Politics

[sgt_zim]

Starter houses aren't 1,900square feet. WTF?

No, because of regulatory capture, builders don't like building them because they can't make enough money off of them.

Also, county tax boards like bigger houses because it means more property tax revenue.

I buy houses that for a lot of "deferred maintenance" can't qualify for conventional loans. I fix them up, rent them for a year or 2, then sell them. Most of the houses I look at that are under 2k sf are pre-1980 builds.

 

[Scott CWO]

To me it seems like an exercise in futility to compare which generation has or had it the hardest. They Rocked and sucked for all of them.

The great wars and depression seems like it sucked pretty bad so did Korea but the 50’s and 60’s were considered a golden age in the world and you had pensions and jobs galore that would promote from within and help you build skills without a degree.

The late 60’s and 70’s seem shitty with Vietnam and mass inflation. But the 80’s and 90’s seem great and you got an 401k.. but people lost pensions and the family unit started to suffer and that trend has continued with each subsequent generation.

the whole 2000’s have been war and a recession mixed with a bull market that was created by destroying America and making them go broke with quantitative easing. But we live in a time with a lot of modern luxury and the internet has made information readily available.

When I look at each generation I see great people and pretty sorry people. That’s fact and that’s life. Sure baby boomers have the most wealth but also the vast majority of them are broke like every other generation.

Gen x is possibly the smallest generation but they have built more businesses than the generation before them.

And a lot of the millennials are either very pro business or very pro family that I know though many are selfish.

The other gen’s are too young for me to attempt to comment on.

I remember one thing people seem to forget. You see people as they are today not as they were or will be. My wife has commented about how awesome the silent gen was as grandparents and how terrible most younger baby boomers seem to be as grandparents because they seem to be more selfish or how great the silent gen had to be as parents. I told here you don’t have a clue how any of the older gen handled themselves when they were 20,30,40 years old. The other problem is when you complain about generations younger or older remember someone had to raise them.

My grandmother was a stern German woman from the silent gen. 6 kids 1 died the rest half did great half were screwups. That trend follows most families that I’ve observed from that generation.

People complain about how sorry every generation after them is and that thought is not new. The 50’s greaser, 60’s hippies,70’s punk and dope heads, 80’s coke heads every generation has been seen as worse by its predecessors. But I like I said people raised these people and their standards or didn’t raise them because they were to busy doing god know what.

I am GenX but never think about generations until some liberal whiner brings up generations. We each make most of our own “luck” no matter when born in this country. I remember a friend from high school telling me how everything comes easy to me. Meanwhile, he was smoking dope while I was working, starting at age 13 in entry level jobs. If my kids would have aspired to only entry level jobs, I would have more than made my thoughts known to them. To any slackers out there - nobody cares, work harder!

I remember something Will Smith said when asked by a reporter about how he and his wife kept their kids so grounded. He answered that he told his kids, “Your mom and I are rich. Y’all are broke!” Loved that from him! Used it on my kids anytime they felt entitled or asked for something outrageously expensive or thought they could just avoid hard work and education.

 

[spike.t]

Europe targeted by spiralling campaign of sabotage and Russia is the chief suspect

Germany has blamed Russia for an attack on Leipzig airport but there has been a series of suspicious incidents elsewhere.

www.bbc.com

 

[Scott CWO]

If you think Super Bowl seats are accessibly priced than I suggest you are out of touch. They are over $4k a seat now. That is without travel etc.

Super Bowl tickets are all resale. They literally do not go on sale to the general public at all from the NFL. They don't have a face value.

I have paid $1000 Cdn for a entertainment event, but I am not fooling myself that is an accessible number.

We see the same thing at Leafs games, average working class families cannot afford to go. Is that a great social ill...no of course not. But neither is NYC making a few tennis tickets available for a lower price a moral outrage.

And sports tickets are not getting better in pricing. Their increases are outstripping the rate of inflation and wage increase, and for big events like the Super Bowl, NBA finals or the World Cup, their ticket prices over the last couple of decades outstrip inflation by 300-1000%. Almost makes one sympathetic to some of Vance's arguments on how certain elements of capitalism have been harmful to community and family.

Nah, us peasants just watch it on TV and save up for hunting.

I couldn’t give two $h\t5 about who can afford to go in person to these games. Good for them. I went for free to two AFC Championship Bronco games. It was fun but you see each play much better on TV. Why do we have to turn this into class warfare by Europeans and liberal Canadians? Pretty ironic on a website promoting international hunting!

Just another way to bash the USA, I guess.

