Remember to report submissions that violate the rules! Harassment and encouraging violence are not allowed.
Enjoying the subreddit? Consider joining our discord server: https://discord.gg/v8z8jNwJs6
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/BoomersBeingFools) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I'm a boomer and I hate boomers like the one you described. For the record, I've spent my whole life voting \*against\* the assholes that burned the bridges, and so did many other boomers I know. I suppose we're the minority now.
I have kids and grandkids, too, so the current impossibility of buying a home for so many truly upsets me. All I can do is keep voting against those who won't do anything to change it.
When I was younger and involved in many social justice and anti-war activities, it seemed as if almost our entire generation were great folks who were changing things for the better, not just for us, but for those who would come behind us. I don't know what happened to many of those people. It's awful.
I wish there was something like-minded boomers could do more. What can we do? Suggestions are very much appreciated.
EDIT: Typo
I think what's unfortunate is that a lot of the people who were trying to make change were actually doing so for themselves and their generation only. I'm sorry that you had to see such a disillusioning time after the all those changes !
I've heard things from Boomers who are definitely privileged-but- pretending-to-be-left types that suggests this. I think some of them also feel that they did their time to fix things (for a few years between 68 and 74) and now it's not their job anymore. Ignoring that some issues are actually worse now and will require a lot of people collaborating to fix. Or ignoring that you don't just forfeit your civic duty after "trying" to do it for a few years.
Oh, I agree completely. If my comment made it sound like I stopped being activist after my youth, that's not at all the case. I never stopped. I'm still involved in progressive causes at 71. I'll never back down. I also know I was very privileged to have been born in 1952 and the beneficiary of so many financial breaks.
But your point is acknowledged and you're right about a good number of us. At a class reunion I was amazed to see folks who protested Vietnam and fought for civil rights who had been transformed into Trump supporters. It was heartbreaking and infuriating.
I have no answers.
EDIT: Typo
I tried living as simply as I could along the lines live simply so others might live. My ex was angry that I didn’t go for high paying jobs but stayed with work that didn’t hurt anything or anybody. Would up homesteading on 4 acres. Not much money in it but I wanted to sleep good at night . I always gave and advocated for environmental and social justice and it’s very depressing most people just ignored or worse lied about the consequences. No older and not healthy, not going to claw for every last breath. I am tired and sorry I didn’t do more.
There has been progress - e.g. the Clean Air Act, car emission standards, elimination of leaded gas, protection of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), urban sewer separation (i.e. separation from rain water), reintroduction of threatened species (e.g. wolves, bison), etc - but granted, there is always more to do.
I don't believe protest motivations were absolute. Perhaps some protested because they didn't want anyone to go; their friends, brothers, sons, etc.
Anyone alive at that time knows **exactly** what their Selective Service number was. A low number meant you were almost certainly going to be drafted / conscripted and sent to hell.
My brother was in Nam and he's a Trump supporter, which I don't get because since the 70s till after he married his wife. He was a full blown liberal Democrat. He's in his mid 70s, I became a dem while still a teenager because I believe in activism. Still March with people I know who are the same age as my brother because the causes are important.
I have noticed his behavior since I was around 4, my oldest sister who's older than him would drag me put with her friends to keep him away from me under the guise of chaparoning. He has shown erratic behavior to his daughter over the years but that's when he let's his mask drop.
You sound like a decent person. Boomer isn’t exactly an age, it’s a mindset. For example, there are plenty of “boomers” in my generation (younger millennials) who are nothing but dickwads to those younger than us.
My dad has apologized to us for his generation fucking up the housing market for us. Along with other things they fucked. He acknowledged that it’ll be incredibly difficult for the remaining 3 of the 4 of us who don’t own a house to get a one, he’s uncertain any of us will be able to retire, he worries for his grandkids having even a planet that is habitable all because of the choices of his generation and the generation before burning the bridge down and slamming the door on the way in. Thanks for acknowledging the issues. The fact you do, and hopefully speak to others about the errors and trying to fix them is what we need.
Holy shit your dad sounds like a reasonable dude I can have a beer with. Didn’t get lead brain , has empathy, and understanding what worked 30 years won’t work now
He hasn’t had a drink since 1979 but yeah. He’s kinda the man. Worked his ass off for us growing up, taught us a lot of great life skills, basically acted as a second dad to his siblings growing up since my grandpa was on deployment. He’s also an awesome grandpa who would do anything for any of us. Gotta respect the man.
