Millennials (Are we doomed)? (Sonoma, Columbia: appointed, to live, prices)

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by bruhms

It's the baby boomers. They refuse to retire. Pretty much anything bad in America is the fault of the baby boomers.

Wait. I'm confused. I thought pretty much anything bad in America is the fault of George W. Busch, Dick Cheney, Haliburton, and Blackwater.

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

It is clearly a game that is concentrating virtually all the wealth gained into the hands of an ever-smaller number of people at the top, holding the stick...

I don't understand. You say this as if it were a bad thing.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

I don't understand. You say this as if it were a bad thing.

I don't understand. You say this as if it were a good thing.

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

Boomers have a tendency to be dismissive of the opinions of those younger than them.

Who, in turn, had their opinions dismissed by the three generations running the show who came before them, the "Lost", the "Greatest", and the "Silent". So called.

NEWSFLASH: It's called human nature, and you'll do it as well, assuming you haven't already started.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

Who, in turn, had their opinions dismissed by the three generations running the show who came before them, the "Lost", the "Greatest", and the "Silent". So called.

NEWSFLASH: It's called human nature, and you'll do it as well, assuming you haven't already started.

This post is funny coming from you as you don't seem to do that.

[Fontucky]

Well, I AM perfect, you know. But anyway...

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by oldtrader

There are those on this thread that want to go back, to like it used to be.

They want the hunting and gathering age to come back. Where in the metro area, are you going to be able to go out and kill enough game to feed the family. You would have to be eating feral cats and dog, and there would not be enough of them to feed many people.

Just think about 60 years ago, it took 33% of all working people in the U.S. to grow the food people ate. Now with over twice the population, we can grow enough to feed the country and export with only 1.5% of the population involved in farming/ranching. People could not afford to eat today, if it took as big a percent of the people to grow the food today as it did 60 years ago. Labor costs would put food out of the reach of the majority.

Technology has been around as long as man has been. Just today, we have different technology. We have to consider, that experts tell us that in only 10 years when it comes to the jobs people will be performing half of them have not even been invented yet. That is how fast, that technology is changing the world.

I want to give an example of how things change.

In Oregon they have a long established cheese making company. A few years ago (less than 20), they had dozens of big strong men, that would release milk from overhead pipes into big vats. They would add a chemical, and then men would use big wooden paddles to stir the mix. It would turn to big curds over a lot of whey (liquid), they would then cut the curds into blocks, and then manually put the blocks into bags, and haul them to the aging room.

Just a few years ago they shut down a couple of weeks. All you see now is a series of tanks around the room connected by pipes, and then there is one machine. Three people men/women in white lab coats work off of computer screens, and only one man waits at the machine with a clear plastic bag in his hands collecting the blocks of cheese dropping from the machine, and places them on a rolling cart to take to the aging room when it is full. Three people operating computers, and one strong man to catch the blocks is all it takes replacing dozens of strong men while producing much more cheese than before.

The displaced workers were lucky. This cheese company used to send their cheese to the east coast to be packaged for sale. They added on and put in a packaging section, and put the displaced workers to packing cheese which is a lot easier job than they had before. The poor workers in the east, were out of a job however.

This type of thing, is happening all over the nation. Look at Detroit that has just announced they are going bankrupt. Michigan lost a lot of jobs, as they automated the auto manufacturing business. Today they can build more cars, and use less than half the former number of employees. One reason for the auto company bankruptcy, was the unions that were keeping them from modernizing to the extent they needed to do to stay competitive with cars made in other countries. The unions were fighting automation and the reduction of staff. Bankruptcy allowed the changes to be made, and the auto business is coming back, but with only a portion of the workers formerly needed.

The states that are booming, are the right to work states, where it is easier to automate. Some of the other states, are moving to right to work status as a way to survive.

These changes, are hurting the young today, reducing job opportunities, hold down wage increases, etc. It is making it harder, for young people to get a start, especially if they live in California with it's high cost of living.

It costs about 66% more to live in Silicon Valley than Austin Texas, and wages are no where that much different. In other words the young person today, will be many dollars ahead each month going to Texas. Houses as an example, are 66% Cheaper in Austin, which allows a young family to buy a home, that is beyond their dream in the Silicon Valley.

California companies are moving many of their facilities to Austin and other places in the U.S. where they can have as much as a 40% lower cost to do business, which all goes to their bottom line. If they don't do things like this, the stockholders will fire them to increase their dividends. This problem makes it that much harder, for young people in California.

That is why though their grandparents and parents moved to California for the opportunities, the young today are having to bail out to survive.

I think this is pretty much spot on. People want to be in denial and have this arrogant attitude that "CALIFORNIA is the TECH CAPITAL..it will ALWAYS be the Tech capital" blah blah.

Big changes don't happen overnight . China did not become a huge economic power overnight, it happened over the years...but so many Americans act like it happened overnight.

Manufacturing didn't 'disappear' over night .

I see the same thing happening in California as well.

Also for the poster that mentioned that they would only live in a 700k home in Austin..I think that's a bit crazy. Yes the prices aren't dirt cheap in Austin, but it seems you can find housing close to where the jobs are for a lot less than in the bay area.

What do you suggest to a family that wants to OWN their own home? Just keep on waiting and praying prices come down or that you get a position that allows you to buy a $1milion + home?

Look on Redfin.com ,both areas are on there. You can see there is a HUGE difference in price. Looks like a big difference in price per sq foot.

[zdg]

Originally Posted by jm1982

Also for the poster that mentioned that they would only live in a 700k home in Austin..I think that's a bit crazy. Yes the prices aren't dirt cheap in Austin, but it seems you can find housing close to where the jobs are for a lot less than in the bay area.

What do you suggest to a family that wants to OWN their own home? Just keep on waiting and praying prices come down or that you get a position that allows you to buy a $1milion + home?

Look on Redfin.com ,both areas are on there. You can see there is a HUGE difference in price. Looks like a big difference in price per sq foot.

And again, are you from Austin? Are you familiar with those parts of town and the issues with houses of that age in the Central Texas heat and humidity? Of course there are cheap houses in what looks like close-in Austin, but I'm telling you that those houses and areas are less desirable than you think they are. Go see for yourself. I did.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

Well, I AM perfect, you know. But anyway...

Hmmm you do act more like a Gen X'er

[Fontucky]

That's fine. I don't participate in the genwars, as you might have noticed.