Real Concerns

Housing Problems

 

I was outdoors the other day, and one of my neighbors stopped to talk as he was driving by on his way home.  He first complimented me on my nice and healthy looking yard, then we talked about the football season.  Eventually the conversation shifted to our children and concerns for them and their well-being.

While I am retired he is still a working man with a growing family.  Fortunately for me, my family is all grown up, and well established,  However, I never am totally worry free (there is always the grandchildren).  Seems he and his wife recently became grandparents for the first time, and now he is worried that his son is getting his hours cut back to avoid giving him insurance coverage.  He shared that, between his son and his daughter in-law they barely make ends meet when they are both working, and for now she is still on maternity leave.

I feel that I am above the fray for now, but if you understand economics it’s only a matter of time before the adverse effect on some reaches and involves all.  Sooner or later we will feel the pain of a struggling economy.  Just when I think that I’ve seen the worst we seem to find a new level of decline.  Many young adults and older adults working on minimum wage can’t even afford housing let alone insurance.  All you have to do is check out listing for rent, and see that the majority of average looking houses are renting for $1,000 to 1,300 per month, and they ask for first and last month’s rent plus damage deposit (usually equal to a month’s rent). As if that alone wasn’t prohibitive, they also ask for a credit check (for which they make the applicant pay for).

I am totally aware of the country’s ills, and don’t want anyone to think that I am oblivious to what’s going on all around me.  I prefer to post about a more fun, and entertaining past in our youth.  Those of us that share the history of our years are aware that our growing up wasn’t all peaches and cream.  We experienced a long period of low wages, many years of war, and other miseries.  Many of us, however, were not aware of being poor, during our early years sports stars were making $5,000 per year if they were real good, a purse for a boxing match might be $25,000, and television contest programs were offering the ridiculous prize of $20,000 (the $20,000 Dollar Question).

Today A-Rod is offered close to $300 Million for a 10 year contract, and television contest type programs offer $1 Million to $5 Million for a First Place finish.  In 1990 my cable television service used to cost $7.99 per month, today cable and internet bundle costs me well over $200 per month.  You don’t even want to know how much I pay for my cell phone service.  If ever there was a time to get off the grid, it’s just around the corner.  All these greedy corporations are about to kill the golden goose.

I hope you understand why I prefer not to write about the negatives; my biggest fear is that I could break my neck getting off of the proverbial Soap Box.  I still believe that the best is yet to come…..