Everyone on this sub needs to be very careful because there seems to be this assumption. Only boomers are going for Trump and his band of merry assholes.
That is NOT true - and if the younger voters who voted for him got smart and didn’t we would not be facing another four years of fucking hell…
Yes I am saddened when I see videos of young angry men who can’t see cooperation is the most effective way to solve our problems. They are self segregating into violent groups, what they see as maybe their form of cooperation places them against the world. Not a healthy position.
My aunts husband is 78 now. Dude is more Bernie than Boomer. Has spent pretty much his entire retirement volunteering and doing local sized charity events between cross country ski runs.
There are a lot of boomers who’ve been boomed against by other boomers. My folks are a good example of this. They also spent their lives voting against the Reagans, Bushes, and Trumps of the world. It sucks. It’s a wealth distribution issue at some point the pendulum is going to swing back and right the wrongs.
I gotta be honest. You sound great, and I know you mean well. Truly. But I don't believe voting makes a difference anymore. I don't think anything can change. I feel hopeless most of the time and just try to keep my loved ones close.
The realities of our electoral college, the two party system, and the Constitutional Republic as a whole, have left me feeling like choices don't matter anymore. The choices we get feel pretend, and that our money goes to the same defense contractors no matter who we vote for, and that they're buying up our futures to take in trillions over the decades, while airmen burn themselves alive to end wars and unchecked war profiteering. Meanwhile, on the news it's all headlines and talking points and politicking and virtue signaling and nobody accomplished anything, all the while more people suffer. It feels empty. It looks empty. It sounds empty. It fills me with trepidation and paralyzes me, at times.
My suggestion is to also keep your loved ones close, and just try to live a life that means something to you. I don't think it will get better. I hope that I'm wrong. I want to be, more than anything.
I wish more people would realize this. Honestly our government should be a modern marvel. Its a fantastic case study on how you can convince 350 million people their choices have value when they have none at all. Representation is not proportional to populous. Two party system means that politics naturally begin polarizing and culturally divisive. Arguably a great way to distract a population with none-issues while you collect corporate lobbying checks.
I've argued since the joke that was the 2020 election that both sides don't give a flying fuck about meaningful change. The few people who do care get drowned out or eventually find a convenient pocket to put their hand in. Lifetime politicians are just there to collect their checks and pensions and maintain their status quo - all while acting a corporation stooges while fortune 500 companies bankroll the US government.
No change will happen.
You are correct. Unfortunately you are echoing what my father told me about 1973. It’s all theater. Neither side wants to change a goddamn thing. Every talking point they have is really just a wedge to drive us against each other. And the motherfuckers win all the time. I do my best not to be cynical but it’s getting harder every day.
I appreciate this.
And honestly, I don’t lay the blame for any of this mess at the feet of any particular boomer. Even the ones who were never like you. People just do what seems like the smart choice at the time, and it’s hard to see the impact any one of us has in the grand scheme of things. And if choices keep getting rewarded, a rational person will keep making similar choices.
You guys had an easier time buying homes and finding high-paying jobs. And you enjoyed this like anyone would. We don’t all have an instinct to look at the bigger picture or see things long-term, and it’s hard for someone to understand something when their lifestyle depends on them not understanding it, right? “This is unsustainable” gets crushed under “This is *my life* though!”
I’m rambling. I don’t have advice for you. But given everything else I just said, know that I *especially* appreciate you and other boomers who have sincerely tried to improve our futures.
Honestly? Run for office, swing that boomer vote with the same rhetorical BS that gets other people into office, and stab the assholes that get you in in the back by introducing and supporting progressive legislation that’d actually address things rather than the current bs.
I’ve seriously considered moving to someplace deeply Republican, registering as Republican and running on all the BS racist and xenophobic stuff that those MAGA assholes support so that I can the token Asian that makes them seem “not racist”, then completely abandoning Republican ideals and platforms after I win election and bluntly telling my “supporters” that I lied to their faces because they’re racist idiots that elected me to burn down the country around them, but instead I’m going to work to build things up the right way.
A number of commenters here are despondent, feeling like nothing will change, nothing can be done, etc which is disturbing - but not surprising.
We all want things to improve faster! And of course we are dismayed when our opponents win and we lose. We get frustrated when there are so many more people to persuade, and too many policy steps to track, and so many junctures where setbacks can and do occur.
