[quote=harvey][quote=joec]That said, I had to answer and say college costs in the 70s were more affordable than now. Back then, you could make a decent living even without a college degree. Good luck with that now for most folks. Ordinary folks could go to college if they wanted to and it was cheap.[/quote]
College is more expensive, but not as much as many people claim. In fact, it’s not much:
[quote]Another item is healthcare. Back in the 70s, most people had much cheaper healthcare. [/quote]
This is common flawed comparison. Do you think healthcare in the 70s was the same as it is today? Your health insurance today insures you against a lot more than it did in the 70s. Treatments for the most common killers, cardiovascular conditions and cancer, were not nearly as effective as they are today. It’s just not an apples-to-apples comparison. Sure, you paid less for total healthcare coverage. You got a lot less also.
Bottom line is the world has improved in big ways in the past four decades, and the American Middle class is enjoying the benefits.[/quote]
First, watch the video. She goes into detail about the differences. There is too much information in her video to type in just a few lines here. It’s incredibly important that you watch it because it’s clear that you don’t understand why people are making these claims.
You claim that medical treatment is inferior today, but many people would disabuse you of that notion. Forty years ago, people were treated and rehabilitated in hospitals with trained staff. Today, the cost of rehabilitation has been shifted to the patients’ families (Ms. Warren goes into this, too). People are being sent home with drainage tubes, open incisions that need to be dressed, etc. with only a piece of paper explaining how to care for them (and one can only hope to have a caring, dedicated caretaker with some sort of medical knowledge at home who has nothing else to do). Talk to people who were treated then and now and see what they have to say about your supposed “superior” medical care. Even in cancer treatment, many of the major treatments are the same drugs that were being used decades ago! While there have been some improvements in certain aspects of healthcare, other areas have seen a significant decline in care.
But one of the biggest cost increases is related to housing. While the housing costs in your home state might be lower today (and I’m just taking your word on this), the areas where most of the U.S. population lives is MUCH more expensive than it was 30-40+ years ago. To make matters worse, many jobs now pay the same or less *nominally* than they did ~30 years ago. With this reduced income, people are expected to pay much higher costs for housing, healthcare, education, etc.
You need to watch Elizabeth Warren’s video. No, you do not know more than she does…not even close.
And flyer is absolutely correct about the wealth gap, too. It plays a part in the income gap as well, since unearned income is taxed at a lower rate than earned income, more money can be amassed more quickly with which the wealthy can make ever more income.
