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I hope this thread does not hurt anyones feelings as it is not my intention to do so, but I have to ask a question that has been nagging me for so long. What is going on here in America. Are the days of common courtesy gone forever? Are there anymore average working class americans able to by homes?? I have lived in NYC (queens) all my life and feel like I will never, ever, ever be able to afford a home here. I feel like there are so many ***MOD CUT*** people who are willing to sleep on top of eachother and pay 600K for a 2 bedroom tutor that it would nearly be impossible for me to think about a home. Don't get me wrong, I think that everyone has a right to the american dream, but at what expense is that to the American. I personally know 6 families on my block ***MOD CUT*** that have at least 12 people living in a 2 bedroom home, so they can afford the mortgage. This completely prices the regular family out of affording to live here. Am I wrong?
Last edited by faithfulFrank; 02-17-2009 at 03:47 PM..
Reason: racial inferences
No,I don't think you are wrong. I have a feeling there are going to be huge changes soon. In the meantime you might want to move out of that area if you can. Go west or south. People will get on my case for saying that, but in a terrible economy I think we will see a lot more violence in metropolitan areas
I got out of California. The cost of living there is unbelievable and will be going up and up as the state tries not to go bankrupt.
The total cost of my nice reasonable for one home in Oklahoma *with* air you can breath and people who are courteous and friendly was less than the down payment would have been in cali.
Thats why people are flooding into Oklahoma and Arkansas and Texas and across the south. Its still below the snow line and the weather is moderate for four seasons. And you can afford to live and eat.
For me, my parents had the ultimate situation. Their parents were alive in the first Depression. My parents were part of the baby boomer generation. Middle class was defined by them. They worked and saved and bought their first house for about $30,000. We had a good childhood with modest income and a nice city home. They are now living comfortably on their retirement from teaching. And for me, I have little hope at the present time that anything that they had could be mine. I have worked and worked, have very little debt, and like the OP, cannot currently afford to buy a home, even if I could get the credit! I have no security right now that I will even be able to find a job if we move to an area that is more affordable. I know this economic crash is supposedly temporary, but I do not think the damage done to the 'middle class' will be temporary. Most of us are struggling to get by, and I am sure there are many others out there who feel mildly or moderately hopeless in their own ability to get ahead. I do hope this passes, but.......
Location: Prescott Valley,az summer/east valley Az winter
2,061 posts, read 4,134,946 times
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If you can telecommute I'll sell you my house~ 2300 sf ~ 3 1/2 car garage on almost 4 acres. That's more than enough room for your own private football fields~and a huge garden~Will take first $130000!
Alot of teh reasons you feel that way is that porice shave been driven by cheap credit in housing. That has brought great demand because those that could afford bogynt anyway that drives up prices.Also the jobs that are middle class have changed over the years. I hate to say it but more and more basci labor or labor taught by the employer is going.There are alot of reason from automation to third world people being able to do that same labor now at modern plants evn some more modern than here at a lower cost. Then thereis the nmbner of jobs that americans woudl do or don't prepare for verus countries like China and india.
He says exactly what I think, that the middle class is not something that happens naturally in society.
Monopolies and oligarchies happen naturally.
The middle class is built by the government.
If the government just leave everything alone, then .... to put it in few words, people that own land start charging more and more and more for housing until people can barely afford it.
You end up with an extremely powerful minority that controls all the essential things in society (Housing, food, etc.)
and a huge majority that will work for pennies as long as they get a job and can buy food.
You see that all throughout Latinamerica.
That's why it is so common in Latinamerica for upper class and upper-middle class people to have a 24/7 cleaning lady and/or a babysitter.
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If you can telecommute I'll sell you my house~ 2300 sf ~ 3 1/2 car garage on almost 4 acres. That's more than enough room for your own private football fields~and a huge garden~Will take first $130000!
