So the boom booms are responsible for the vast majority of the degradation of this cuntry's infrastructure, socio-political economy, and most any other, assorted, general hooliganism.

The fundamental problem, which has only increased immeasurably, was that they failed to critically think. Enamored by their televisions, politicians, and Walter Cronkite, they never questioned their government.

Some of the primary examples include, failing to rectify the multiple, obvious inconsistencies in the Warren Commission Report; and believing NASA landed on the moon.

As a result of their inability to question the body politik, the system was able to bolster itself to a point where it is now 100% immune from transparency and, more importantly, change.

It is not lost on me that some folks are able to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps," put in hard work, and become relatively successful in this cuntry.  However, this is not possible for everyone because the system in place now CANNOT allow for everyone to make a success of themselves.

Good for you! See you made choices that caused that, I’m 38 and made choices that resulted in be still making mortgage payments.

"Poverty Pimps" wood be a damn fine Beer and/or Band name there, big shooter.

The middle class is on thin ice currently, can’t wait to see what happens to it in 10-20 years.

And everyone called him a deranged Boomer…

i saw a documentary about that once:

That's what became of the Boogie Pimps are they squandered their record deal money on light up roller skate wheels instead of investing in T bills!

The people didn’t whine in the 1930’s.  Living in a shack, with dirt floors, using a bucket as a toilet, another bucket for washing, a fire pit for cooking... And living on $5.00 a month.They felt blessed they actually had a roof over their heads.

They didn’t blame the people in the “Roaring 20’s” for the economy.  Instead, they pulled up their bootstraps and dug ditches, doing the dirty jobs, 90% of our current generations would be horrified to consider.  

We were taught, work hard.  We were taught how to make and do, almost everything by hand.  There weren’t any convince stores, big box stores, just maybe a general store.  

Our family didn’t have electricity or running water (hand pump).  We were taught to ‘buck it up’. If you wanted something, you found a way to WORK for it.  Gardening for food, a couple cows, a couple chickens, and that was it.  We preserved our food using a wood stove….. chopping wood, milking, collecting eggs, cleaning the barn were everyday chores…. Then, we walked 1/2 mile to catch the bus for school.

I’ve lived on the streets, but, decided I wasn’t quitting.  I earned every single thing I have, the hard way.  No one gave me anything.

So….quit whining, get off your butt and do what you need to do to make life better for yourself.

You know how it is, when you’re poor it’s hard to focus on anything else beyond being poor.

But you’re correct in that I’m doing my best. Real life me is ecstatic about this job I’m working because of the places it’ll take me if I can be successful. It puts me in a solid long term position with career stability. Now if only I can fast forward through my last two years of getting this damn piece of paper.

There are plenty more for you to use.

Get off the cross, we need the wood.

There was an assload of unemployment riots, race riots, food riots, etc. Does the Bonus Army ring a bell?

Until it runs out of hormones.

We're working on contingencies.

Just hit up Karl, he'll be stockpiling for the apocalypse.

We'll start one up for GD.

You won’t be anywhere near my switch Jr .

I learned a long time ago to not allow unstable people any control over me.

This is a bold face lie.

Boomers invented the 90's 5 bedroom, 3 car garage Mcmansion.  They did this because by their 40's they could afford this and needed the garage space for their midlife crisis toys - $30k CVO Harley, Boats, etc.

That's great Boomers could afford big families too...

Millennials basically invented the "tiny home" and have spent most of their lives downsizing and minimizing.

In their 20's they had the hipster movement rejecting surban life and car ownership by trying live near work and gentrify neglected areas.

A basic small 3bd is $400k in PHX and $800k+ in California.

My father owned two ranch houses in San Diego as a 2nd Lt. in 1978. You think a Marine Lieutenant can afford to own them now?

I come from a long line of hard-working German and Welsh immigrants. Most of them I knew growing up rarely had a single job unless they were working a farm. My Dad had as many as 3-4 jobs. He began as a gunsmith and carpenter. When I was 4, he was making $7000 a year. Later, he became a machinist and locksmith. By the time I was 9, I had learned how to re-key locks, cut keys, and pick locks. About a year later, he leveraged his way into half ownership of a sporting goods store followed by founding a Tool & Die shop, on an 80-acre farm he also bought. I started working in the shop when I was 13. A few years later, he founded a second machine shop. He continued to own the machine shop until he was 87. That is how we learned to work, not sitting in front of a TV set or computer screen playing games. I saved my money and paid my way through college. I worked as a machinist, ran the farm, and went to college at night. I did one year of grad school while working the night shift in a Mental Hospital. I was commissioned in the AF in 1977. I have also been a Christian school administrator, Educational consultant, orchardist, rancher, and Sci-Fi book author.

My Dad used to say if you want to achieve something, you have to work more than 40 hrs a week. I never knew him to work less than 60 hours. You make yourself if you are a man.

If you really want something bad enough you must be willing to work and make sacrifices to reach your goals. Sit on your ass and you will fail.

My children followed in the family's heritage. When the boys turned 13 they started apprenticing in Grandpa's machine shop. One became a MEDEVAC pilot and a Maintenance test pilot before being medically retired. He is now with me as a rancher. The other son is an  E-7, 11C in the Army and a full-time instructor with 4 years to retire. My grandchildren are carrying on the lessons learned. My two teenage granddaughters raise sheep and started a business at the farmers market. They also raise their own flowers and run a local flower shop online. Besides the cut flowers, they make their own baked goods, raise micro-greens, and sell lamb. They are learning the lessons of their great, great, great grandfathers. When people on GD start pointing fingers for their lack of opportunities, I see what you are made of.

