Sad State of Affairs

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Geez. Palo Alto is one of the most elite neighborhoods in the country. You can buy a house in nice neighborhoods nearby, like Santa Clara or San Mateo for 1/3 the cost of a home in Palo Alto.

MAKING $75k a year is sufficient to raise a family of four here! :MARIS61:

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

You're describing a scenario that really has never existed for most people in the country. So by saying people can't do it today, you really aren't making much of a point. I think you have some idea where parents will live the lifestyle you live... living in a hipster loft, eating out every night, spending money on drinks at the club several times a week, buying any new gadget you ever want, etc etc all while sending their kids to really expensive daycares, or hiring nannies. Do you really think our grandparents were brought up like that?

Yes. Yours weren't?

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

$200K is a lot anywhere in Oregon, really. And people in Oregon were doing the same things (people everywhere were doing that), it's simply that the cost of living is higher in some places (and so are wages/salaries).

$200k in LA is about equivalent to $75k in Oregon. at least in terms of getting the housing, living in the areas that are comprable. If you're making $75k here, you're renting or living in the ghetto.

But one day I'll move back to Oregon I think. LA is too fucked up, its fun when you're just fucking around and doing whatevz, but its pretty hard to have a nice lifestyle here with a family unless you are balling.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

School is fast becoming the next housing bubble. If you look at it, it has a lot of the same issues. Government guaranteed loans, little regulation and declining value in receiving an education. These kinds of issues reduce the free market approach to pricing and allow schools to price hike exponentially. Eventually the value of an education will be less than the cost and that point will be soon. One thing that keeps the bubble going is the Conventional wisdom that when times are hard you get more education to secure a better future. As the OP shows this is leading to highly educated servers and unemployed with ridiculous debt. To make matters worse even bankruptcy will not forgive student loans.

I've lived in New Zealand and Japan, and I’ve been to most of Europe and South America. In a lot of these countries not only is school free (or cheap) but you actually receive an allowance from the government for going to school and maintaining good grades. It may be a socialist attitude but at least they are investing in their future as a country, as we keep living off our past.

I think Canadia is the same way with the stipend. I've spent some time in visiting elementary schools in Japan, its pretty crazy how they do it. They're there like 8am to 5pm. Lunch is eaten at the desk, at least where I went. Its like having a job, US kids have it easy!

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

I think Canadia is the same way with the stipend. I've spent some time in visiting elementary schools in Japan, its pretty crazy how they do it. They're there like 8am to 5pm. Lunch is eaten at the desk, at least where I went. Its like having a job, US kids have it easy!

LOL @ "Canadia"!

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

$200k in LA is about equivalent to $75k in Oregon. at least in terms of getting the housing, living in the areas that are comprable. If you're making $75k here, you're renting or living in the ghetto.

But one day I'll move back to Oregon I think. LA is too fucked up, its fun when you're just fucking around and doing whatevz, but its pretty hard to have a nice lifestyle here with a family unless you are balling.

That at least makes me feel good about what I make now here in the Portland Area.

Of course.... While I dig the SoCal sun, since I have kids, I prefer most everything else Oregon has to offer a family living-wise...

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

as for the student loans. yeah, they are expensive. and there is little return. well, except technically if you do get that degree you do make way more over the course of your life on average. so maybe its not that bad?

 

[donkiez]

An excellent post.

I fully agree with the first paragraph. As to the second, sadly, we're in no position to do this given our sad state of affairs for a variety of reasons. Too much fraud, waste & abuse in the social services sector that sucks money away from things like education is just one of the problems.

Unfortunally you are right BP, with the current system and set of problems that would not be possilbe. But where there is a will there is a way. The way would be to completely resturcture the system and change our priorities as a nation. Military spending and entitlement programs would need to be cut. The tax system would need a drastic overhaul, health care would need to be fixed. Also we would need to stop focusing on problems that ultimatly have no (or little) bearing on our countries well being like God, Guns and Gays.

Has anyone heard of the Robin Hood tax by the way? It probably deserves its own thread.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

there's no way the status quo will be broken. look how fucked this country is and no real changes.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Unfortunally you are right BP, with the current system and set of problems that would not be possilbe. But where there is a will there is a way. The way would be to completely resturcture the system and change our priorities as a nation. Military spending and entitlement programs would need to be cut. The tax system would need a drastic overhaul, health care would need to be fixed. Also we would need to stop focusing on problems that ultimatly have no (or little) bearing on our countries well being like God, Guns and Gays.

Has anyone heard of the Robin Hood tax by the way? It probably deserves its own thread.

Agreed.

With the level of partisan politics today and when each sides insists on governing under the banner "politics as usual", we will never make the necessary changes to make the country better- only more regulated under Big Brother as our freedoms continue to be chipped away at.

But, until the voters have had enough, it will be what it will be.