From days gone by...what do you miss most ?

[Pasifikawv]

In the late 40's and 50's, there was serious investment in our nation -building the interstate system, bridges, power plants, schools, hospitals, etc. There were lots of jobs and common folk had buying power which created even more jobs and kept factories open. Mom could work if she wanted to, but didn't have to since most familes could reach middle class with just dad's wages.

Now, our roads and schools are crumbling, bridges are colapsing into rivers, a dual income blue colar work doesn't make it to middle class, the middle class is just disapearing, hard-working Americans can't find jobs while the titans of industry and Wall Street have seen record profits.

Fairness: that's what I'd like to see again. It leads to opportunity, growth, stability and the good ol' American spirit that you can make it if you try, work hard, and play by the (fair) rules.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Somewhere on a different thread here it was pointed out about the disaster in japan. How there was no looting reported. When we have disasters like katrina the problems we had with looters even includeing the NOPD, are now the norm! There definetly has been changes in morals world wide!

San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Riots, looting... I believe it got to the point where authorities issued orders to shoot to kill.

 

[NFrameFred]

As our national leaders speak of entitlement reform, the first words out of their mouths are "It won't apply to anyone over 55". Yet, those who are 55 and older are the ones who presided over the plundering of these entitlement revenues over past decades. Touch the entitlement programs of these self centered, hooray for me bluehairs and they will rise up out of their Medicare paid for Hoverounds and revolt.

Don't get a pass on this one, Phil. The ones who "plundered" these 'entitlements' you speak of were elected politicians, who promised the moon and the stars for votes from the weak-minded and then spent the money set aside by those who worked for it to give to those who do not and every other project they could justify for the "common good". A good many of us warned in vain of going down that road, but for someone who decries the stereotyping of youth you don't seem to have a problem applying it the older crowd . . .

 

[NFrameFred]

In the late 40's and early 50's, the tax rate on the super-wealty was much higher. Those funds were used to invest in our nation -building the interstate system, bridges, power plants, schools, hospitals, etc. There were lots of jobs and common folk had buying power which created even more jobs and kept factories open. Mom could work if she wanted to, but didn't have to since most familes could reach middle class with just dad's wages. Home ownership was possible and didn't require a lifetime of debt.

The fact that the rest of the industrial world had just been bombed back to the stone age didn't have anything to do with that ?

Now, the uber-rich have a much reduced tax rate plus loopholes for paying even less. Our nation is in debt, our roads and schools are crumbling, bridges are colapsing into rivers, a dual income blue colar work doesn't make it to middle class, the gap between rich and poor is expanding and the middle class is disapearing, hard-working Americans can't find jobs while the titans of industry and Wall Street have seen record profits.

Same thing - politicians like to appropriate infrastructure money as if once spent it's a done deal and never needs to be replaced. We've allowed the government to be run in ways we could never operate our own budgets. Soaking the "rich" (btw, I work everyday and cannot be described anyway near as such) isn't gonna solve the problem.

Fairness: that's what I'd like to see again. It leads to opportunity, growth, stability and the good ol' American spirit that you can make it if you try, work hard, and play by the (fair) rules.

I can't disagree - to point - it all depends on what your definition of fairness is . . . .

 

[Marshwheeling]

Maid-Rites. They still have them in Iowa, and I don't know that they were ever widespread here in MN, but they make a trip to Iowa like a trip into the past.

 

[feralmerril]

The trouble with a lot of us on many of our opinions is we make up our minds on how we want the bottom line to be, then build a case for it! Case in point: I hadnt heard about the looting in the 1906 earthquake. I also wasnt aware that taxs were much higher for the super rich in the 40s and 50s.
Someone just mentioned how easy it was to get a house in the 40s and 50s, also how familys could live on one income. Here again I hadnt heard that before either. I was born the end of this month in 41. What was stated wasnt my experiance in my family. My folks bought the only house they ever owned in 1952. It looked like a haunted house! It was very old, needed everything redone, didnt have any sort of plumbing or any running water! Price was $2,000s. Dad had what was considered a good paying job in that area. Mom also always worked. Two paychecks! Dad worked on that house without letup like it seemed until I left home in the late 50s and beyound. Forever a sheet would be hung in a doorway to keep plaster dust out of the liveing room while he was building a kitchen or whatever. It was aggervateing to me. I asked him later as I grew up why he hadnt just bought a new house as overall, it looked to me that it would have been cheaper and nicer.
He told me he couldnt even get a loan back in 52. Now that doesnt jibe with what pasaifwv just wrote. Perhaps the difference was dad couldnt get a GI loan as he wasnt a vet? Dad was also the most conservative man you would ever meet. I dont belive he even would borrow for a car. But then, he never bought a new car untill he was close to 50 years old either. He remodeled that house only as he could afford to buy the materials weekly. I dont recall mom being without a cheap job untill she retired. Along with that, mom always had a fruit stand set up along the road many times. Also my folks were VERY heavy givers to the church, I have no doubt they gave the church much more than the taxs they paid, plus they also supported grandma along with another uncles help.
I guess we all have/had different experiances and came to different conclusions about it.

