US continues to go forward

Stossel’s tweet doesn’t really address what his video is about. It is about life today being much better than in the past. Great video and spot on.

Yea, not sure about selling socialism, but I definitely remember sharing bedrooms, going to laundromats, and eating out as a luxury. One TV, and except Saturday morning and after school, you were watching what the parents wanted to watch.

When my father died, we sold my childhood home 3 years ago. $174k. Can't really say that isn't affordable. But, if you want a 3000 square foot in a great part of town as your first home, yeah, you might be priced out.
 
Stossel’s tweet doesn’t really address what his video is about. It is about life today being much better than in the past. Great video and spot on.


He does make a good point about how we lived 60-70 years ago vs now.

Back in the 50's a 1200 square foot home with siblings sharing bedrooms and everyone sharing a bathroom was the norm. Now people think they need so much space and vaulted ceilings and no telling what. The place Im moving to was relatively reasonable because despite being a 4 bedroom, the bedrooms aren't that big (was built in the 50's). Now days people want not just privacy, but a huge master bedroom with a private bath. If that's a priority then its your money but you can't complain about how expensive it is when the space is a need not a want.

That being said, I think its misleading to just assume houses are more expensive now just because they are bigger. Go to Zillow and see what you can get for 300K in some areas. And its not just urban. I was in Columbus NE a couple of months ago and I went down the Zillow rabbit hole there. Comparable houses to what Im moving into go for at least 100K more and what Im paying won't buy something worth getting. I make an above average salary for where I live and I could not afford to buy in that city even though the overall cost of living is slightly lower. So its more than just we spend money on stuff we don't need, even though that is an issue now.
 
He does make a good point about how we lived 60-70 years ago vs now.

Back in the 50's a 1200 square foot home with siblings sharing bedrooms and everyone sharing a bathroom was the norm. Now people think they need so much space and vaulted ceilings and no telling what. The place Im moving to was relatively reasonable because despite being a 4 bedroom, the bedrooms aren't that big (was built in the 50's). Now days people want not just privacy, but a huge master bedroom with a private bath. If that's a priority then its your money but you can't complain about how expensive it is when the space is a need not a want.

That being said, I think its misleading to just assume houses are more expensive now just because they are bigger. Go to Zillow and see what you can get for 300K in some areas. And its not just urban. I was in Columbus NE a couple of months ago and I went down the Zillow rabbit hole there. Comparable houses to what Im moving into go for at least 100K more and what Im paying won't buy something worth getting. I make an above average salary for where I live and I could not afford to buy in that city even though the overall cost of living is slightly lower. So its more than just we spend money on stuff we don't need, even though that is an issue now.

Well, a mortgage payment on a 1200 sf home around here is less than an equally bedroomed apartment. There is just a huge chunk of our population that isn't playing the game and working to be credible to the bank.

Cars are more expensive now. They are more than twice as reliable but cost is no longer 10-15% of a yearly salary. Today most people are going over half an annual salary and doing so because they can get that 6 years. There are a lot of options out there that are still less than 30K. Nobody wants them. Flip side of this, you can still get a used car with 80K miles on it for a good price and its probably going to last the buyer longer than a brand new 1972 auto would.

College is where kids today are getting screwed IMO.
 
Well, a mortgage payment on a 1200 sf home around here is less than an equally bedroomed apartment. There is just a huge chunk of our population that isn't playing the game and working to be credible to the bank.

Cars are more expensive now. They are more than twice as reliable but cost is no longer 10-15% of a yearly salary. Today most people are going over half an annual salary and doing so because they can get that 6 years. There are a lot of options out there that are still less than 30K. Nobody wants them. Flip side of this, you can still get a used car with 80K miles on it for a good price and its probably going to last the buyer longer than a brand new 1972 auto would.

College is where kids today are getting screwed IMO.

You make a good point about smaller houses. The problem is a bunch of people who may legitimately be in the market for them don't have the credit to get approval from the bank. Its almost as if the system wants them to rent. And in certain areas you are fighting people/companies buying up houses. For example I have a coworker who lives in Spirit Lake IA. That and the surrounding towns are a huge vacation/summer fun spot in this area. Married guy in hid mid 50's in a dual income empty nest situation and they struggled to find something because the high money buyers suck the market dry and push housing costs up.

100% on college tuition though. Way more expensive than it was decades ago or even in my time (less decades ago). And don't even get me started on how predatory the student loan industry is. I would rather work with a credit card company than them.
 
You make a good point about smaller houses. The problem is a bunch of people who may legitimately be in the market for them don't have the credit to get approval from the bank. Its almost as if the system wants them to rent. And in certain areas you are fighting people/companies buying up houses. For example I have a coworker who lives in Spirit Lake IA. That and the surrounding towns are a huge vacation/summer fun spot in this area. Married guy in hid mid 50's in a dual income empty nest situation and they struggled to find something because the high money buyers suck the market dry and push housing costs up.

