How exactly was "Life better in the past"?

[oyarde]

Yeah- it sucks that now you can find lettuce and advocados and tomatoes any time of the year. Used to be they were unavailable in winter. Food selection and availablity is higher than ever. Food costs less now too. Families used to spend one third of their income on food- today it is down to eleven percent.

I still live today , about as I did as a Ten yr old and I grow , harvest , husband , hunt , fish , gather , pick , dig ,dry ,barter etc for a lot of food, I probably have never spent 10 % , with the exception of a few short yr.'s when I had about five teenagers in the house daily at one time, but the percentage I do use is higher than , say , as an example , 1977 -1987 and considering how little I buy , I do not view that as good for the general population that probably buys all of it. what would they do if they cannot buy it ?

 

[oyarde]

Can anybody prove him wrong and say they can live without these things?

I generally hate telephones . in 1914 would I have needed an auto ? No. Ridiculous .

 

[PRB]

I generally hate telephones . in 1914 would I have needed an auto ? No. Ridiculous .

how exactly do you need one today? I didn't know you'd be fined or imprisoned for not having one.

 

[PRB]

I still live today , about as I did as a Ten yr old and I grow , harvest , husband , hunt , fish , gather , pick , dig ,dry ,barter etc for a lot of food, I probably have never spent 10 % , with the exception of a few short yr.'s when I had about five teenagers in the house daily at one time, but the percentage I do use is higher than , say , as an example , 1977 -1987 and considering how little I buy , I do not view that as good for the general population that probably buys all of it. what would they do if they cannot buy it ?

they'd probably just eat what's available.

 

[PRB]

In the past, paying for anything was more affordable. Gas, food, utilities, etc.

How much did a cellphone or touch screen computer cost in 1900 or 1950?

I will concede there are more laws and regulations which prohibit certain freedoms we had in the past, but as far as material goods and technology, how many things can you guys name that have been banned, can't be remade or can't be found for cheaper today? (IE, everything you had in the past, you can still have today, which is not the case vice versa)

 

[oyarde]

they'd probably just eat what's available.

Each other ?

 

[oyarde]

how exactly do you need one today? I didn't know you'd be fined or imprisoned for not having one.

I drive , just guessing 34 miles to work , round trip . In 1914 I would not have needed to do that because the income I generated off of my lands would have been enough , now I need another job just to pay the property and Fed taxes. I sure as hell will never move any closer to the general population of godless , commie fucks.In fact , I worry the vampires may become too close.

 

[osan]

Isn't that the whole reason this forum exists? When there's tyranny, there's going to be more until it is stopped.

One ALWAYS gets more of what one rewards.

 

[Origanalist]

How much did a cellphone or touch screen computer cost in 1900 or 1950?

I will concede there are more laws and regulations which prohibit certain freedoms we had in the past, but as far as material goods and technology, how many things can you guys name that have been banned, can't be remade or can't be found for cheaper today? (IE, everything you had in the past, you can still have today, which is not the case vice versa)

Well isn't that the fucking whole point? Screw freedom if you can have a touch screen computer, right?

 

[PRB]

I drive , just guessing 34 miles to work , round trip . In 1914 I would not have needed to do that because the income I generated off of my lands would have been enough , now I need another job just to pay the property and Fed taxes. I sure as hell will never move any closer to the general population of godless , commie fucks.In fact , I worry the vampires may become too close.

Oh I see, so your problem isn't that you're required to have a car, it's that you don't want to live near your work.

Do you still own a land you wish you could make use of, but the government is stopping you from?

 

[PRB]

Well isn't that the fucking whole point? Screw freedom if you can have a touch screen computer, right?

In 1900-1950, a million dollars won't get you a touch screen computer or a cellphone.

Today, you can take your gadget and for less than $10k, you can settle in a country of your choice. (wait, which one is it? are there no freer countries? or there are and you just don't want to move there?)

So today still gives you more options.

 

[Zippyjuan]

I drive , just guessing 34 miles to work , round trip . In 1914 I would not have needed to do that because the income I generated off of my lands would have been enough , now I need another job just to pay the property and Fed taxes. I sure as hell will never move any closer to the general population of godless , commie fucks.In fact , I worry the vampires may become too close.

You probably could not afford a car in 1914. Average income was $550 and a Ford cost $500 or almost an entire year's income so you didn't have much option besides maybe taking a train for seeking a job away from where you lived. http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2013/dec/28/looking-back-at-life-in-1914-1939-1964-and-1989/

