Were They Really the Good Old Days?

[2LaneCruzer]

It looks to me that it all depends on the perspective you start at when pondering the question. Back in my young days, we had poor people in the county (we were poor also, but we didn't know it), living in shacks with outhouses, no vehicles, getting surplus foodstuffs, little or no medical care, there were two states near here that still had poor houses.
Now the poor people have air conditioned housing with running water and cable TV, free cellphones, goodly amounts of free food, medical care and there's usually a new or at least descent vehicle parked outside.

I'm not saying this to spark a freebie or entitlements argument, just to point out that now we really don't have any "poor" people, and from their perspective, these are the good old days.

Let's look at this from a little bit different perspective. From a technical aspect, there is no comparison. We have better medical and dental care, better transportation and communication, and for the most part labor saving devices have made our lives a lot easier and improvements in public health have given us indoor plumbing, sewage treatment, garbage collection and clean air and clean water.

Culturally/socially I see some improvements in civil rights and equal opportunity, but in other ways this aspect of our lives has degenerated to a point that our lives are less fulfilling; less wholesome and more dangerous. Without getting into too much detail, the over reach of government, it's PC policies and misguided multiculturalism are to blame for much of it.

 

[brewdog]

Tax rates are far below those of the good old days.
https://www.google.com/search?q=us+...raph_of_the_day_for_september_9.html;1288;848

Much of the rat race is driven by the desire to have so many things. If we could live with the things people had in the 1940s it would be different.

Loren

There's a lot of smoke and mirrors in that chart. The tax burden is progressive and we are now taxed on almost everything we buy and do. The taxes keep coming as fast as they can think them up. They can slap a new on you in 60 days, but try to get an old one taken off the law books. Takes decades if you are lucky. As value of the $ goes down, wage volume increases and up to the the next higher bracket you go. It's all by design.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

There's a lot of smoke and mirrors in that chart. The tax burden is progressive and we are now taxed on almost everything we buy and do. The taxes keep coming as fast as they can think them up. They can slap a new on you in 60 days, but try to get an old one taken off the law books. Takes decades if you are lucky. As value of the $ goes down, wage volume increases and up to the the next higher bracket you go. It's all by design.

Speaking of taxes, seems like homeowners are now the patsy. My property taxes alone are now more than my house payment was when we bought this house in 1972.

 

[Looking4new]

Re: property taxes, my taxes are still under $1,000.oo for 5 acres of land and 1456 sq ft house. But you must remember that I live in the boonies.

RE; Poor, when I was working at the gas station there was a guy living next to the church on the hill that was on welfare (cash for life) and the beer truck delivered to his house every Tuesday and Friday.

 

[300UGUY]

I've tried to stay out of this thread since it became controversial but I have to say I agree completely with the last few sentences of this reply and I believe that if you concentrate on the good instead of the bad you will have a happier and more fulfilling life.

I agree. I used to limit talking to some relatives and neighbors, simply because they were such downers. I have had some failures in my life, but I don't blame others. I find that folks who are all doom and gloom, whining about the way things used to be, generally get blindsided by change. Looking back might be the comfortable, easy thing to do, but it is really unproductive. My wife is recovering from cancer. If things stayed at the level when we were young, I'd've lost her. And progress and social change are linked. No society that practiced ancestor worship ever succeeded. Basically, living in the past is a waste of life.

 

[Industrial Toys]

homeowners are now the patsy (QUOTE)

Absol freaking lutely! Not that life is at all fair, but this just isn't! They will bleed you til there is nothing left and hold your house and property as hostage!

Notice, The welfare for life people never bit ch about taxes!

Everytime there is an electricity or some other major accross the board increase, you pay yours and get to pay theirs too!

 

[brin]

Let's look at this from a little bit different perspective. From a technical aspect, there is no comparison. We have better medical and dental care, better transportation and communication, and for the most part labor saving devices have made our lives a lot easier and improvements in public health have given us indoor plumbing, sewage treatment, garbage collection and clean air and clean water.

Culturally/socially I see some improvements in civil rights and equal opportunity, but in other ways this aspect of our lives has degenerated to a point that our lives are less fulfilling; less wholesome and more dangerous. Without getting into too much detail, the over reach of government, it's PC policies and misguided multiculturalism are to blame for much of it.

I agree...

 

[Loren49]

There's a lot of smoke and mirrors in that chart. The tax burden is progressive and we are now taxed on almost everything we buy and do. The taxes keep coming as fast as they can think them up. They can slap a new on you in 60 days, but try to get an old one taken off the law books. Takes decades if you are lucky. As value of the $ goes down, wage volume increases and up to the the next higher bracket you go. It's all by design.

The chart shows the actual federal tax upper bracket. There are charts that show the considerable increase in wealth of top 10% as the upper marginal rate was decreased. No smoke and mirrors in that. This table shows all the federal brackets in a good bunch of the good old days.
http://www.stanford.edu/class/polisci120a/immigration/Federal Tax Brackets.pdf

Today: https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-too...2013-Federal-Tax-Rate-Schedules/INF12044.html

Summary 1980 17% to 84%
1960 20% to 91%

2013 10% to 39.6%

A significant factor is the considerably reduced federal tax on investment income though it appearsthere was an increase in 2013. http://www.ctj.org/pdf/regcg.pdf

The result is that all sorts of other state and local taxes and fees have to make up the difference. As income taxes are reduced, personal property and land taxes have increased.

I'm not attempting to argue tax policy but my point is that many don't realize that federal tax rates are historically low so that helps to make today the good old days.

Loren

 

[sld]

The chart shows the actual federal tax upper bracket. There are charts that show the considerable increase in wealth of top 10% as the upper marginal rate was decreased. No smoke and mirrors in that. This table shows all the federal brackets in a good bunch of the good old days.
http://www.stanford.edu/class/polisci120a/immigration/Federal Tax Brackets.pdf

Today: https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-too...2013-Federal-Tax-Rate-Schedules/INF12044.html

Summary 1980 17% to 84%
1960 20% to 91%

2013 10% to 39.6%

A significant factor is the considerably reduced federal tax on investment income though it appearsthere was an increase in 2013. http://www.ctj.org/pdf/regcg.pdf

The result is that all sorts of other state and local taxes and fees have to make up the difference. As income taxes are reduced, personal property and land taxes have increased.

I'm not attempting to argue tax policy but my point is that many don't realize that federal tax rates are historically low so that helps to make today the good old days.

Loren

When you factor in ALL taxes (state, local, federal, excise, property, bond issues, TID's, cell phone, utilities, etc...) there is no doubt we pay more taxes than ever before as a percentage of income.

Plus now I have seen where there is a new obamacare tax on sporting goods. Cabelas published something about this. What a crock!

 

[300UGUY]

When you factor in ALL taxes (state, local, federal, excise, property, bond issues, TID's, cell phone, utilities, etc...) there is no doubt we pay more taxes than ever before as a percentage of income.

Plus now I have seen where there is a new obamacare tax on sporting goods. Cabelas published something about this. What a crock!

I think if you look at the tax rates from the 50's and 60's, you would find that they were much, much higher. One thing is different - my dad worked full time at GM, as a toolmaker. Back in the early 60's, he was making about 5K per year. I've seen his tax returns. Back then, few people made enough to pay a whole lot in taxes. If you made 40K, you were rich!! but you paid about 50% in federal taxes. You still had state and local taxes. The folks at the top have seen their taxes go down a whole lot, the bottom folks never paid much, the middle gets squeezed.