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Comments
My dad was born in '51 and my FIL in '46. Mabye they don't realize how good they had it, but even though they were born and raised in NW Indiana, they both talk about how poor they were despite my FIL's dad having union steel mill job.
During every layoff his dad had to find work or they'd starve. My FIL joined in the Marines during Vietnam to get out of the house so his dad could retire as he was about 60 at the time. My dad's father always had to work 2-3 jobs. He was physically disabled from WWII. Disability from the VA wasn't enough to support a family of 6 and no way could he work in a factory even if they would hire him (like that would happen). Ironic there was no mention of poverty levels, as the 50's rates were high. No to mention life expectancy, which was 10 years less overall back then.
People sure like to bring up the tax rates back then, but it's comparing apples and oranges. The effective rates were no where near the marginal rates. While it's true the top .1% and above had lower effective rates back then, so did the bottom 20%. No income group had a negative effective rate back then like we do today. Not to mention consumer interest was tax deductible among many other differences. IMO, it's amateurish just to mention the marginal rates. But actually digging in to see the actual differences would actually require some effort.
"despite the racism, homophobia and extra racism" comment about sums it up.
Yeah, that's a minor disclaimer;)
That wasn't just in the 50's. My grandpa (mom's dad) who worked in the steel mills used to pick me up on the weekends when I was a kid and the first thing we'd do was empty all of the crushed beer cans under his seat that he'd drink on his way home from work every day.
That does mean something, but what. Most of those who "moved up" in the 50's grew up very poor. Many had absolutely nothing. A factory job meant you moved from poor to middle class. All of my grandparents grew up in households that would be considered poverty today. My grandpa's father died of TB at 21 years old. No social security for the survivors, so my grandpa was raised by his mom and an aunt until he was in 8th grade, then he quit school to work to help support his younger sisters until war broke out.
The times were so different considering the state of our competitors etc, I don't know if any comparisons between then and now have much validity.
Taxes certainly have an effect on wealth distribution, but it's certainly not the only factor. Plus what the effective rates back then can't show is how much money was hidden and/or earned under the table.
As we've coddled the top few, the socio-economic gap has exploded. Could be correlation, could be causation, seems a bit much to be coincidence.
The good old days weren't always so good, but I do smirk when I see boomers crying about how bad they had it.
And the cars. The '53 Buick was beloved, but the floorboards were so rusted, you could see the road pass by on the passenger's side (that's probably why my father finally sold it - I bet his whiskey pints started falling through on his side). I'm sure if I got to drive one today, I'd be stunned by what a wallowing pig it is.
Some of that is technology, which naturally improves over time. That wallowy 53 Buick was a spaceship compared to a 1928 Buick.
True, instead of going broke you were more likely to die;)
My wife is a registered pharmacist. Like many professions it's changed a lot over the past 50 years. Particularly for women. 40 years ago women didn't make up 10% of the profession, now it's about 50/50.
Medicare/Medicaid/Insurance changes along with other regulations has really put the screws to the independent pharmacies. It's hard to be a small independent today. Many have sold to the chains over the past 5 years.
Over the past 30 years the pay has risen quite a bit. Mainly due to the increased education requirements and growth in the industry outpaced the supply of new grads. It's leveling off now, but 5 years ago a new grad could expect a $30k+ signing bonus.
Today a PharmD is starting at well over $100K and with adding in per diems at doctor offices, hospitals, et al can make well over $150K per year.
Of course for the first few years they are paying off heavy student loan debt...
Maybe I don't want the new Ram;)
Wonder if need for pharmacists is diminishing today what with doctors issuing prescriptions via laptop from their office directly to drug store or mail order pharmacy. There is less chance for error in interpreting the usual bad writing of doctors on hand written RX's. Would hope that drug store and mail order pharmacies have precise listing, spelling and dosages available on their ordering data base and that doctor's incorrect spelling is kicked back to him/her and not accepted.
Of course, a doctor can always make an error in judgement and correctly order an incorrect medicine for a patient's condition. How would a pharmacist know?
Anyone tire kicking an American car this weekend?
Going to try again with the seat for every butt theory with Focus, Fusion, Verano, Cruze, and Malibu this weekend. Driving my 98 leSabre around to the stores, which gets mixed reactions on the faces of the lot rats.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
With current regulations that hasn't been the case so far. Pharmacy techs are used to handle the initial script process, administrative type tasks, filling certain prescriptions and giving customers their order, the pharmacist still has to touch/verify each prescription and offer counseling to each patient. And while that can affect the need for techs, some states have regulations which require a specified tech to pharmacist ratio.