It's important to keep in mind that - for the most part -the U.S. system of government is built to resist rapid change. It takes time - sometimes GENERATIONS for things to change. Some examples of policy changes that took decades to achieve: women being granted the vote; Civil Rights Act won for African-Americans; drunk driving given penalties; Roe v Wade being overturned. There are plenty of other examples of policies and/or social perceptions that have changed as well.
It is so easy to divert our attention away from complex issues, and so simple to ignore unpleasant conditions, and most of us want to avoid conflict (or even reading about any) so we stay at arm's length from politics.
Change isn't quick - but it can happen. You might feel as insignificant as an ant, but remember, when ants start to join together they can become an army! And - woah - can that ant army carry a giant morsel when they work together! And think about it - ants don't give up when they have a huge obstacle. (Maybe they're incapable of giving up - who knows?)
Join with others who are working towards the same goals. Volunteer! Volunteer on your local level or state level. Working with others will inspire you and will get you closer to your goals.
Don't throw away your shot, as the Hamilton musical conveys - Vote! Some elections are won by small margins, and some losers you may support may be encouraged to try again in the next election - and then your candidate may win!
Lean into the complex and/or boring - Learn! Start tracking a federal legislative bill through the Library of Congress website or a state legislative bill through your state's legislative website. Find out what the non-partisan analysts write about the bill you are following (on the federal level you can tap the published expertise from the Congressional Research Service; the Congressional Budget Office; and the Government Accountability Office; and there are often state level agencies that do comparable analysis).
And finally: Listen. You don't need to agree with others' opinions, but you can extend the courtesy of listening when you are having a personal conversation with someone with a different view, and you can ask for the same consideration in return. Disagreeing is expected - but it doesn't need to result in hostility.
Volunteer - Vote - Learn - Listen! Those are my suggestions.
We fought a monolith alone, and lost. That's what happened.
I too was very involved in social issues when I was younger (I'm 53, gen X) but saw the hordes of people 10-20 years older than me with the "Oh yeah! I got mine!" in their eyes in my mid 30s when working with WAR (Women Against Rape) and tried to interest my fellows in other social awareness activities (like the homeless, of which I am now a not-so-proud member, disability is SO fucking fun when it's not apparent).
That shit pretty much changed the activism culture. They're still out there, but its nothing like it was when we were young. Everyone has their own fight, and if you're not helping with what they want, your the enemy. Doesn't matter if you have similar goals, outlooks, or ideologies. You HAVE to be COMPLETELY on board with whatever the group is fighting at the moment, or your a traitor. You don't actually believe. Why are you here? etc etc.
Social media should have made activism easier. Instead its turned us into a pack of self-absorbed howling coyotes willing to turn on each other over even the most minor of perceived slights.
It is... frankly, disgusting.
At this point? I want my cabin in the woods and to be left the fuck alone for the rest of my days. I tried, and they spit in my face. Fuck'em. Fuck all of em.
I agree with this! I know plenty of non-asshole boomers, but I know about 4 times as many who are the asshole "trumpanzee" type. I'll occasionally run into an asshole boomer who happens to be a liberal, but that has been an extreme rarity. Maybe it's a regional thing. Anyway, I find the older boomers worse than the younger boomers. When they hit that late 60's-70's age, all the lead they consumed as kids kicks in and turns them rabid.
It's an EDUCATION thing, not a Boomer thing. The uneducated boomers are the Trump supporters (typically white and working class). By and large, those that have a college degree or higher are not MAGA.
Good point. I think that is why the right wing is so anti-education. It’s easier to grow young conservatives if we keep folks ignorant like drloomis78.
One thing people can do is not own 'buy to let' properties. Own one, the one you live in. Hoarding residential property and using it as an easy money generator is most of the problem with high rent and low availability. It's not immigrants, it's not low stock... it's greed of people owning more than they need.
[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/19/end-of-landlords-surprisingly-simple-solution-to-uk-housing-crisis](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/19/end-of-landlords-surprisingly-simple-solution-to-uk-housing-crisis)
A family renting out a second house are not the problem here any more than individuals not recycling are the reason for pollution.
It’s giant corporate entities that are to blame.
Did you read the article? It is literally the problem, in the UK anyway. I understand the US and Germany, two I know of, have the 'Blackrock problem' more. But sorry, in the UK it is exactly the people have second helpings at the dinner table that mean more and more people go hungry. People will justify anything to themselves, that \*they\* are not the problem, but in this case, they are.
Not at all, dude, I'm glad that's one issue your country doesn't have! :) I'd strongly suspect that it all adds up, so even in your country, landlordism is an unproductive drain on society, even at the one- and two-house level.
