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Meh. In 1982, which would be about right looking at his haircut, gas was 1.31 a gallon while the min wage was 3.35 an hour, or ~2.5 gal per hour. Today, about 3.45 at $7.25 per hour or 2.1 gal per hour. Not a huge difference. Except...in those days most cars got about 14 mpg or so. Oh, and in 1982, most parents didn't buy cars for their little darlings, they actually had to...wait for it...get a job and buy it themselves.
Oh, and we still bitched about SS. Even in the early 80s it was obvious that the system was broke and working people wouldn't get out what they put in, let alone what they could get by investing.
While you're at it, can you 'splain where tuition was $400 in those days? Must have missed out on those great deals.
Meh. In 1982, which would be about right looking at his haircut, gas was 1.31 a gallon while the min wage was 3.35 an hour, or ~2.5 gal per hour. Today, about 3.45 at $7.25 per hour or 2.1 gal per hour. Not a huge difference. Except...in those days most cars got about 14 mpg or so. Oh, and in 1982, most parents didn't buy cars for their little darlings, they actually had to...wait for it...get a job and buy it themselves.
And what are the relative costs of housing, a college education, medical insurance, ie all the other things that really matter? A lot more now than then.
What's cheaper now? Electronics and clothes. Not a great trade off, ship all the manufacturing jobs to China, get back really cheap junk, now need 2 breadwinners to support a family and have to work until you're 70. At least the guys on Wall St and Executives at big corps got richer. The Reagan Revolution indeed.
Meh. In 1982, which would be about right looking at his haircut, gas was 1.31 a gallon while the min wage was 3.35 an hour, or ~2.5 gal per hour. Today, about 3.45 at $7.25 per hour or 2.1 gal per hour. Not a huge difference. Except...in those days most cars got about 14 mpg or so. Oh, and in 1982, most parents didn't buy cars for their little darlings, they actually had to...wait for it...get a job and buy it themselves.
Oh, and we still bitched about SS. Even in the early 80s it was obvious that the system was broke and working people wouldn't get out what they put in, let alone what they could get by investing.
While you're at it, can you 'splain where tuition was $400 in those days? Must have missed out on those great deals.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dman72
And what are the relative costs of housing, a college education, medical insurance, ie all the other things that really matter? A lot more now than then.
What's cheaper now? Electronics and clothes. Not a great trade off, ship all the manufacturing jobs to China, get back really cheap junk, now need 2 breadwinners to support a family and have to work until you're 70. At least the guys on Wall St and Executives at big corps got richer. The Reagan Revolution indeed.
And what are the relative costs of housing, a college education, medical insurance, ie all the other things that really matter? A lot more now than then.
What's cheaper now? Electronics and clothes. Not a great trade off, ship all the manufacturing jobs to China, get back really cheap junk, now need 2 breadwinners to support a family and have to work until you're 70. At least the guys on Wall St and Executives at big corps got richer. The Reagan Revolution indeed.
Housing I would expect is about the same in inflation adjusted dollars, though I would need to do a little more research. However, keep in mind that in 1980, mortgage interest rates were running between 15 and 20%. As such, I expect monthly mortgage payments as a percentage of income were higher back then. Now, interest is running what, 3.5-4%? You can afford a whole lot more house when your interest rates are 15% or so lower. I bought my first house in '87 for $60k...and was scared to take out the mortgage with an income of about $35k. Payments weren't much under $1000 a month with interest and taxes factored in. Of course, that was NY state, with the highest taxes in the country.
College costs, no arguement, are much higher. Part of our stupid policies...both governmental and family. Back in the 80s, parents had far less money available to pay for their kids education, and the kids were much more on their own. As such, money was tighter, and the colleges actually made efforts to keep costs down. Keep in mind, many people actually looked at job prospects when they picked majors back then, rather than just taking what looks like fun, or easy. I suspect there were far fewer art or other basketweaving majors then. Also, government grants and scholorships were few and far between. Currently, there is so much money available to borrow, that colleges and universities have gotten disgustingly greedy with tuition and fees.