1914
##— The Ford Motor Co. increased wages from $2.40 for a 9-hour day to $5 for an 8-hour day. Ford went on to sell 248,000 cars the same year.
##— The first everyday items made from stainless steel were available to the public. The first items of the new ‘rustless steel’ were most cutlery.
##— Traffic cones were invented by Charles P. Rudabaker.
##— In Washington, DC, the first stone of the Lincoln Memorial was put into place.
##— “Tarzan of the Apes” by Edgar Rice Burroughs was first published.
##— The Great War (WWI) started. President Woodrow Wilson declared the United States as neutral.
##— The Harrison Narcotics Act, regulating and taxing the production, importation, and distribution of opiates, was signed into law.
##— Zippers were relatively new and used mostly in boots and tobacco pouches.
##— Charlie Chaplin made his film debut and Babe Ruth made his Major League Baseball debut.
##— Mary Phelps Jacobs patented the brassiere.
##— The Greyhound Bus Co. began its first passenger trips.
##— Beginning the first of June, the use of alcohol was prohibited in the U.S. Navy. Welch’s Grape Juice was the recommended substitute.
##— The average annual income was $577. The average cost of a new car was $500 while a new house averaged $3,500. A gallon of milk (mostly sold by the quart) carried a 32 -cent price tag while a gallon of gas was 12 cents. A loaf of bread cost six cents.
##— Life expectancy for males was 52 years and females, 56.8 years.

With a home price being about six times annual income, and median income being about $50,000 today that would be equal to a $300,000 home today in terms of income expenditures to buy one. Gallon of milk would be about $3.00 (pretty close where I live).

That Ford wage was twice the average at the time.

There was about one car for every 20 people in the country anyways.

 

[PRB]

You probably could not afford a car in 1914. Average income was $550 and a Ford cost $500 or almost an entire year's income so you didn't have much option besides maybe taking a train for seeking a job away from where you lived. http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2013/dec/28/looking-back-at-life-in-1914-1939-1964-and-1989/



With a home price being about six times annual income, and median income being about $50,000 today that would be equal to a $300,000 home today in terms of income expenditures to buy one. Gallon of milk would be about $3.00 (pretty close where I live).

That Ford wage was twice the average at the time.

you're missing the point, he didn't need a car in 1914, he needs one now because he's forced to with threat of prison or fines.

 

[Zippyjuan]

https://www.garryinsurance.com/blog/fun-statistics-1914/#/

Fuel for cars was sold in drug stores only.

Only 14% of homes had a bathtub.

Only 8% of homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The average US wage in 1914 was 22 cents per hour.

The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

An accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year.

A dentist made $2,500 per year.

A mechanical engineer $5,000 per year.

95% of all births took place at home.

90% of doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION.

18% of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

Only 6% of Americans graduated from high school.

Sugar costs 4 cents a pound.

Eggs were 14 cents a dozen.

Coffee was 15 cents a pound.

There was no such thing as toothpaste or deodorant.

The American Flag had 45 stars.

The population of Las Vegas was only 30.

There were about 230 reported murders in the entire USA.

Just to try to convert some of those "cheap" prices to today- we need to adjust for higher wages today as well. According to https://ycharts.com/indicators/average_hourly_earnings median hourly wage in the US is about $25 an hour. Average hourly wage in 1914- 22 cents which makes today's 113 times higher. What is 113 times those prices?

Coffee 15 cents per pound- $16.95 a pound (and there was just one flavor if you could find it).
Eggs 14 cents per dozen- $15.82 a dozen today
Sugar- four cents a pound- $4.52 a pound

Good old days when things were cheap?

At 12 cents a gallon of gas in my previous post and using the figures for this one that would mean that gas cost the equivalent of $13.56 a gallon today. Assuming you had one of the few automobiles to drive.

 

[PRB]

https://www.garryinsurance.com/blog/fun-statistics-1914/#/

but who cares! we had MORE FREEDOM AND LESS GOVERNMENT.

 

[Zippyjuan]

Some seem to feel that "life sucks and only get suckier". There are (and always have been) both good and bad things going on. There never really was a "good old days" when things were all wonderful except maybe in movies. By only looking at the bad you miss a lot of wonderful things going on.

 

[PRB]

Some seem to feel that "life sucks and only get suckier". There are (and always have been) both good and bad things going on. There never really was a "good old days" when things were all wonderful except maybe in movies. By only looking at the bad you miss a lot of wonderful things going on.

they don't always "ignore" the good things, they just don't value them over the things they value and allegedly lost.

 

[DaninPA]

Well if we still had

MORE FREEDOM AND LESS GOVERNMENT.

those items might be even less expensive relative to income than they are now.

 

[oyarde]

Oh I see, so your problem isn't that you're required to have a car, it's that you don't want to live near your work.

Do you still own a land you wish you could make use of, but the government is stopping you from?

No , the obvious problem that you avoided ,for a simple man such as myself is the govt takes too much of my earnings . In 1914 , lol , if my Family had had an auto , only thing it would have gotten used for would be to arrive at Church on Sun morning . They should have prayed harder against thieving , socialist govt .

 

[oyarde]

You probably could not afford a car in 1914. Average income was $550 and a Ford cost $500 or almost an entire year's income so you didn't have much option besides maybe taking a train for seeking a job away from where you lived. http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2013/dec/28/looking-back-at-life-in-1914-1939-1964-and-1989/



With a home price being about six times annual income, and median income being about $50,000 today that would be equal to a $300,000 home today in terms of income expenditures to buy one. Gallon of milk would be about $3.00 (pretty close where I live).

That Ford wage was twice the average at the time.

There was about one car for every 20 people in the country anyways.

Yeah , my Family could have afforded a car in 1914 , but they would not have bought one.