 

[Scott CWO]

Percentage of income spent on rent in the 1950s: 17%
Percentage of income spent on rent in 2026: 36%

Percentage of income spent on a mortgage in the 1950s: 22%
Percentage of income spent on a mortgage in 2026: 38%

Here endeth the lesson.

Houses were different, as pointed out by someone earlier.

Here begineth your lesson.

 

[Scott CWO]

The 10% was just for restaurants. As I stated in my post already, 41% of people make less than $25/hr. The median mortgage payment is $2225/month. That would be a housing ratio of 53%. I don't know how one pays the bills on that. Not just survive, but thrive and get ahead. Are you saying that 41% of American workers are slackers? I should think that would be news to them.

Ah statistics! You are assuming that all 41% are trying to live off those jobs when lots are high school kids, college kids and retirees just making a few extra bucks. I know because I used to be one and then later hired them!

 

[Scott CWO]

So do I. Now where do you stand on subsidizing stadium prices since that was the point of Bernie's post?

Technically against it but I do wonder how many jobs are created and how many taxes flow into the local governments from the stadiums? Obviously the Liberals running the big cities seem to want the tax revenue?

 

[Scott CWO]

The smallest new single family home built by me is 1,978 SF. That's the problem. The supply of single family starter homes decreases every year.

Yes and Liberals running cities are to blame. In Fort Collins, it has become about impossible to build any type/size of home due to the city requirements being absolutely ridiculous. Only thing being built now is multi-family housing.

 

[Brent in Az]

For those with chronic, self absorbed, nearsighted tunnel vision, like RLD and BigEasy among others here, I will again suggest broaden your horizons and gain some perspective! I’ve spent some time in mountain villages in the Philippines where different languages are spoken and isolated cultures have developed. The Philippines is not unique in these perspectives- many places around the world can offer this. Rural populations there have no clue about nor interest in such things as affordable starter homes nor pseudo legalese, courtroom drama smugness like is commonly debated here. Linguists recognize there are some 180 distinct languages spoken in the Philippines, so it’s as good a place as any to gain some diverse perspective. While the travel there is like any long distance international destination, a royal PITA!, it is doable.

I have noticed some similarities between the local Navajo weaving culture here and one of the mountain tribes on Mindanao- the T’boli. The T’boli weaving and embroidery culture revolves around “dream patterns” while, similarly, the Navajo weavers are culturally based on their historical concept of “Spider Woman”. Here is a pic I pulled off the internet as an example of the unique and endless variety of T’boli “dream patterns”. So, broaden your horizons and perspectives and travel out of your comfort zone! Also… for an equally adventuresome destination, I would suggest the “Sea Nomad” culture in the far south Philippine area of Tawi Tawi and the Badjao people. Their divers have been documented to hold their breath for up to 13 minutes during foraging free dives! Be ready for culture shock when traveling any of these destinations.

View attachment 789970

I would rather see the two forum trolls go visit the M.I.L.F strongholds on Mindanao Island.
Problem solved.

 

[spike.t]

I would rather see the two forum trolls go visit the M.I.L.F strongholds on Mindanao Island.
Problem solved.

MILF strongholds.....presume cougars are prevalent there as well..........

 

[Brent in Az]

MILF strongholds.....presume cougars are prevalent there as well..........

No cougars, just the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.......hostile Islamists with guns.

 

[Rocked and Loaded]

No cougars, just the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.......hostile Islamists with guns.

Worst MILFs ever.

 

[RLD]

For those with chronic, self absorbed, nearsighted tunnel vision, like RLD and BigEasy among others here, I will again suggest broaden your horizons and gain some perspective! I’ve spent some time in mountain villages in the Philippines where different languages are spoken and isolated cultures have developed. The Philippines is not unique in these perspectives- many places around the world can offer this. Rural populations there have no clue about nor interest in such things as affordable starter homes nor pseudo legalese, courtroom drama smugness like is commonly debated here. Linguists recognize there are some 180 distinct languages spoken in the Philippines, so it’s as good a place as any to gain some diverse perspective. While the travel there is like any long distance international destination, a royal PITA!, it is doable.

I have noticed some similarities between the local Navajo weaving culture here and one of the mountain tribes on Mindanao- the T’boli. The T’boli weaving and embroidery culture revolves around “dream patterns” while, similarly, the Navajo weavers are culturally based on their historical concept of “Spider Woman”. Here is a pic I pulled off the internet as an example of the unique and endless variety of T’boli “dream patterns”. So, broaden your horizons and perspectives and travel out of your comfort zone! Also… for an equally adventuresome destination, I would suggest the “Sea Nomad” culture in the far south Philippine area of Tawi Tawi and the Badjao people. Their divers have been documented to hold their breath for up to 13 minutes during foraging free dives! Be ready for culture shock when traveling any of these destinations.

