified at what has happened to wages, benefits, pensions and the general cost of living.

[ryan_cats]

25. If only they

If only they got their degrees in ethnic studies instead of engineering, they'd have well paying careers.

[Ed Suspicious]

28. Im guessing there is some sarcasm here but I dont get it.

Help me out here. What are you saying?

[ryan_cats]

50. There isn't a loftier title

There isn't a loftier title than an ethnic studies major. In today's enlightened climate, who needs engineers? Does anyone even use calculus anymore?

[yuiyoshida]

30. I took 3 years of Asian studies at Cal Berkeley

I dropped out my fourth year. I saw students taking out student loans thinking, this can't be good. It wasn't. I am glad I quit, for I would be in hella debt today, but I feel sad that I was never ever able to finish my education. Prices in the City are higher now, as is Rent, and slowly increasing. A scholarship? Its the roll of the dice, not one chance I am willing to take.

[hatrack]

92. And that (setting aside your failed snark) is what H1B visas are for . . .

. . . or haven't you been paying attention?

[Uncle Joe]

26. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, yuiyoshida.

[Oneironaut]

31. They call it The American Dream because you eventually wake up and realize it was all bullshit.

[merrily]

52. My parents did not have that problem. Their American Dream was to be able

to give my sister and me a better life than they had had, to send us to college, so we would not have to work as physically hard as they had to work.

Their American Dream came true.

[Oneironaut]

54. And for some people it turns into a nightmare.

It could be a sudden illness, or a failed business - people suddenly fall into a rut that is impossible to get out of. I find the "American Dream" meme frustrating because it's often said as if everyone has the same opportunities. People who are born poor usually stay poor, only to be called "lazy" and "worthless" by people who were born into the right family and never had to work for anything. As long as we keep believing in "The American Dream," we will always have an underclass that is sneered at and kicked aside.

[merrily]

56. True enough.

And, while I am aware this negates nothing you said, my parents were born more poor than most Americans may be able to imagine. I guess I'm saying experiences may differ.

[raccoon]

83. "Is a dream a lie if it don't come true, or is it something worse?"

--Bruce Springsteen.

[Fix The Stupid]

32. Yep...same in Canada...

I remember getting out of college in 1995 and all the jobs were starting at $13-$18.00 per hour. These were general labor kind of jobs...

20 frickin years later, you are lucky to find a job starting at $12.00 an hour anymore...

Ridiculous.

What do you tell these young kids today to do for their future? Go to University? Come out $50,000 in the hole to take a $16.00 per hour job? Craziness.

I don't know what the solution is.

[AsahinaKimi]

37. I wonder if she lives in San Francisco

most low income houses, with rent control, 1 bdrm run around 1000 a month, and actually that's quite low. My place is 1259 a month, includes utilities; Electricity, water, hot water, gas, garbage pick up (Including Recycling) which leaves me paying only phone and internet.

And people wonder why we have homeless veterans living out on the street.

[d_legendary1]

39. A bunch of people I know had to go back home

and live with their parents. Its very tough to get that good job that pays enough to live on your own. Were it not for some connections I'd still be living in overtown aka the hood making ten an hour. Without connections its difficult to make ends meet! And sadly this is what Bill Clintons and the Cons have taken away from the American people: the ability to move from one job to another.

[mmonk]

40. Inevitable. Who will shape it?

Fascism or regulated and taxed capitalism?

[mindwalker_i]

41. I triple majored in electrical engineering, computer engineering, and physics

And living in the Bay Area is a struggle, particularly to make rent. Granted, it's not a 1-bedroom apartment but still.

[mhatrw]

42. Bernstorm!

[lonestarnot]

44. Gona light the place up!

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

45. Like I have said before.

Now is the time for a real progressive populist movement, but the message needs to be clear and not overly complex and it needs to be repeated over and over to drive it home into the minds of the people.

Then Bernie will win.

[smirkymonkey]

99. +1000

This!

[KyleMcShades]

47. Private housing...

is the biggest scam in history.