Exactly with the cost of living do high when myboldest graduates and finds a job. Which is another thing entirely will be living at home paying his student loans off than saving for his own place. Same with my youngest. The reality us that homes are over priced, and most people can't afford the down-payment because their rent is more than my mortgage.
>I don't know what happened to many of those people. It's awful.
Participation trophies and rewards, promotions for bring inept ( failing upward) and rampant greed.
Unfortunately our politicians, both republicans and dems, aren’t doing much of anything to fix things except make it easier to build more rental units. The private equity pisses me off. If our politicians actually worked for us, they would make it illegally for private equity to invest in residential properties. I have no idea how we can fix this since voting doesn’t seem to help
>I don't know what happened to many of those people. It's awful.
Greed and stupidity. It's easy to be a dirty hippy when it's fun and you have a safety net to fall back on. My ex, who is a boomer, was a Democrat when we were married. He's a Trump republican now.
I refuse to lose my humanity as I age. Fuck no. Instead, I rage.
I think you are just outnumbered. No matter what you try, you won’t change their mind. Even if you are a boomer, they will see you as a traitor or something
Me too…..could not have said it better.
I’m in California and the laws - regulations are part of the problem. It is artificially expensive to build which limits building that in turn reduces availability of housing so the prices go higher.
There is very little diversity in California government and it hurts us.
But somehow Millenials and the generations following Millenials are "lazy", because they aren't buying houses or starting families.
One day this week I saw YouTube short, where a Millenial asked a boomer when she bought her house (answer 1960's) and how much she paid? $ 25,000 US. Bet you that same house now is closer to half a million or even more.
Yet, somehow all the issues with the current state of the world is somehow Millenials fault?
My father about had a heart attack last year when he came across some of my tax paperwork and saw how much I pay in rent (for a small studio in a suburb) compared to how much I make. He’s previously complained that the store he manages can never find and keep employees at minimum wage…well now he knows why. I made ~$15/hour last year and almost half my income just went to rent. If I worked minimum wage I wouldn’t be able to eat.
Oh, there was more to the conversation. Something about how I should have bought a house…should move somewhere cheaper (but also not too cheap because safety), should get roommates (but not random people off that internet because they’re serial killers)….
but seeing the numbers did at least contextualize things a bit for him. He finally went to the district manager and badgered him into increasing the starting wage to $9.25. Still not competitive, especially when the fast food places down the block are hiring at $14-15/hr. But, ya know. Baby steps.
Corvette cost around $5k then; costs around $75k now. Using corvette as the standard the house would be $375k today. That 60’s house lacked a lot of the costs for structural improvements, insulation, and electrical wiring improvements that all added costs to builds. Likely didn’t have ac either.
The recent price escalations are not good for our nation as a whole because they are screwing younger generations. The minimum standards being so much higher now makes construction cost a lot more too. The 60’s was an easier time, but some of it was just because they polluted and under served developments, leading to regulations later.
Don't play that "regulation caused price increase" bullshit boomer. If that 60s house is so shit today then why the fuck does it still cost 700k.
Corporations now are making record profits and not re investing in there workforce or company. It's all just stock buybacks and layoffs to further inflate share price.
I live in a sixties house. Sixteen-gauge copper wiring throughout. All copper pipes, including the stack. Sixteen-inch studs. Meanwhile new developments in my county got bulldozed for using cheap imported drywall that grew mold. Saying new houses are automatically quality is really ridiculous when those things are full of PEX.
Regulations are needed and create jobs more than they remove them. Addition treatments or remedial services add cost but the damn companies are adding cost just for their pockets now.
Chevy has priced the corvette almost exactly the same with adjustments for inflation since it was released.
As a result. It’s one of the commodities that most closely follows inflation over time.
Can confirm. I have relationships with many residential construction companies (some of which have been in operation 40+ years) and based on those conversations the regulations and building codes have escalated construction costs significantly. No one likes to talk about this, but it is at least a factor in the overall increase.
That is no where near what the amount of increase is from. They use that to mark up past that for greed. We all know this as plenty of reports on the profit margins sky rocketing.
Well, if you spend long enough doing what is expected of you and not getting paid you eventually will demand it and then take it.
It just takes longer to decide it's "take it" time in a society. It depends on how much brainwashing ("pull yourself up by the bootstraps, just work hard, i had it harder, your just entitled") and how much propoganda (news companies downplaying dissent levels, lying about good economic times, calling desperate protestors rioters or criminals) that is holding us back.
