[quote=davelj][quote=CA renter]When you add in the increased costs in healthcare, childcare, education, etc., people are much worse off today than they were decades ago.
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I think that in general, most folks in the US are not “much worse off today than they were decades ago.” I think a LOT of folks are not measurably better off than they were decades ago… but that’s a very different statement.
I think that income inequality, however, has resulted in a lot of people *feeling* that they’re worse off because one’s feeling of well-being is to some extent tied to one’s position in life relative to others, and increasing income inequality exacerbates this issue.
I agree that health care costs are insane – that’s clearly one area in which the majority (that is, the generally healthy) are far worse off from a cost perspective than the minority (that is, the unhealthy, who are net beneficiaries in the system). Child care I have no idea about… but one chooses to have children. As far as I’m concerned, children are a luxury good and should be thought of as such – but you already know my position on this issue. Education – and I think we’re mainly talking about college here – is very expensive at the most competitive schools, but is pretty reasonable at the Community College and State schools. In-state tuition at SD State, for example, is $4,200/year (which is quite reasonable). And I firmly believe that you get out of a college education what you put into it – the real *learning* that takes place at UCSD ($22,000/year in-state tuition) probably isn’t materially different from that which takes place at SD State. The College Competitiveness which permeates many of today’s upwardly mobile parents is largely about… Keeping up with the Joneses… not about true educational attainment.
Having said all that, there’s a contrary view of your perception of our current relative standard of living (today versus the “Halcyon Days” – just to pick a term – of yore). Perhaps… the Halcyon Days (pick your decades) were the exception – and to be celebrated for their exceptionalism – and today is the “norm.” That is, instead of bemoaning how difficult things are today (in your perception) – which is the “norm” – perhaps we should just be happy that the Halcyon Days ever existed at all – that is, perhaps they were the exception, never meant to return again. That’s the glass-is-half-full view of things. It’s kind of like comparing stock returns over different periods. People bemoan the fact that the decades of 15%+ annualized returns aren’t returning… when instead they should be happy with 7% and just be glad that the 15%+ years ever existed at all… it’s all a matter of perspective. And, of course, we all suffer from reference bias, which is that our views of the present are biased by our views from some reference point in the past… which may have NOTHING to do with anything.
Anyhow, just my 2 cents.[/quote]
Yes, I agree with you that wealth/income inequality is a major reason for the perception that the “Average Joe” is falling quickly behind. Even so, there are many families whose counterparts a few decades ago had a stable “lifetime” job, a defined-benefit pension, 100% healthcare coverage for themselves and their families, etc. What we are really lacking now vs. then is security, and this is what makes many people feel anxious about their prospects, IMHO.
State colleges were already hiking fees in the late 80s/early 90s, but I actually found a receipt from 1996, when I was doing some post-grad work. The cost of a semester with 7+ units (I believe it was any number of units above that) was $792/semester, plus a registration fee of $193, and parking was $63. IIRC, when I was going in the late 80s, the total semester cost was ~$800.
I also found a receipt from community college from 1987. The total cost for 12 units (including parking and the ASO fee) was $72 per semester.
While costs today might be lower than “prestige” universities, they are still very expensive compared to what they were in the 80s and 90s. Also, the wages for typical college-student jobs have absolutely NOT gone up as much as the tuition costs have. Back then, I was able to work my way though college, taking off a semester here or there to work more hours so that I could pay bills or save for the next semester. I received very little help from my parents (my choice — they would have helped more, if I would have let them), but I did have reduced rent when I would live with them occasionally — always attended local college.
I intend to have our kids follow what my parents and I did (dad with an MBA from CSULA, and mom, who graduated with honors from UCLA both started out in community college, as well). If the kids want to attend a fancy school, they will have to pay the difference themselves or earn scholarships, etc.
Also, as to your question about our house preference, we would ideally want a ~2,500 sf house, which is about the size of the house I grew up in. We are also open to houses that are under 2,000, if they are laid out exceptionally well. We have a family of five, with a possible sixth if my MIL lives with us. Our former house was <1,300 sf, FWIW.
