Any 40+ yr olds acutely aware of declining US standard of living?

Question

I'm talking long-term, not just last 10 yrs. Drive through the grand old cities (Milwaukee, Buffalo, Cleveland, Queens NY) & see how working people lived in mid-20th century. Young people have a much harder time getting their lives started now than when I grew up. Harder for kids coming out of college to find decent jobs. Much longer to find new employment & when people do, there's usually a large salary concession. I've been lucky & realize it wouldn't take much to knock me off my little pedestal, but sometimes it seems I'm the last of the generation that had it fairly easy: come out of college, work 2 yrs and buy your first nice little house, nice job that pays well & promotes, etc. I look at pictures of my parents when they were young living in another country before emigrating, & they lived better then than they do now (although std of living in their country collapsed & worse than US). I worry about the kind of world my 4 yr old will grow up into. Parents used to expect their kids to be better off than them, but now it has reversed. I know we don't need as much as we "stuff" as we're used to, but still social stability is worrisome in a world of dimming prospects (think Germany 1930's +)

Anyway I see signs of declining std of living all around, and then on the other hand people I see others who are extraordinarily lucky...polarization.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

well, we are in a tough time of the economy. our generation has been living it like there is no consequences and now after such huge financial crisis and on going solution that dosn't really solve anything, our nation is just adding more debt, all the roll-over in debt eventually our future generation will pay a price..

yes and that day may come sooner than you think.

start fulfilling your kids with all kind of knowledge he/she needs for the future.. only the ones that stand out will have a better life than the rest..

or move to china

Bobbi · Answer

Agree. and no. We have an increase in the access to education. We have more technology to  help us. But on the flip side, we have bad social policy that over 40 years has only led to the increase of single moms, many today by choice.  The majority of kids in these homes are living in poverty, leading to social problems. Liberalism has taken over the education, we no longer learn the bascis. We learn political correctness. Ignoring immigration (especially illegal immigration) has led to a decline in wages. Moms going into the workforce, more people to hire also allows employers to lower wages. Add government boondoggle, and the problems are endless. My son and his wife have $75,000 in student loans. Yet, both their careers require a 4 yr degree or a Master. I just lost my career, as I moved to another state. Teaching credentials do not transfer state-to-state. I will need a 18 hours of new college credits to get a teaching credential in this state. This after teaching for 15 years. The cost .... nearly  $7000.

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Any 40+ yr olds acutely aware of declining US standard of living?

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