[lonestarnot]

48. Kick again!

[merrily]

51. The rent is too damn high. (One of the best campaign slogans ever, though not a winning one.)

[azmom]

53. Bernie said the minimum wage

Is too damn low. Did you see it?

[merrily]

58. LOL! I heard him say that.

He gets me.

[azmom]

59. That speech in Greensboro, was the best

I have seen him. The crowds energy, they were a rowdy bunch, seemed to energize him. I loved it.

[WillyT]

63. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[NonMetro]

64. It Will Continue Going This Way Until It Crashes

I'm not a pessimist. That's just life. People will talk, but nobody will do anything about it until things get so bad there is no other choice. Even then, it will be up to the 1% who own this fiefdom. They rule, and there is no way to dislodge them. Good luck!

[lonestarnot]

66. Oh yes there is.

[NonMetro]

69. I Like Your Optimism!

But five years, ten years down the road, wages will continue to stagnate, rents will continue to rise, and half the people will continue to cheer the "wonders" of the (ha, ha!) "free" market! That's our world. So, if you have a backyard, keep those vegetables growing!

[lonestarnot]

79. So check this and welcome to DU!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12808348

[NonMetro]

90. Thanks!

[Major Hogwash]

71. The beatings will continue until morale improves.

Bernie is the only one addressing this issue.

BTW, welcome to the DU.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

65. I decided to go look what rent was on a place I was at back then....

Used to go for $425mo with all the trimmings. Olympic sized pool, weight room, sauna, jacuzzi, garaged parking, washer dryer in the unit, vaulted ceilings, patio.

Now they want $2,300mo.

[LittleGirl]

74. yep

with walls so thin, you can hear your neighbors. ugh.

[mnhtnbb]

80. Great idea. I can't remember the address of the apartment I moved to in Studio City, CA

when I separated from my first husband in 1979. I do remember the approximate location,
it was a 2 bedroom in a new building--so I could have a home office--I was 28 years old with a master's
degree and had to get a new job (I had been trying my hand at real estate sales) with
a regular income--somewhat in my field of hospital management--making $27,000/yr
and the rent on that apartment which was only a 20 minute drive to Hollywood where
I worked was $650/month. Now? Rents for a 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment in that
neighborhood are running about $2500-2800/month. You'd have to be making
about $103,000/year now to have the same proportion of income/rent I had then.

And within 18 months I was back in an assistant administrator job making a lot more $
and able to afford to buy my own condo after my apartment was broken in to and
robbed one day while I was at work--AND it was a security building.

BUT after Ronnie was elected President mortgage rates skyrocketed--eventually going to 16%!!!--
and I was still able to afford a $160,000. condo on my own income, BUT, it was way out in
Woodland Hills which made my drive to work an hour--or two--if it rained.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

96. The one I use for comparison is back in the mid-70s a typical factory worker,....

....could afford a speedboat to take the family waterskiing on the weekends. They could pay for a vacation, save for retirement, have a stay at home wife and put their kids through college.

Now they can't afford to do anything but eat, sleep and go to work. Some are only able to rent a room.

This is going to piss some of the people here off but the answer is NOT "education". That's blaming the workers for the sins of management. Contrary to what seems to be the popular myth you can't have a national jobs policy that envisions a bunch of people in suits showing up in offices. You get the idea the people in the Beltway believe the United States is supposed to be the executive class for the planet.

[cer7711]

68. Revolution is coming . . .

. . . if this continues.

The trigger? Hunger.

Historically-speaking, that's the way it always goes down . . .

[ReactFlux]

84. 26 years ago I made 7.50 hr at a non-skilled job in a factory

Without a HS diploma.

Today we are reaping the fruits of DLC/Third Way/centrist Corporatists.

Its way past time for a political revolution.

[raouldukelives]

86. K&R nt

[demmiblue]

89. K&R!

[CanonRay]

93. Long overdue n/t

[deaniac21]

98. yes

[smirkymonkey]

100. I love that skit!

[randys1]

102. No storm no matter who is elected.

Gonna have to fix the election stealing and gerrymandering from the cons, have to get both house and senate back.

If you did this during a Bernie admin, you could get a start.

No storm, not now.

maybe someday