General Discussion

moondust

(21,288 posts)

57. It's not a myth.

Thu Jul 16, 2015, 01:27 PM

Jul 2015

I lived it and I know better from experience.

But that was before thousands of factories in the U.S. were shut down and moved to Mexico and then China and Vietnam, costing millions of well-paying jobs that allowed a lot of Americans even without any college to work their way into the comfortable life of the middle class. Many worked well-paying jobs in harsh conditions so that their kids could go to college and do even better.

It's true that Europe and Asia weren't much competition for a while after WWII so the U.S. had a distinct advantage. But the U.S. economy generally worked much, much better for 99% of the population when the wealth recirculated, the top tax rate was around 90%, and excessive greed was not "good" but publicly scorned--before Reagan and the "trickle-down" swindle.

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Millennials Who Are Thriving Financially Have One Thing in Common [View all] damnedifIknow Jul 2015 OP

Ha! I knew the answer before I opened the post! gollygee Jul 2015 #1

The article sounds as if this is new yeoman6987 Jul 2015 #3

Yep... Phentex Jul 2015 #6

+1 daleanime Jul 2015 #12

That was my thoughts exactly AwakeAtLast Jul 2015 #25

Except that most generations since the New Deal had real opportunity for upward mobility. Those jwirr Jul 2015 #46

No, the large nmber of college graduates returning to their whathehell Jul 2015 #93

True but the percentage of boomers who went to college is small yeoman6987 Jul 2015 #96

Yup. 3% Igel Jul 2015 #9

Me, too. It's always this answer, year after year. nt valerief Jul 2015 #101

Yeah, no surprise there. Gormy Cuss Jul 2015 #2

By that time his or her job will have been shipped to Bombay hifiguy Jul 2015 #90

and so it goes...... n/t restorefreedom Jul 2015 #4

Only the Rich will be able to afford a College Education. PeoViejo Jul 2015 #5

Evil spawn? Indydem Jul 2015 #13

Not twisted PeoViejo Jul 2015 #15

It seems like decent people who are rich are not plentiful Stargazer99 Jul 2015 #33

Such a narrow world view. Indydem Jul 2015 #63

Millions? BrotherIvan Jul 2015 #87

"There are plenty on our side?????" Where are you getting your information? japple Jul 2015 #97

You are delusional marions ghost Jul 2015 #111

That's a weird thing to say (nt) Recursion Jul 2015 #85

Wait... I'm confused. Is college something you should be able to afford... lumberjack_jeff Jul 2015 #95

Philadelphia is full of them. onehandle Jul 2015 #7

As Trump proudly announces he's worth 10 billion damnedifIknow Jul 2015 #10

The 'Creative Class' Populist_Prole Jul 2015 #47

Huge gentrification happening in major cities- DC, NY, Boston, Chi, Sea, Port, SF where appalachiablue Jul 2015 #99

There must be an equivalent with these guys to the NINJA loan. Eleanors38 Jul 2015 #51

And military people get a nice benefits package madville Jul 2015 #8

...... daleanime Jul 2015 #14

I was going to suggest the same thing for those who don't have a Daddy Warbucks in Hestia Jul 2015 #16

I suggest it to many people madville Jul 2015 #100

How dare you!? Indydem Jul 2015 #17

Exactly madville Jul 2015 #28

And sometimes a bullet in the head. Would you know that from your lazyboy? "free" my ass.n/t jtuck004 Jul 2015 #19

90%+ never enter a combat zone madville Jul 2015 #24

When a person enters the military they are giving of themselves for government service, and jtuck004 Jul 2015 #29

I never said it wasn't earned or undeserved madville Jul 2015 #32

You wrote " free 4 year Post 9/11 GI Bill..."< It's not free at all. jtuck004 Jul 2015 #40

Yeah I paid $1800 to buy into the old GI Bill madville Jul 2015 #42

Yeah. <G> n/t jtuck004 Jul 2015 #45

I know, seriously, what the fuck! J_J_ Jul 2015 #27

You have no idea AwakeAtLast Jul 2015 #30

Thank you for your service madville Jul 2015 #38

Providing they don't get slaughtered in one of our wars (like for oil) Stargazer99 Jul 2015 #34

My husband served before the Vietnam War. He was able to go to college only because JDPriestly Jul 2015 #41

Coast Guard and Navy are good too madville Jul 2015 #53

Joining is a deal with the devil, though. Not only do you risk putting yourself in grave danger, Arugula Latte Jul 2015 #61

So who is Obama slaughtering brown people for? Indydem Jul 2015 #64

Top corporations benefitting from U.S. military action Arugula Latte Jul 2015 #73

Did you actually write that? BrotherIvan Jul 2015 #88

In the medium run, each and every oil company in the world hifiguy Jul 2015 #91

Yes, those benefits have proven very helpful to me. JustABozoOnThisBus Jul 2015 #68

