Monday, March 9, 2015

They Didn't Keep Their Side of the Deal

I was taught that if I went to college and got a degree, a high-paying job would be awaiting me, with steady raises. Then I was supposed to get married and have kids and all of us would live in a middle-class home with a nice car and a fishing cabin in the woods.

Har har!

That was my father's generation. Both my parents dropped out of high school, but later got their GEDs. My father became a general contractor and my mother was the admitting clerk in the night ER. I had a solid middle-class upbringing, and now how have inherited my parent's house and their two cars.

One of my friend's fathers, who was in the Navy during WWII ("the Navy was four years of my life wasted"), got an two-year technical degree, went to work for Sears...and got the steady raises, the middle-class home with a two-car detached garage...and all the rest (Sears is now owned by K-Mart).

I and my friends kept our end of the bargain, but the government didn't keep theirs. Inflation, war, taxes, exploding deficits, exploding government, exporting middle-class jobs, declining wages, importing Third World criminals. And lying about every bit of (I haven't believed a word the government told me since high school).

Wages stopped going up in January, 1974 and if they had continued to go up as they had during the '50s, the average yearly salary would be about $100,000. And the dollar has lost about 98% of its value the last century.

God, I hate liars.

8 comments:

Glen Filthie said...

Perhaps a little perspective will help, Bob.

My granddad fought in two world wars. He rode around on the roofs of trains with the other bums looking for work in the Dirty 30's. He didn't get his first car until he was in his late 50's.

I went to school and got a REAL degree. I am not employed in my field - but I do have a great job. I bought my own home, and though it isn't large - it's mine, not the bank's.

There is no 'bargain' Bob. Life is a crapshoot. You and I haven't done great...but we haven't done badly either.

Fact is things have never been as good for everyone as they are right now...but that party is coming to a close. I recommend prepping like a bastid because there are too many stupid people around that seriously need to be culled - and I don't intend to be one of them

Unknown said...

Education bubble, housing bubble, bubbles bubbles everywhere.

It was all a pipe dream and a lot of us fell for it. I'm with you on not liking liars.

But we still have it better than most of human history. I'm not complaining too much. Not at least until the government completely takes over and our lives are determined by how much we worship the state.

Robert What? said...

These days kids out of school dream about getting government jobs. That has become the new "American Dream".

Unknown said...

I have worked for myself for years.

Robert What? said...

I've been working for myself for many years as well. Which of course means my boss is still an idiot ;-)

Mindstorm said...

http://www.amazon.com/Capital-Twenty-First-Century-Thomas-Piketty-ebook/dp/B00I2WNYJW/ - a recommendation by Krugman notwithstanding, this book might provide some answers about what happened to the missing wealth.

Unknown said...

My boss, being me, is also an idiot.

Roy said...

Perhaps a little perspective will help, Bob.

My granddad fought in two world wars. He rode around on the roofs of trains with the other bums looking for work in the Dirty 30's. He didn't get his first car until he was in his late 50's.

"I went to school and got a REAL degree. I am not employed in my field - but I do have a great job. I bought my own home, and though it isn't large - it's mine, not the bank's.

There is no 'bargain' Bob. Life is a crapshoot. You and I haven't done great...but we haven't done badly either."

Glen Filthie, the resident CONservative troll visits Bob's blog again to troll Bob's great articles. Wouldn't he be better visiting The Heritage foundation or Cato institute websites?