07-24-2018, 01:19 PM
(07-24-2018, 01:11 PM)michaelsean Wrote: We also had the post war boom, and people did not live then like they live today. One car maybe, no cable tv, no smart phones, no AC for a lot of people. I'm not saying what you are saying is wrong, but supporting a family then is different than now.
You are correct. Only one car was doable because many households had only one person working. AC wasn't as necessary because we hadn't done all we could to take away the natural cooling systems of nature. Increased concrete and asphalt in place of trees and grass makes AC more of a necessity because of the increased temperatures.
Anyway, typically when we compare household expenses from that era with today we look at what percentage of income certain necessities took up. We know that food, housing (rent or mortgage), and medical costs took up a lower percentage of a household's income during that period than they do today. The other things certainly play a role in some of the issues, today, but just looking at those three things we can see that costs have outpaced wages in a way that is a recipe for disaster.
"A great democracy has got to be progressive, or it will soon cease to be either great or a democracy..." - TR
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." - FDR
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." - FDR
