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For some, its required for commute to work. Its impossible to get to my job without one. 34 miles in each direction. To commute via public transportation would require a Taxi, Bus, Transfer, another Bus and a 20 minute walk. Walking distance range from my office are properties in the 1+ million. If a family can share a single vehicle, I think it is great but it doesn't always work out that way. I certainly can't expect that my wife lug around 2 babies and carry enough groceries for a 5 person family on her own either.
We are also talking about the American Dream in which there is an assumption of some discretionary income coupled with modest amount of retirement/savings. Of course, living a modest lifestyle doesn't necessarily mean driving a BMW or Mercedes either. How "modest" of a lifestyle in this so called "American Dream" is up in the air since the article doesn't provide any context; the root of why the article carries little content... seems to be written for the "shock" factor.
I wouldn't be surprised if the author first came up with a number. Not enough for people to call B.S. Not low enough that the article goes unnoticed. Then simply "looked" for the statistical data to "prove" that number.
The only way a car is required is people who chose to live far from work. Yes, it is that simple. A lot of people choose not to live close to urban cores where most of the jobs are. If you are priced out of a Metro area, you may need to pick another city or find some roommates. It is the cold, honest truth.
We shouldn't be living more than 15 miles from work. Anything under 15 miles is cycling distance. To say that a car is a human necessity would make humans of the past roll over in their graves.
Re: 'We shouldn't be living more than 15 miles from work'
Agree though if commuting is 'work' it would be nice to get that kind of work say in some metro areas. That makes me think of all places namely the medieval era where the city was the castle and everybody came into town across the moat to buy and sell stuff. Time marches on we're still doing the same thing but it's worse now with those bridges and tunnels going over and under the 'moats'....;-)....
American prosperity was the result of WWII, thus an accident.
Agreed, and exacerbated by the burgeoning field of advertising and television with all the fictional desires they fed to the American public subsequently.
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Interesting. A while back I did read about an analysis that roughly indicated that if you were born in a family in the bottom quintile of household income you will have a very difficult job of jumping into the higher quintiles. From the looks of it, it's getting harder and harder to say 'rise' economically today than say 30+ years ago. But it can be done though as noted. Not sure though on the specific probability.
The only way a car is required is people who chose to live far from work. Yes, it is that simple. A lot of people choose not to live close to urban cores where most of the jobs are. If you are priced out of a Metro area, you may need to pick another city or find some roommates. It is the cold, honest truth.
We shouldn't be living more than 15 miles from work. Anything under 15 miles is cycling distance. To say that a car is a human necessity would make humans of the past roll over in their graves.
You are being way too idealistic and painting a broad brush. .... small town thought. No we shouldn't live more than 15 miles from work... but that's just not reality.
You suggest living in the metro area and find some roomates.... WHAT? I am in a family of 5 and metro areas often don't have good schools. Living in my home town and commuting for me is far cheaper living. My mortgage + property tax is cheaper than a single bedroom apartment. My work is also not in the middle of an urban area BUT it is located in one of the richest areas in a one of the richest states with high population density. Living close to work simply put is a luxury.
No its not that simple. Each person has to weigh the cost benefits of living close to work versus commuting. if you haven't figured out yet.... commuting is generally more cost effective. You are right.....humans of the past lived during a different time..... We had mining towns. Communities were isolated and self contained because the distance that people could "reach" was severely limited. Transportation changed that many decades ago......
Next you'll start saying that electricity is also not a necessity because the dead would be rolling in their graves.
Think of it this way.
A business produces a good or service at a much lower cost than it is sold for. Even in the past, farmers would take their harvest to the market for which their produce can be sold. Transportation is the cost of business. Labor is no different. Ideally, you keep you cost of producing that labor low (low living expense) and if it can be sold for a higher price elsewhere.. then transportation itself is a cost of business one must consider.
You are being way too idealistic and painting a broad brush. .... small town thought. No we shouldn't live more than 15 miles from work... but that's just not reality.
You suggest living in the metro area and find some roomates.... WHAT? I am in a family of 5 and metro areas often don't have good schools. Living in my home town and commuting for me is far cheaper living. My mortgage + property tax is cheaper than a single bedroom apartment. My work is also not in the middle of an urban area BUT it is located in one of the richest areas in a one of the richest states with high population density. Living close to work simply put is a luxury.
No its not that simple. Each person has to weigh the cost benefits of living close to work versus commuting. if you haven't figured out yet.... commuting is generally more cost effective. You are right.....humans of the past lived during a different time..... We had mining towns. Communities were isolated and self contained because the distance that people could "reach" was severely limited. Transportation changed that many decades ago......
Next you'll start saying that electricity is also not a necessity because the dead would be rolling in their graves.
Think of it this way.
A business produces a good or service at a much lower cost than it is sold for. Even in the past, farmers would take their harvest to the market for which their produce can be sold. Transportation is the cost of business. Labor is no different. Ideally, you keep you cost of producing that labor low (low living expense) and if it can be sold for a higher price elsewhere.. then transportation itself is a cost of business one must consider.
The question is who is here to say whether you need something. They don't know your situation. Your climate, family issues, work problems, etc. no one likes another person to dictate what to do, and unfairness stems from this dictating.
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Interesting. A while back I did read about an analysis that roughly indicated that if you were born in a family in the bottom quintile of household income you will have a very difficult job of jumping into the higher quintiles. From the looks of it, it's getting harder and harder to say 'rise' economically today than say 30+ years ago. But it can be done though as noted. Not sure though on the specific probability.
I've already moved through three of the income quintiles in the last few years and will probably go through 4, maybe even 5 inside of a single decade.
I don't think my own experience is that unusual (I can certainly think of several friends and family who had a similar experience) and point being that for all the analysis that people at time X are more likely to be similar to where their parents were at time Y than random chance would indicate, with the exception of the rich and the intergenerationally poor people tend to move around the income distribution significantly over the course of their lifespan. The rich stay rich because they have a lot of economic capital and the poor stay poor because they have little social capital, but the majority in the middle are fairly fluid.
^
The data I saw was from the Pew Economic Mobility Project which is a longitudinal study that's based on panel analysis of income dynamics in families. One of its findings is that Americans born into the very top and bottom income quintiles were likely to remain there as adults. Only 4% of people born say in the very lowest quintile were found to rise to the top most quintile in adulthood. For that 4% then it 's a high achievement!
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