 

[SmokewagonSD]

25 cent gasoline, 2 dollar hunting licenses. 25 dollar Model A Fords, 2 bits to go to the show. 50 cents a box for 22 LR's. Getting my limit of rabbits or squirrels with a Remington 22 single shot. Mom's cooking.

Gee you must be as old as me!
I miss the time when the countryside was full of one-room country schools, one teacher teaching k-8, older kids helped the younger ones. I miss walking the mile and a half home, seldom had to walk the whole way a neighbor would pick you up and take you the rest of the way most days. My sister and her family live on that same farm where I grew up, but their kids are bused twenty miles each way to school. We got a great education in those country schools, when I went to town for high school I was able to pretty much coast through 9th grade, our teacher at country school had taught us most of the 9th grade curriculum.
I miss the time when our little town had three grocery stores, three gas stations, two car dealers, two farm machinery dealers and a dozen or more other small businesses. Now theres one grocery store, a convienience store, bank and lumber yard. Used to be that the town was full of young families on Wednesday and Saturday mights, now its only full when there's a funeral in town.
I miss going to the pool hall with my dad and seeing my grandpa in his favorite chair playing cards with his buddies and how he would flick the ash from his unfiltered PellMells into the cuff of his jeans.

 

[wbraswell]

Y'all all know how it is, the older I get, the better I was.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Don't get a pass on this one, Phil. The ones who "plundered" these 'entitlements' you speak of were elected politicians, who promised the moon and the stars for votes from the weak-minded and then spent the money set aside by those who worked for it to give to those who do not and every other project they could justify for the "common good". A good many of us warned in vain of going down that road, but for someone who decries the stereotyping of youth you don't seem to have a problem applying it the older crowd . . .

Characterizing the American electorate through past decades as "weak-minded" doesn't change anything.

I'm not decrying generalizations, at least not any that I see as more true than not, nor am I trying to pick on old people. However, it is difficult to apply the same evaluation to a group of people (youth) who have yet to be in the driver's seat. Entitlement minded? Older generations are addicted to suckling on the government nipple, even to the point of economic collapse. The youth of today, we'll see, but I think they'll do better... let's hope they do.

I miss my Honda CT70

 

[NFrameFred]

Characterizing the American electorate through past decades as "weak-minded" doesn't change anything.

Doesn't change anything, true enough. But when it comes to voting with their pocketbooks the electorate is increasingly weak minded, ergo our current situation.

I share your hope that the future is in better hands, because if not and the next generation continues to spend more than they take in at the rate the last few have done, the house of cards is folded.

Nothing wrong with the premise behind most of the "entitlements"; but when they are given away as party favors and no cogent plan is in place to pay for it at a replaceable/sustainable rate . . . when the brag is about putting 100,000 new police on the street and using Uncle Sugar's money to pay for the first two years and then the bill is dumped on the states who couldn't afford it in the first place . . . when a fund paid into by the worker to supplement his retirement is mandated by the powers that be and they steal the money to pay for anything and everything else with no thought of the consequences when that bill comes due except to hope it's someone else's problem. . . when it's easier not to work than to work . . . and on and on.

Getting too close to politics and I'm bowing out of this one . . .

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

I agree, Feralmerril, in that one's point of reference is key.

Example: Respect for the military was mentioned earlier. From my point of reference, the 1960s early 70s, it seemed that there was a tremendous amount more disrespect and outright disdain shown towards the military and those who served compared to today. I suppose if someone grew up during WW2 they may have seen more respect then than now.

