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[hfojvt]

64. What rightwing talking points?

That home ownership is still up? http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/hvs/historic/index.html

65.4% in the first quarter of 2012. 68.2% in the 3rd quarter of 2007, before the depression started. In 1972 - 64.3%

Not that much worse, but certainly not any better in the glory days of the 1970s.

Check out the SAUS table 684.http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/statab1951-1994.htm

Average expenditure on dining out (food away from home), in
1975 - 50.2 billion of 979.1 total consumption - 5.1%
2009 - $2,619 of 49,067 average expenditures -5.3%

Further that is a rising percentage (slightly) of rising income. Real average income of the middle quintile in 1975 was $43,199 and in 2010 it was $49,309. For the 4th quintile, the average was $26,331 in 1975 and $28,636 in 2010. http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/data/historical/household/

average expenditures on entertainment
1984 - $1,005 (in 2009 dollars, that is $2,075)
2009 - $2,693

Speaking of averages, average real income of the top 5% was $168,184 in 1975 and $287,686 in 2010. The top has snarfed up much of the gains in the last 3 decades, but that does not translate into the idea that the working class was all so much better off in the good old days of the 1970s.