OTOH, there are continuous improvements to make the pharmacy more productive. Such as robots that dispense the most common drugs etc, but the Pharmacist still has to stock the machine (or at least verify it was done correctly) and still verify the order prior to the customer receiving their drug.
While productivity gains help the pharmacist fill more prescriptions which in theory would mean less would be needed, people are using more drugs, so there still demand for more pharmacist in the future.
Like many jobs, a pharmacist today can dispense far more prescriptions one could years ago, but the number of scripts is still growing. Plus pharmacists are being used to administer vaccines and other preventative care.
BTW, I grew up through the '60's and early '70's. I'd say things were, overall, better than they are now. Moms didn't need to work and often didn't. I grew up in a small town and knowing everybody is a thing that if you didn't experience, you just can't realize how special that was. In fact, I'm often on a Facebook page of people who live or used to live in my town and that's the recurring theme throughout peoples' posts.
I'm a white male, but I witnessed no racism whatsoever. I had some black friends and treated them like anybody else as did they to me.
Crime was low compared to the more suburbanized area I live in now. People making meth at home with their kids present? Not then. Now, routine.
I honestly do think, too, that 28 is the new 18, so to speak. Kids seem like they stay kids longer. I guess that's due to parents, though.
People tended to buy and work locally. And even in a non-suburban small town, there were plenty of places to work if you didn't go to college. The big joke would be "I'm going to school at USC" (which stood for 'University of Steel Car', the boxcar-building company in town).
Ballsy move. Will be hard for body shops to repair properly for OCD owners if they get damaged.
It was even worse from say '00 to '07. I don't remember what year exactly, but when they made it madatory for all new pharacists to obtain a Pharm D, there was a year with few grads. Plus all the chains were opening stores left and right creating a huge shortage. IIRC, in 07, my wife and all the pharmacists that work for her got 3 separate raises in one year just to try to keep them from leaving. My wife had pharmacists she was trying to hire walk because she could only offer $20k signing bonuses due to competitors offering $40k
It's cooled off considerably since then, but I know my wife is anxiously awaiting for the new grads she's hired to become licensed this summer.
Too funny. Best thing to do with a new car though is to key it and get it over with. Then you can enjoy it without worrying about pulling in too close to those shopping carts or whatever.
Naaah. It's not one of the perfect cars. I've let it go on nondrivetrain upkeep in anticipations of a new Mercedes or something.
I'd love to know what some of the sales people are thinking because of the strange looks that cross their faces when I drive thru or when I park.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Not quite as good as the classic Aries spoof:
http://youtu.be/g_GtLssyNAs
Or maybe not :shades:
My uncle has a LeSabre of that vintage. Maybe only 100K on it, white on burgundy (!), it has been fairly OK, but I want to say it had the manifold problem.
http://autos.aol.com/gallery/consumer-reports-2013-best-brands/
Does a 500 Abarth count?
I'd actually consider a Focus ST, but in order to get heated Recaros and HIDs you also have to take Nav and that abysmal MyFord Sucks-I mean Touch-interface.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
I grew up in the 40s and 50s. We did not know we were as poor as people are told they are today. Crime against children was nearly non existent in cities like Los Angeles where I lived off and on until 1957. Now my old neighborhood Highland Park is unsafe any time of day. I did not realize it at the time when we would pack up and move in the middle of the night it was because we could not pay the rent. Probably a few months behind. So as someone once said "It was the Best of times, and the worst of times". I did not feel exploited delivering papers and mowing lawns when I was 8 years old. Not much of that today. I can't find an 18 year old willing to work hard for 8 hours in a day. May be the reason 43% of men under 25 still living off of mom and dad.
Actually Highland Park is experiencing a renaissance as one of the Hipster hotbeds of LA. Since the gang violence died down, diverse people are moving in to renovate the old homes, open restaurants and art galleries. It's becoming gentrified.
In ten years, normal folks won't be able to afford to live there.
My uncles bought my grandma a house in Highland Park back in 1943 for $4000. My mom and I lived with her while my dad was serving over seas in WW2. By the time I was 5 years old I wandered all over that area with my friends. Down to the Arroyo Seco, to the stores along Figueroa Blvd. I don't think you could safely let a kid in your front yard today. In the early 1970s the city condemned my grandma's home and that whole block to build a park. She was frail anyway and that sent her to an early grave. They tore down all those homes and the block was just weeds & trash until the early 1990s when they finally did something with it. It is no wonder I despise governments. All those old people forced out of their homes for NOTHING. It was nice growing up. No desire to be any closer to Los Angeles than I am now. I do understand the attraction. It was a wonderful place to live 60 years ago.