 

[feralmerril]

As I understand it, your social security deduction money goes/went in the general fund and was stolen for other things habitualy. The entire idea of social security was to force people into saveing for their old age. The goverment back then too, thought indivigals were too dumb to invest it themselves and was going to do it for us. No doubt in some cases they were right. The real effect though was steal a lot of it for other favorite programs that they promised other factons to get elected.
The first people on social security made out like bandits as they only put in a couple of bucks to qualify. Most investment guru`s will tell you that if a person invested the money half way wisely, by retirement time there would be far more money then the average person will ever draw.
I am retired. I pretty close to paid the max every year of my working life. Lets not forget that our employers also paid I think, matching deductions. Now if the empolyers didnt have to match, in THEORY, that amount would be in your weekly check. (Supposedly, the employer figures s.sec as part of your wages.)
Now most everyone is telling you that there is NO way s. sec can keep from going broke in a few years. I would be mad as a hornet too if I was still working, paying in, and told that it wont be there for me!
So whats the answer? Just stop s. sec cold? What about the people that have been paying in all their lives, just retired, and now dont get a cent?
Well, think about this: The first ones got soc sec, for free, I guess the last generation has to get totaly screwed for the first generation good luck. I think this is proof, or should be, to the goverment that there is no such thing as a free lunch! Someone, somewhere, sometime has to pay, even if it was for what someone got for free 80 years ago!

 

[JcMack]

Social Security came into being in 1935. The country was still foundering deep in the depression. Since pensions were non existent for the common man, essentially you worked till you dropped. Under those conditions, few job openings came open due to "turn over". Social Security provided a means for an individual to "retire" and opened the job he held to a new employee. The system worked fairly well until a few things happened. People started living longer due to improved medical care. It used to be the money you paid into SS paid for the current SS recipients. In the 80's they changed the rules. Now you paid not only to current recipients, but supposedly towards your own "future" benefits. Also, SS monies wound up in the general fund, and were borrowed against. Those loans came due last year. Gonna get paid back? Maybe when your BIL pays you back for that family loan. It irritates the living stuff out of me when that moron gets on my TV and refers to SS as an entitlement program. We know what entitlement is, and where cuts should be made.

 

[semperfi71]

I miss the Burma Shave signs on the the side of the road.





And dang near everything else I enjoyed in my past.

 

[MTS Cop]

Ronald Reagan

 

[grandpawj]

MY Youth


I miss my youth and my dear friends and family that have already "checked out." However, every day is indeed a gift!

 

[george minze]

What is UBER rich???? Is that somebody that starts a business, and makes it grow and receives more than 250K a year, and pays 35% taxes??? If so what then is UBER poor...Somebody that has received welfare for 4 generations.....I guess income redistribution helps who?? Gee I know a couple of doctors that I would like to share in their wealth...Problem is...I didn't spent 12 years in Collage and medical school....But man I still want somebody to share with me....I guess I'm to old...Why is it the Russians, and the Chinese are becoming more capitalist, and we seem to be leaning toward socialism.....Makes my head hurt.....Poor dumb retired cop that I am...

 

[captorquewrench]

I miss being able to sleep in the back yard on clear cool nights, or being able to leave doors and windows open all night.

I miss my grandpa, and all my (great uncles) talking about us in Czech, Russian, German, anything other than English so we didn't know what they said, but knew when they laughed at us. I miss the smell of Grandpa's tobacco, and how he could perfectly roll his cigarettes long after he went blind. I knew when he called me over to the table and he started to roll, it was going to be a good talk. I miss his blue & white striped overalls, and how he always had a cooler in the back of his truck full of Budweiser. I hate Budweiser, but that was a comforting sight, walking up the road from school and seeing him against the side of his old ford pickup (three on the tree) with a Bugler and Budweiser.

I miss sausage from Uncle Bud's farm (yes, I know that's a euphemism for death, but I had an Uncle Bud and I miss his little farm and the hay and the cow with those big brown eyes) and Aunt Lillie Mae's pickles and kolaches (not the stupid little things you get at the donut shop. That is NOT a kolache. That is what good Czech people call pigs, and they aren't even good pigs at that.) I miss real kolaches. I can drive a couple of hours west and get them from a little Czech town, but they still aren't Aunt Lille Mae's. I miss my cousins, when we were kids were were closer than I ever was with my sister.

I miss the family reunions. The beer, the polkas, the food, and not understanding a word anyone said but feeling their love anyway.

I miss men wearing suits and hats to church, and women who dressed like Jackie Kennedy and Nancy Reagan.

I miss button fly Levi 501's, and having a rear end that looked good in them.

 

[NFrameFred]

What is UBER rich????

Apparently someone who by the sweat of their brow and force of intellect employees others and creates commerce and is successful at it enough to enjoy the fruits of that labor. I would discount those who inherited it and do nothing of substance with it as they soon manage to squander it all away anyhow.

In short, anyone who has more than the State Committee for Fairness deems necessary, not counting themselves, of course, since they always manage to feed pretty well from other people's labor at the public trough.

 

[CelticSire]

I miss real kolaches. I can drive a couple of hours west and get them from a little Czech town

That wouldn't happen to be West, would it?