View attachment 789970

I am sure this is a fascinating destination and they are wonderful people.

But surely you are not suggesting that because other nations have poor rural areas that more developed countries should stop trying to improve?

You don't like the idea of affordable starter homes? The concept is too legalese for you?

I'd wager these folks you are referring to don't give a rat's ass about the 2nd Amendment or a million other things that I bet are important to you.

I gotta say, this post makes absolutely no sense at all.

It's like saying because these folks don't drive cars we shouldn't have speed limits or safety standards for cars.

But let me ask, do you think that MILF will stick to the deal they cut recently or are they just biding their time?

I have travelled and lived amongst other cultures my whole life. It doesn't mean I should ignore the problems in Canada.

 

[spike.t]

No cougars, just the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.......hostile Islamists with guns.

Ahhhh......

 

[Big_Easy]

I’ve always wondered how bad of a recession would we experience if just 70-80 percent of the population actually did live within their means and didn’t spend all of their money. I’m sure it would be massive given we are the top consumer in the world.

I doubt the recession would be any worse than most. Look at past recessions and you can see savings rates tend to go up during them. I suppose it depends greatly upon just how much folks were to save vs spend in your scenario.

 

[skydiver386]

No cougars, just the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.......hostile Islamists with guns.

Been there, done that.

 

[RLD]

Houses were different, as pointed out by someone earlier.

Here begineth your lesson.

Interesting Scotty...but...not very helpful. Perhaps even misleading.

The vast majority of the increase in home prices (relatively speaking) has come from the increase in the cost of the land, not the building on it.

No wait...now you will suggest that land is different now!

And you'd be right. Despite the fact that land now makes up a much larger portion of the cost, you are now getting less land.

By any measure it is more expensive for a young person to buy a home in the United States, than it has been historically. Even J.D. Vance that noted leftie has been talking about it. Perhaps you send him an e-mail telling him to shut up because "houses are different" now.

It's okay to be a out-of-touch person who really doesn't give a rat's ass about the portions of your population who are finding the going hard and wax eloquent in a spell binding way about the good old days and "kids these days" but that pretty much just makes one irrelevant and not particularly useful anymore.

 

[Big_Easy]

The Financial Show host Dave Ramsey did a number of studies including the "Millionaire Study". In the "Millionaire Study", it was the largest survey sample of its kind ever conducted, 17,000 respondents. A lot of his advice is based on outcome-based evidence of how people became net-worth millionaires. (which technically encompasses much of the middle class) He also did a deca-millionaire subset analysis that had additional findings.

Based on the above, he organized habits and behaviors that keep people stuck in their economic strata:

For the poor / lower class:

-Payday Lenders & Title Loans
-Rent-to-Own Services
-Pawn Shops
-The lottery
-"how much down?" mindset

For the middle class:

-Car Payments & Leases
-Credit Card Rewards
-HELOCs and Home Equity Loans
-Student Loans
-Whole Life Insurance / Universal Life
-Recreational vehicles/boats/tractors/RVs/etc.
-"How much a month?" mindset

Both groups bad habits I would describe as "looking for shortcuts" and lack of self-control. I navigated through both of these social strata and I avoided almost all of these pitfalls with the exception of two boats in my early 20s and a student loan in my late 20s. Had I invested the two-boats of money and self-funded my education and invested it at that time, that $60k back then would be another million in my portfolio 25 years later.

Certainly interesting, but you left out that it was primarily a self-selected survey of respondents, and the inherent survivorship bias as well. We should also note that when the millionaires were asked "to rank the behaviors that people believe to be most important in building wealth," both "luck," and "inheritance," appeared in that list....Just not at the top. But he was right about Engineer being in that top 5 list.

 

[Big_Easy]

But surely you are not suggesting that because other nations have poor rural areas that more developed countries should stop trying to improve?

This is exactly what he means. Because to the right-wingers anyone in a bad circumstance is there solely because of their own making/choosing.

I'd wager these folks you are referring to don't give a rat's ass about the 2nd Amendment or a million other things that I bet are important to you.

It's like saying because these folks don't drive cars we shouldn't have speed limits or safety standards for cars.

You'd be surprised by how many on the right don't think that seatbelts (among other safety systems) should be mandated in cars.

 

[Big_Easy]

I would rather see the two forum trolls go visit the M.I.L.F strongholds on Mindanao Island.
Problem solved.

And if only bat-sh!t crazy conspiracy theorists would take a long walk off of a short pier.