Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Because families spend way more than they need to.
Two car payments, $200 cable, internet bills, every family member with a smart phone (and not just any smartphone), eating out daily, overspending on xmas gifts, etc.
When I was growing up in the 1970's we had a house phone, rabbit ear TV, we ate out once a week, usually Saturday night and going out to eat was a big deal. My parents house was in a good part of California cost $32k. My dad worked and mom was a stay at home mom. Life was good.
Because the Globalists made sure of it by getting rid of the majority of middle class jobs leaving only high and low end. There's also the fact that way too many people have no skill to do anything but MW jobs but expect to live like they make over 100k/yr.
Because families spend way more than they need to.
Two car payments, $200 cable, internet bills, every family member with a smart phone (and not just any smartphone), eating out daily, overspending on xmas gifts, etc.
When I was growing up in the 1970's we had a house phone, rabbit ear TV, we ate out once a week, usually Saturday night and going out to eat was a big deal. My parents house was in a good part of California cost $32k. My dad worked and mom was a stay at home mom. Life was good.
Cost of living and inflation have surpassed middle class wages.
In the 1950s - 1960s my grandfather supported his wife and 7 kids with his middle class factory job at Pfizer. Today you can can hardly afford to support yourself with a similar job and salary adjusted for inflation.
I bet grandpa didn't have a 5,000 square foot house, 2 cars, took expensive vacations every year, ate out all the time, and had a home filled with expensive electronics.
This question is not specific to the US, but if capitalism brings so much wealth (and it does) why can´t families survive on a single income anymore like in the past when usually only men worked and women were not in the workforce?
The answer is straightforward.
Real wage growth has stagnated while inflation has marched forward.
Our GOP friends will deflect with all their might, but the reality is that most economic gains in recent decades have gone to those who need them the least.
Hyper-millionaires? They're OK.
Working families? They don't work hard enough or long enough. They deserve less.
Let's see how long it takes the public to see through their smoke screen. So far, the awakening seems to be progressing very slowly. Way too much focus on a fake "border crisis" which serves as another deflection.
Very convenient for the GOP's economic agenda, though.
My hope is that it won't require another great recession.
I bet grandpa didn't have a 5,000 square foot house, 2 cars, took expensive vacations every year, ate out all the time, and had a home filled with expensive electronics.
Yep, it's not so much the COL it's the EXPECTATION of living that's killing people.
My guess here is that it’s due to, at least in part, inflation and depressed wages. I have been coming to learn that this is caused by unearned income and the ever moving of wealth to a smaller percentage of people resulting in significant disparity.
#1 - EVERYTHING is expensive and getting more so by the day.
#2 - Gluttony …. if one is good, two is better.
#3 - Greed, see #2
#4 - Expectations, every one wants the best of everything. The simple life is gone. Satisfaction with a full stomach and a warm dry place to sleep is just not enough. Everyone has to have technology and the latest flashy thing. Bigger is better. See #2 and #3.
Because the Federal Reserve artificially inflates asset prices, especially housing.
yes and lets not forget about the taxes the state outright steals from paychecks.
The average american worker works four months a year just to cover the govt tax burden.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
