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Of course everything was better in the 50's and 60's we were all kids and or teenagers back then with absolutely no responsibility and even less common sense.
This is what I posted in response to the same thread on the politics forum:
Quote:
Originally Posted by rock_chalk
You want a labor force participation rate of 59% (instead of 64%) ?
You want a median household income of $30k in 2012 dollars (instead of $50k) ?
You want that income for an average household size of 3 (instead of 2.5) ?
You want 30% of your spending to be on food (instead of 10%) ?
You want a homeownership rate of 48% (instead of 66%) ?
You want an average SF home size of 1000 sq ft (instead of 2300 sq ft) ?
You want one vehicle per household (instead of two) ?
You want to lose the cell phone, HDTV, and AC?
You could trade in for one of these bad boys: http://www.godarusa.com/sitebuilderc...g.w560h420.jpg
Wonder if there were these doom and gloom pundits around during the depression of the 30s? Oh wait, 1950 America during a great boom in the economy.
The kicker is the economy runs in cycles. Are there some policy changes to be made, yes. Is it doom and glood like some assert? hardly.
Bingo.
The housing market locally is starting to recover because people are moving here ... because companies are hiring. Local arts foundations and shows are returning because people are coming. People are spending money again (but on different things). People are being more frugal but not being doom and gloomers.
I agree with Warren Buffett in his annual shareholder letter. In it he said that while the economy still has soft areas and there's plenty of risk abound, the natural growth of the economy will resume because when times are getting better, people have families and need homes, schools need to be there, supplies are needed, and after four years of saving, people are getting antsy and having more babies and traveling more.
In other words, we had a debt binge in the early 2000s, mostly brought on by lax economic policy by the Fed and Dubya's insistence that we don't pay for our little wars (no partisanship here, it's true, both wars have cost us trillions and we haven't paid a penny of them through higher taxes). Then we had a hangover. Now we're starting to wake up again.
And for all the comparisons, I would much prefer to live in America of 2012 than American of 1950. Who would have thought in 1950 people would stop trying to legislate who can sleep with who in the privacy of their own bedrooms, who would have imagined that "colored" people and whites have equal rights, who would have imagined that we'd have a half black half white President, and who would have imagined that women would be able to hold almost any position a man can and aren't relegated to the kitchens?
In all we have more rights, more freedoms, less taxes, more responsibility and more awareness today than back then.
Sure, I would hate to give up the cell phones and computers, and wouldn't want the McCarthy witch hunts or Civil Defense drills. But I would love the employment situation when there were jobs for everyone, and Engineers were treated well.
Last edited by pvande55; 03-07-2012 at 06:06 AM..
Reason: Spelling
First to get laid off, that was always true. Now they can't find a new job, bringing in cheaper hires. Companies that used to have in house engineering staffs got rid of them. How many Engineers would recommend their children go into the field? Not many!
First to get laid off, that was always true. Now they can't find a new job, bringing in cheaper hires. Companies that used to have in house engineering staffs got rid of them. How many Engineers would recommend their children go into the field? Not many!
Which engineering field are you talking about?
The company I work at is clamoring for more engineers! So are the engineering / innovation based companies that are in the area. No wait, I don't have any engineering friends of mine that have been laid off, EVER.
Unless you mean engineering = being a code monkey. Sorry. That can go to India. True software engineers architect and design how the system should operate and give the grunt work to code monkeys and design the tests then ship off the hard work to the lab chimps.
The company I work at is clamoring for more engineers! So are the engineering / innovation based companies that are in the area. No wait, I don't have any engineering friends of mine that have been laid off, EVER.
Unless you mean engineering = being a code monkey. Sorry. That can go to India. True software engineers architect and design how the system should operate and give the grunt work to code monkeys and design the tests then ship off the hard work to the lab chimps.
Any thing involved with construction. I should have mentioned that architects have it even worse. Almost all I know are out of work. Those that have jobs are being retained for marketing purpose maybe doing three days a week of actual work. Road construction is about the only sign of life, and I know even Civil Engineers out of work. One ME I know is self employed making less than unemployment.
Any thing involved with construction. I should have mentioned that architects have it even worse. Almost all I know are out of work. Those that have jobs are being retained for marketing purpose maybe doing three days a week of actual work. Road construction is about the only sign of life, and I know even Civil Engineers out of work. One ME I know is self employed making less than unemployment.
Ah. Yeah construction is really bad right now. I heard that $1 trillion in stimulus money hasn't hit the economy yet so maybe there's work there.
Cheer up though. I do know at least around here they're starting to build again. Brand new apartment building (40 stories!) is going up in Seattle and lots and lots of developments are finally selling.
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