I suspect there were far fewer art or other basketweaving majors then. Also, government grants and scholorships were few and far between.
I suspect you're wrong. Liberal Arts degrees were often enough to land good paying white collar jobs on their own in 1980, nevermind being able to land a blue collar job and own a house with a High School Diploma on one salary while mom stayed home.
Originally Posted by Toyman at Jewel Lake I suspect there were far fewer art or other basketweaving majors then. Also, government grants and scholorships were few and far between.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dman72
I suspect you're wrong. Liberal Arts degrees were often enough to land good paying white collar jobs on their own in 1980, nevermind being able to land a blue collar job and own a house with a High School Diploma on one salary while mom stayed home.
You're bundling together many different era's there sparky.
Mom hasn't stayed at home since the 50s. Single-parent homes skyrocketed in the 70s. Two-income households skyrocketed in the 80s. Rarely has anyone, in any era, landed an entry level blue collar job and bought a house. The majority of people have always had to work their way UP THE LADDER, no matter where on the ladder they began.
Times change, and so does the job scene. Liberal Arts might have landed a good job in the 80s, but in the 90s, you needed Computer Science or Business degree. In the 21st century, the hot ticket is electrical engineering and IT. No matter, how much anyone hates it; times change.
BTW, there are plenty of skilled blue-collar jobs that are in demand, like mechanics, welders, and even construction. Many have managed just fine without so much as a HS education. For the average person, it all comes down to motivation, and nothing more.
As for your gas comparison; I bought my first car in 79', it got 9MPG and gas cost .68 a gallon, my minimum wage job paid $2.50 hour and that was graveyard at a gas station (ARCO).
I now drive an Accord that gets about 34MPG and gas costs $3.99 (Cali) for a comparitive rate of about $1 gallon. Not horrible considering most of the hike is from TAXES. The oil companies have done as much as they can to keep prices down. Thank the government for making every aspect of energy production more expensive.
Other than that, I only see this thread as a rant against preceding generations. Would you like a little cheese with your whine?
Originally Posted by Toyman at Jewel Lake I suspect there were far fewer art or other basketweaving majors then. Also, government grants and scholorships were few and far between.
You're bundling together many different era's there sparky.
Mom hasn't stayed at home since the 50s. Single-parent homes skyrocketed in the 70s. Two-income households skyrocketed in the 80s. Rarely has anyone, in any era, landed an entry level blue collar job and bought a house. The majority of people have always had to work their way UP THE LADDER, no matter where on the ladder they began.
Times change, and so does the job scene. Liberal Arts might have landed a good job in the 80s, but in the 90s, you needed Computer Science or Business degree. In the 21st century, the hot ticket is electrical engineering and IT. No matter, how much anyone hates it; times change.
BTW, there are plenty of skilled blue-collar jobs that are in demand, like mechanics, welders, and even construction. Many have managed just fine without so much as a HS education. For the average person, it all comes down to motivation, and nothing more.
As for your gas comparison; I bought my first car in 79', it got 9MPG and gas cost .68 a gallon, my minimum wage job paid $2.50 hour and that was graveyard at a gas station (ARCO).
I now drive an Accord that gets about 34MPG and gas costs $3.99 (Cali) for a comparitive rate of about $1 gallon. Not horrible considering most of the hike is from TAXES. The oil companies have done as much as they can to keep prices down. Thank the government for making every aspect of energy production more expensive.
Other than that, I only see this thread as a rant against preceding generations. Would you like a little cheese with your whine?
Still sticking with the gas=everything anecdote, eh clumpy?
Oh, goodie, another the older generation ruined everything for us poor wittle kids thread.
How about this, get drafted, go to war, then tell me how tough you have it.
Otherwise, STHU.
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