I do remember there was a Studebaker agency just a couple blocks from her place. We would go to visit in the 1960s and I saw a Studebaker Avanti and thought that was so cool.
Well it sounds like an up and coming area once again. Google Highland Park Hipster and you'll be surprised.
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/207-N-Avenue-63-Los-Angeles-CA-90042/20772944_- zpid/
Remember it's all based on your perspective. You can't go back to where you grew up and expect it to be the same.
Heck, the house I grew up in is now worth $450K per Zillow and I'd never pay that for it.
For sure, nor do I want to live any place where I grew up. All too crowded now. Any lot smaller than an acre just does not get it for me. Much easier to stay friendly with your neighbors when you don't hear their TV or Stereo. I will save the fond memories of Highland Park in my past.
Well, I was in a bit of a mood this afternoon as I walked down to the garage, and for a brief moment, felt like kicking my '79 New Yorker, which was just sitting there, with no battery, bad starter, Lord-knows what else is wrong with it. But then I thought twice about it, because in '79 Chrysler was on the verge of bankruptcy, and didn't have the resources to figure out how to roll their sheetmetal as thin as everybody else could. So I thought kicking it might hurt me more than it would the car. :shades:
IIRC, the SC 3.8 doesn't have the manifold issue.
Still on the 2004 battery that the seller put in the day I bought it.
That's pretty impressive, I've never had a battery last anywhere near that long. My last 3 vehicles all different makes needed batteries around the 4 year mark.
I will say my '07 Expedition is going strong knock on wood. I've never kept a vehicle this long. I'll turn 117k this week. At this point, I'm going to keep driving it until it gives me a reason to trade. Being a Ford, that day could be this Monday or 5 years from now;)
We have a AAA 7 year battery going bad at 4 years in the Lexus SL400. OEM battery in Sequoia lasted 5 years exactly. OEM battery in Nissan Frontier lasted 4 years and a few months. Not sure when it left the factory. It was dead and dealer wanted more pro-rated than a better battery from Costco.
The battery being under the back seat to help weight distribution also probably helps battery life in Riv. My son's DeVille that he got in Nov has same battery location. We put 103k on Riv in 9 yrs. on one set of new tires, one set of rear pads, and now 2 sets of front pads. One tire is nearing limit for wear and looks weathered. I haven't looked at the rear pads since about '05 when I replaced them.
The OEM battery in my 318ti lasted over 10 years, I finally replaced it as a precaution, as BMW batteries are notorious for testing perfect one day and going completely dead the next. That said, the OEM battery in my son's X3 lasted over seven years, while my Mazdaspeed's barely made it to five years. My Wrangler's OEM died at almost exactly four years.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
I don't put 20k a year on all 3 vehicles combined. The Lexus and Sequoia sit in the garage and get about 5k per year or less. The wife's 1990 LS400 only has 105k miles on it. We put about 8k on the Nissan Frontier. That is what I drive most of the time. I would love to have a diesel PU that gets 30 MPG like the rest of the World. Americans don't seem competent when it comes to building efficient PU trucks.
It was much more widespread on the Chevy V6'es from what I've heard, but the non-supercharged Buick 3.8's were prone to it, as well. It wasn't all of them though...something like the years 1997 to 2002, or somewhere thereabouts?
With the Chevy engines, it seems like it's the 3.1/3.4 that you hear the most about. I don't know if the 2.8 was prone to it as well? I knew two people with Cavalier Z-24's, and they had head gasket failure, but not the intake.
My uncle's '97 Silverado, which has a 4.3, needed a new intake manifold a few years ago. Fortunately, it was caught before anything catastrophic happened. And, my buddy's '04 Crown Vic needed a new one as well at some point in its life.
I had that car in the shop back in November to get the starter replaced. It's actually been a bit weak as long as I've owned the car, but finally got to the point that it wouldn't start at all if it was hot. The mechanic did warn me about the battery getting old, but he was basing that on the date sticker on the battery, which I think says 5/07.
I'm sure that weak starter probably put a strain on the battery all these years, but with the new one it fires right up, so I think the battery still has some kick left.
The battery in my '85 Silverado died about a month ago. I think its date was 6/08, but not sure.