It's 1987 I'm a twenty-something dreaming of a six figure income

[friendlyFRIEND]

Last edited Tue Jul 9, 2013, 09:26 PM - Edit history (1)

That was the goal of MANY YOUNG PEOPLE (edited for johnny) in the 80's.

Strange thing, it still is.

I had a good job making 12.50/hr in 1987. A person doing that exact job nowadays? Maybe $15/hr.

Oh yeh, but gasoline was 89 cents a gallon, milk was 99 cents and nice houses in SoCal were under $200k.

I saw my dad buy a brand new Corvette for 20k.

Does anyone remember $99 "fly anywhere in the CONUS" airfare sales?

The first time I flew to Hawaii I paid less than $300 a ticket in the 90's.

Come to think of it, the only things cheaper nowadays are electronics and China made plastic crap.


Oh... and me personally? Owned a business that actually hit 100k/year in net income in the 90's... making half that today nearing 50 years old.

[Motown_Johnny]

1. Speak for yourself, I was 24 in '87

and a six figure income was not my goal.

Maybe it is just the people with parents who buy corvettes that are like that, I wouldn't know. No matter the reason, please don't assume your personal experiences can be expanded to include everyone who ever lived.

[friendlyFRIEND]

2. oh sorry johnny...

it's just the goal that MANY young people had that would guarantee stability and a middle class life.

I think you missed the entire point of the OP. The point being that inflation has been rampant and wages haven't grown worth a shit.

[Warren Stupidity]

3. I'm thinking you completely missed the point of the op.

[Motown_Johnny]

7. Oh no, I get it

There are other ways to describe the decline in the standard of living than complaining about how much it now costs to fly to Hawaii or buy a Corvette.

[jeff47]

18. Yep, completely missed the point.

'course it appears that was intentional so you could pile on the sanctimony.

[enough]

12. Yes, I agree. (nt)

[ArcticFox]

5. I think you missed the point

Dreams aside, the OP makes the valid point that prices are rising way faster than incomes.

[Agschmid]

6. That was a fail...

[Dawgs]

14. Angry much. You absolutely missed the point.

I was very much like you, with a poor family and not much to hope for in my future.

I wouldn't know about corvettes or Hawaii, but I most definitely understand what they were saying.

And, shitting on someone because they were lucky enough to have a descent upbringing is pretty low.

[orpupilofnature57]

4. And by the mid 90's you were on the way....

Then came Shrub, and though it was characterized " Redistribution of wealth " it was the robbery of the only wealth the 99% had, or needed. But no still the 1% felt slighted, abused, and threatened by the affluence the 99%, hence all the orchestrated, Management made without consequence maladies, we the 99% always pay for, but never profit from .

[friendlyFRIEND]

8. when Bill Clinton hopped on the helicopter

the last time... America was finished. It's been downhill ever since and it's descent hasn't even slowed.


Who woulda thought that the embattled Bill Clinton would go down as the POTUS during the zenith of American prosperity.

[Dawson Leery]

9. +1

[friendlyFRIEND]

10. Oh and I paid $1000/year tuition

to UCSB lol...

[malaise]

11. Turn on PBS and watch Two American Families

It's your story

[avaistheone1]

13. After all these trade agreements are signed, sealed and delivered by our esteemed elected leaders,

these are going to be remembered as the good ol' days. imo

[friendlyFRIEND]

15. I mostly blame GWOT and the housing bubble. nt

[taught_me_patience]

16. What job did you have in 1987? Do you have a degree? n/t

[friendlyFRIEND]

17. I didn't have a degree at the time.

I was a soils test technician. Measured the density of soil on construction projects.

I went to college later...

[taught_me_patience]

19. Non-degree jobs really have not kept up with inflation

Although... some things really haven't inflated much. You can still get a trip to Hawaii in off peak times for about $300.

[NoOneMan]

20. Sounds like you guys were unmercifully beating the hell out of the pinata

Yeah, well shit, there is no candy left for us anymore.

[friendlyFRIEND]

21. lol I'm not sure if you're smacking me upside the head

but I like your style.

[MattSh]

23. I think you want to be pointing that finger the other way...

NO, not at yourself.

I "think" you want to be pointing it at the 1%.

The guy who started this thread does not seem to be the problem...

[Historic NY]

22. I was a 20 something with the Corvette..

[KharmaTrain]

24. ...And Gas Was 1.00 A Gallon...

...I was in my 30s and bought my first house in 1987 for less than $60k but with a mortgage at 10.25%. Today my mortgage is at 3.25%.

The ugly truth is the average income has been declining since 1973 when a nice home cost $40gs, a car for $5gs and a gallon of gas was 37 cents. My first year at college cost $1,200...that's about 3 credit hours today...