100% on college tuition though. Way more expensive than it was decades ago or even in my time (less decades ago). And don't even get me started on how predatory the student loan industry is. I would rather work with a credit card company than them.

The recipe for home ownership isn't that hard. You get employment, buy a cheap car, make your payments, live cheap and save. Within 5 years you will have some credit, some cash, and the world is your oyster. The consistent employment, cheap car, and cheap living are the obstacles that people face. A lot of folks just can't bring themselves to downgrade their lifestyle once they get off the tit. I can promise you that's the issue for the vast majority of the kids bitching in that video.

Honestly, I'm almost at the point where I think college is a waste. I know some employers / trades require it. Fact is, if you are smart and have a good work ethic the lack of an education might slow your Carrer progression a couple of years, but it's not going to hold you back in the end.
 
The recipe for home ownership isn't that hard. You get employment, buy a cheap car, make your payments, live cheap and save. Within 5 years you will have some credit, some cash, and the world is your oyster. The consistent employment, cheap car, and cheap living are the obstacles that people face. A lot of folks just can't bring themselves to downgrade their lifestyle once they get off the tit. I can promise you that's the issue for the vast majority of the kids bitching in that video.

Honestly, I'm almost at the point where I think college is a waste. I know some employers / trades require it. Fact is, if you are smart and have a good work ethic the lack of an education might slow your Carrer progression a couple of years, but it's not going to hold you back in the end.

I think social media has 99% of young people comparing their chapter one to someone else's chapter 25.

"Oh yeah boomers can afford lake houses and I'm over here eating ramen."

Yeah...you know how that boomer was living in '75?
 
You make a good point about smaller houses. The problem is a bunch of people who may legitimately be in the market for them don't have the credit to get approval from the bank. Its almost as if the system wants them to rent. And in certain areas you are fighting people/companies buying up houses. For example I have a coworker who lives in Spirit Lake IA. That and the surrounding towns are a huge vacation/summer fun spot in this area. Married guy in hid mid 50's in a dual income empty nest situation and they struggled to find something because the high money buyers suck the market dry and push housing costs up.

100% on college tuition though. Way more expensive than it was decades ago or even in my time (less decades ago). And don't even get me started on how predatory the student loan industry is. I would rather work with a credit card company than them.
I’m going to guess that a majority of the posters in here are 45ish plus. How many of us bought a 3 bed/1.5 or 2 bath house built pre 1980 that needed more than cosmetic upgrades? My first house was 2 bed 1 bath that didn’t have space for the refrigerator in the kitchen. It was built 1920s. Cloth wires and lead plumbing. We did 99% of the remodel at night after work.

Most kids I talk to today expect a 3,000 sqft house w landscaped yard to start.

Thankfully our kiddos have been lectured in car ride and dinner table to buy old and small in a good neighborhood. Maybe overpay a little for the neighborhood and hold that house for minimum of 10 yrs. Get a 30 yr note. The extra money you could pay goes into savings (high as possible yield and low risk) and you hold that for a down payment while keeping your 1st house as a rental.

We also discussed the tax/insurance savings as well as the utility savings of a smaller house. Throw that money into your future forever home downpayment. In 15 yrs you’ve probably paid off the 1st house and now have $2000/mo mailbox money that pays off your 2nd house.

Young’s just can’t fathom short term sacrifice for a long term gain. Hell most of them spend $50/week on door dash and coffee. That’s 2-3 house payments per yr if they buy right.
 
I think social media has 99% of young people comparing their chapter one to someone else's chapter 25.

"Oh yeah boomers can afford lake houses and I'm over here eating ramen."

Yeah...you know how that boomer was living in '75?
I see this in person. 100% correct.
I’ve been at my job 18 years. Close to 100% of the < 5 year guys strongly believe they’re underpaid because they’re comparing themselves to 10-15 year guys. 10 year guys believe they’re underpaid because they’re comparing themselves to other 10 year guys that aren’t worthless with $#!tty attitudes. And they refuse to hear any different.
 
They will use this to implement key parts of “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise” otherwise known as Project 2025. When it absolutely wrecks red states and constituents who know nothing about this policy document, they will flood the zone with “We had to do these things because the Democrats shut down the government on October 1st.”

They know it will devastate people and communities who voted MAGA. Probably disproportionately more than Harris voters.

But those dumbasses will eat it up and blame the libs.
 
They will use this to implement key parts of “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise” otherwise known as Project 2025. When it absolutely wrecks red states and constituents who know nothing about this policy document, they will flood the zone with “We had to do these things because the Democrats shut down the government on October 1st.”

They know it will devastate people and communities who voted MAGA. Probably disproportionately more than Harris voters.

But those dumbasses will eat it up and blame the libs.

Seems like a weird strategy. Instead of promoting programs that benefit ALL Americans or at least their voters they will hurt their voters the most and blame it on the political opposition. Despite controlling all 3 branches of government this strategy is likely to work.

And we wonder why Republicans are anti education?
 
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