Minor point on “we were taught to work hard” statement.   You worked or you had jack schitt. If that is taught to work hard I guess but if you didn’t want to starve or get run in to jail for vagrancy you fricken worked.  My grandfather had a few bad turns in work life in the thirties.  He ended up starting a business and then had to close down due to competing with a town father type.  He moved to where the work was.   He began welding in a shipyard and did through the war.

Is that you, Caligula?

Average car today is 12.6 years old.

I just sold a 19 year old Silverado for $14k.

My first car in 2001 was a '94 Ford Escort I paid $2200 for. It was mint with 65k miles.

That's less then $4k in today's money for a 7 year old car.

A 7 year old Ford Focus is about $10k (cars.com).

Sir, I would recommend an attempt to deceive those Wal-Marts. May I interest you in a walk-around and perhaps some vintage cans of Surge?

I'm too busy working on my assault gun and technical right now to take on another project...

I built a 2400 sq ft custom log home in 1984. It sold and could times since but last sold for over $400,000. I bought a ranch 8 years ago and the realtor keeps bugging us he could sell it for about a million. I bet he could but this place goes to the grandchildren. My parting gift.

BTW, under Carter the inflation rate was over 11%. CC interest rate was over 21%. Some were charging 29%. The variable rate for a 30-year variable home loan was over 14%. Now, I'm paying 2.75% for a fixed 30-year rate for a 241-acre ranch.
Save the whining.

Oh do tell which have...

I have lots of records from a 100k+ employer.

2005 a Buyer started at $50k
2019 a Buyer started at $65k
2024 a Buyer starts at $75k

AFI,

$80k - 2005
$79k - 2019
$75k - 2024


National Metrics reflect "wage stagnation" as well.

You see a $25k increase but it's really a loss of $5k in spending power. Double car prices, triple housing prices and that's why people are bitching.

The ones that followed the "recipe for success" are not seeing the same success.

Desire to know more about that stud's helmet intensifies.

Ok i'm going to bust out the crayons for the GD binary argument brigade.

What we have been trying to say is that we HAVE AND ARE WORKING HARD but due to the choices the previous generations made and those they voted into office completely benefited them while selling the rest of us down river. If we 1:1 pull op our bootstraps like daddy did in the 80's or grandpappy did in the 60's it will yield SIGNIFICANTLY LESS as a result of said choices by previous generations.

We're rapidly reaching our let them eat cake moment due to this divergence and there are no more bootstraps to pull up.

Come on over, we'll have a snack and tell you more...

Damn you must be camping on this thread....

*scratches self uncontrollably*
*looks relunctantly*

Ya'll got any cheese-burgas?

Nor should they, you make your own success. Exoecting equal outcomes is commie BS propaganda.

I've been tag teaming it with JLPIII but I think he's taken an avocado toast break. Maybe the bootstraps broke when he was pulling himself up and hit himself in the head and he's got a concussion.

Best I can do is some trains to stomp on and some crystals that we can recharge.

Touche on wages. I’m 38 and have bought/sold 4 houses, rolling profits into bigger/nicer each time. I’ll live in them for two years to beat capital gains/income tax on profit and renovate/update to increase value. No degree, no trade, and my main career is about $100k and I’m a realtor on the side which generates $15-$40k/ year. I KNOW people make more then me and had a better head start, so I don’t understand how they aren’t able to buy a home. Especially considering I’m in one of most  competitive housing markets in the country.  I couldn’t imagine blaming another generation or harboring resentment because someone had an easier life or more opportunity.

JLP3 prolly climbing a pole rn in montucky wishing he could be shitposting on arf.

A lie?  My parents bought their first house in 1968 for $14500.  It sold in 2021 for $147k and probably would bring close to $180k today.  Pics from the 2021 listing show only minor changes, but it does now have central air.  The difference is that you are comparing to prices in CA (an insane state and among the highest median home prices thanks in large part to bad gov) and AZ which has no water and has been invaded by people leaving CA for 30 years.  Get out of your box.

LOL.  Millenials didn't invent the tiny home.  When my parents got married they rented an 800 sq ft 1BR/1Ba home for four years.  My grandfather built his house from salvaged lumber after he returned from Germany in 1946.  He, my grandmother, my mother, and my uncle lived in the kitchen, dining room, and living room (total 500-600sq ft) for several years while he saved money and finished the other rooms himself (while holding down full time work).  My great grandparents were farmers and all lived in small homes with large families.  Get over yourself.

Oh, my youngest cousins born 1980 both in the army since 2003 both own homes.  Why?  Because they live within their means and made it happen.

The unseriousness exhibited by several posters on this and similar threads is an example of the problem which is largely a matter of attitude and outlook.  If you've got time to post 13 times a day for over a decade on one hobby forum (and mostly puerile content at that), the root problem is apparent.

So..... you could not vote.... or vote for the lesser asshole .

What would you have done different ?

Is that how high up that poor guys bootstraps have to go now?

Me rn

Oh man he’s had to stretch those bootstraps a long way. All for a shitbox Honda and a shitty studio apartment.

If only he learned to code.

damn fine documentary.

damn fine.

oh fuck.