Those are good things about the modern benefits madville Jul 2015 #70

They also get dead in illegal wars of aggression. n/t PowerToThePeople Jul 2015 #110

I knew the punch line before I read the article. NV Whino Jul 2015 #11

Let me offer a more nuanced view Proud Public Servant Jul 2015 #18

"We just need policies that compel that rich country to act like the rich parent it is." < It does jtuck004 Jul 2015 #22

Thank you very much for your daughter's story. And especially the last line. jwirr Jul 2015 #48

Rent in Los Angeles is absolutely ridiculous. Initech Jul 2015 #20

I don't see how people can afford to live here. JDPriestly Jul 2015 #37

Yeah I'm looking at relocating to Colorado at some point. Initech Jul 2015 #58

it will be more affordable fizzgig Jul 2015 #67

Same here in the DC area. alarimer Jul 2015 #69

My daughter lived in L.A. for two years DFW Jul 2015 #74

I loved the coastline and surfing in CA but came back home to TN because of high cost of living Skeeter Barnes Jul 2015 #83

I'm a millennial who is thriving (by the standards of the article) linuxman Jul 2015 #21

YMMV. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Jul 2015 #31

And it doesn't require a college degree either Go Vols Jul 2015 #44

Construction jobs can't be outsourced hifiguy Jul 2015 #92

self taught? working on linux? J_J_ Jul 2015 #39

Nope, I just needed a username and I like the OS linuxman Jul 2015 #102

This concept really is not a new concept at all. hamsterjill Jul 2015 #23

But a university education was not so hard to pay for. It was less expensive, especially JDPriestly Jul 2015 #35

This should be it's own OP. HughBeaumont Jul 2015 #71

Actually, the older generation, those of us who had it easier JDPriestly Jul 2015 #79

Just look at the University of California system Prism Jul 2015 #76

+1000. JDPriestly Jul 2015 #78

This is why Bernie's message should be important to African-Americans. JDPriestly Jul 2015 #26

When I graduated,1963, jomin41 Jul 2015 #36

They're white? n/t 951-Riverside Jul 2015 #43

Before the GI Bill moondust Jul 2015 #49

Yes. And 90% of these income/class stories are based on a myth WestCoastLib Jul 2015 #54

It's not a myth. moondust Jul 2015 #57

Unique set of circumstances 1939 Jul 2015 #62

Very true, but 90% of America hasn't digested that yet (nt) Recursion Jul 2015 #86

"people who have money don't lack for money" MisterP Jul 2015 #50

When did parents helping out their kids become news? I'm a Boomer, and MY parents gave me $$$$$$ to WinkyDink Jul 2015 #52

Living with their parents doesn't necessarily mean they're struggling financially. pnwmom Jul 2015 #55

There are three basic requirements for success in a capitalist system: Maedhros Jul 2015 #56

Actually, I would say drive + intelligence + opportunity AZ Progressive Jul 2015 #106

Opportunity is directly correlative to capital. Maedhros Jul 2015 #112

There is something deeper here. PowerToThePeople Jul 2015 #109

These are the students who are rich IN college daredtowork Jul 2015 #59

Yep, am spending a ton of money trying to keep my older daughter from taking loans to pay college stevenleser Jul 2015 #60

Another thing left out is that millenials will receive the yeoman6987 Jul 2015 #65

They'll just have to wait ... JustABozoOnThisBus Jul 2015 #66

Lol. Too funny. I hope you guys live forever. yeoman6987 Jul 2015 #72

I disagree mcar Jul 2015 #75

They populate HGTV. CrispyQ Jul 2015 #77

Really sick of the click bait headlines oberliner Jul 2015 #80

I personally know many millennials Snobblevitch Jul 2015 #81

That's pretty much the way it is in the rest of the world Major Nikon Jul 2015 #82

Don't forget having children FLPanhandle Jul 2015 #84

Whoda thunk it? I mean really. hifiguy Jul 2015 #89

My eldest is 25. He has a car, a truck, a harley, a wife, a job, a dog, and a 3br house. lumberjack_jeff Jul 2015 #94

you know it, Jeff Skittles Jul 2015 #98

"How can I afford college?" lumberjack_jeff Jul 2015 #103

one of the problems now is Skittles Jul 2015 #113

Fully agree. Credential creep is a big money maker for colleges. lumberjack_jeff Jul 2015 #115

"credential creep" Skittles Jul 2015 #116

My parents aren't rich RoccoRyg Jul 2015 #104

The people who are best off are the ones that early on realize that life is a game... AZ Progressive Jul 2015 #105

And most don't give a damn about anyone else, having endured the hardship of inherited wealth. nt kelliekat44 Jul 2015 #107

Even the offspring of the rich are getting richer! Emelina Jul 2015 #108

Rich parents. This is exacly why we need to elect Bernie, and give every kid real opportunity. nt Zorra Jul 2015 #114

Post removed Post removed Jun 2017 #117