NYTimes: Conservative Economics and Income Inequality Are Literally Killing Us

[Curmudgeoness]

30. I am the same age,

and I have many older acquaintances. I have come to the realization that most of the people my age and older are looking at the world the way it used to be when they were young, and they are not noticing the changes.

We could afford college because 1) tuition was so much lower, even when considering lower wages, and 2) there were a lot of summer jobs where we could work to pay for the rest of the year's tuition.

Also, when they were saving for retirement, they were making better money, and the earnings on their saving accounts was much higher, allowing them to grow their nest egg quicker.

Then there is the amount of money that is required to be paid out from paychecks that was not necessary for them. Today, we have to pay for TV when it was free over the air when they were younger. All the bells and whistles today with phones and internet service were not available then. They did not have to pay copays and partial or whole premiums for health care, the employer did that. And the employer also covered defined pension plans, so they did not have to set aside every penny they would need in retirement out of their pay.

I am always trying to tell them that they were very fortunate to have grown up at just the right time, when many things for the middle class were working out. They just don't seem to be able to look past their own experiences.