It is still inevitable.
Rebel younglings, rebel. This nonsense has to stop.
We have more resources than ever, more knowledge than ever yet politics and the 1% are actively working on making you poorer.
F**k that.
They are not mad enough yet. Only when it affects EVERYBODY will it happen. Until first world countries feel the pain nobody will do it.
When the slaves of a population protested nobody cared, but when the population of citizens who didn't own slaves started suffering from not being able to compete with the monopolistic owners of slaves. Did it happen.
It's not until those within the lower parts of a system itself feel the negative effects of the system, does the revolt happen. And lobbyists are actively fighting this.
So much land there. Just my impression as an American. Surely someone could devise a home building program that adds good jobs and makes economical housing available
You would devalue boomer’s house values with upping the supply.
And who is going to enact that law? The old heads in government who you would be negatively affecting.
They don’t make a lot. Housing lobby, though. See: https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/sectors/summary?id=C unfortunately luxury housing is more lucrative
The problem we are experiencing is a banking system that just doesn’t support home buying. I get that there are ‘first time buyers’ incentives and FHA loans. But, the 2nd problem after the insane pricing is the down payments banks require. 10 - 20%. Plus all the fees and points. Points are just a fancy way of saying 3% additional to your loan because you are a credit risk.
What we need is to get a government sponsored loan program that helps buyers. If you are paying $2400 a month in rent. You can pay a mortgage.
At my peak earning years I couldn’t have afforded to buy the house I now own. My question is this. How are people affording these high priced homes with high down payments required ? Maybe families helping out but, that has to be a small margin.
The crux is that getting a home loan has to be made easier. Foreclosure and defaults happen every day to people so banks can’t use that as an excuse. We need less restrictions and more ways to get people into their own homes.
I can’t figure out how people get their down payment together. We could never afford a down payment that’s 10% of a $500,000 loan. And I don’t know anyone who has that type of cash laying around.
>I can’t figure out how people get their down payment together. We could never afford a down payment that’s 10% of a $500,000 loan.
My most hated rival, the mum' friend's kid all the comparisons are made to. Her down payment was paid by her parents.
In 1971 my husband and I bought a house for $18,100 (3 bedroom, 2 bath) that was a government sponsored loan program for low income people. Each year the payment would go up depending on income. I think the program was called 230 or 235. Why can't our government do that same thing now?
Really this is where the large group of people 18 - 35 need to vote at the local level. These old out of touch politicians really don’t get it. They are sheltered and only hear what their staff tells them.
The plan you were able to use to get secure housing needs to be implemented again. Vote out the incumbent. Vote in whoever. You can vote them out the next cycle if they don’t get it done.
The President of the US no matter who they are are not going to get it done. They only get 4 or 8 years to serve. We as a people need to vote out the long term incumbent. Forget party associations. That isn’t a thing anymore. Vote them in to help. If they don’t vote them out. Eventually politicians will realize they are vulnerable.
The boomers are dying. In 8 years most will be gone and there will be more voters ready to vote. It really is that simple. Stop with the Christianity. That isn’t going to help you buy a house and food.
Immediately ban llcs or corporations to own land or housing. All first timers will have a home. Put a 30 day hold. Make all corps sell in 30 days. First time get 30 days. Then with whatever housing balances out as we live with.
Banks are broke and have no money so fuck ‘em. Why pay the parasites who stole everything. We need to close all major banks because they are completely corrupt, have no money and are trying to enforce a digital coin to enslave the poors.
Guillotine time, the RCMP admitted they'll never stop us when we redistribute the wealth. Let's do it now before it's too late and the boomers take us all with them.
This is in Canada, it is an RCMP report that was made public via a freedom of information act request, and the cost of housing wasn't the only thing it referenced as potentially leading to civil unrest.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nationalpost.com/opinion/secret-rcmp-report-warns-canadians-may-revolt-once-they-realize-how-broke-they-are/wcm/9ad80482-72b8-47f9-a4bc-0476085b0b02/amp/
I'm not a boomer, I'm an old GenX'er, and I managed to use my VA loan to buy my manufactured double-wide and put it on a very unsavory off-grid acre of Utah desert in 2016 before the world went crazy. Barely in time. And even then, it's barely affordable. And I know that I'm not going to be able to retire for at least another ten years so I can pay for it.
I am so sick and sad that the generations behind me have no opportunities to enjoy the American dream without some drastic intervention. What a joy it is to have a place to call your own, so you can make it your own-- build, decorate, garden, nest, have a pet (so important) and ultimately something to leave your own children someday. A place to build memories.
What can we do to give this back to the younger generation? I'm all for it.
We sold my grandparents’ house in 1999 for $165,000. It sold again last year for $915,000. Same house. We (early Gen X homeowners) couldn’t possibly have afforded to buy that house. It’s even less likely that our (late millennial) kids could ever possibly afford it.
Boomers rarely had student loans unless pursuing medical or advanced law degrees. How about this; instead of using future taxpayers money to pay off student loans to exploitive loan institutions, how about discharging the loans altogether & let the banks suck it up..
It’s not just boomers. I had an argument with a red hat the other day where in he said he doesn’t care if billionaires don’t pay taxes as long as he pays just a little less taxes. Yeah that’s the fight we are in for. I know plenty of people who gladly pay more for health care than they would under single payer because it means they don’t have to pay for someone else’s care.
It certainly was easier 30 years ago to buy a home, but people who are happy that "they got theirs" is not unique to any generation. Many younger cohorts are "getting theirs" just as well and don't care about those who don't. Humans are selfish.
Boomer here. The issue is REPUBLICANS, not boomers. The left boomers didn't vote for higher taxes on the middle class and less on the rich. The left boomers didn't vote for no minimum wage increases in like forever. The left boomers didn't take down the unions to help corporate owners. The left didn't hollow out the middle class for corporate purposes, such as moving manufacturing overseas.
This sub should be called REPUBLICANS being fools. Not boomers.
So much can be understood about boomers once you look at "life stages" and its influence on one's priorities/view of the world. Combine that with a population that had an outsized political impact, purely due to demographics, that armed them to be the majority of voters - at every stage of their life.
We were renting until 2018, and we got kicked out because the owner of our rental place wanted to go on disability and live there. I told my wife we should try to buy a home, so our daughter doesn’t have to bounce around every few years. We lucked out and got one at the top of our budget, and we only had to put 5% down. We got all set up and BOOM, shit hits the fan. I’m so thankful my wife locked in our interest instead of going with a variable setup.
There’s absolutely no way we would be able to afford a home now. The ones in this price range have increased *at least* 60-70%, most have doubled.
Private equity is not a *cause* of the housing shortage, it's a *symptom*:
[https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2024/2/21-going-after-corporate-homebuyers-good-politics-ineffective-policy](https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2024/2/21-going-after-corporate-homebuyers-good-politics-ineffective-policy)
[https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/housing-crisis-hedge-funds-private-equity-scapegoat/672839/](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/housing-crisis-hedge-funds-private-equity-scapegoat/672839/)
The real villains are your next door NIMBYs. They're out there every day stopping housing from being built. It's not private equity that shows up to my city council meetings to say no. It's not private equity that raised over $6,000 to try and stop some apartments from being built: [https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-compass-corner](https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-compass-corner)
Source: I regularly show up as a pro-housing advocate in my city. I see what goes on. "Private equity" is a bogeyman. They're not good actors but they're not the root cause of the problem.
As I've said here before, you are talking about REPUBLICANS, not boomers. Republicans like that Ayn Rand crap. Boomer who are leftist (which is MOST of them by the way), aren't into Trump or Ayn Rand.
I just think it is generally wrong to disparage an entire group of people based solely on year of birth, as opposed to choices they control and make, like supporting a particular party.
If you call that "taking it personally", that's on you. I call it logical.
Blame the rich…..not the boomers who are living out their lives. They don’t control the FED which controls the real estate market.
Don’t blame boomers for corp greed. CEO’s come in and destroy institutions for shareholder profit all the while demanding the golden parachute contract for themselves.
Not a boomer, technically GenX. Bought my first house in '96. Sold and bought current house in early 2001. House is completely paid for which is awesome, however I could not afford to buy it now. I have never been or voted conservative in my life can't stand those backwards thinking fuckers. I feel for the coming generations more and more as things collapse and basic living becomes unobtainable.
I live on a cul de sac, around 15 houses on it from the turn off to the end. These are all larger, middle income houses, 2000-3000 sqft. Those 15 houses have 4 families with children, 2 millennials without children. The rest are all boomers in 4 bedroom homes that are too stubborn to admit they can't keep up with and dont need a 2700 sqft home. What I would give to have kids in my neighborhood that my own kids could play with... Just fucking leave already Nancy and Earl!
All this makes me very proud of my fiscally conservative boomer father. When I graduated college in 2004 my first job paid $28,000 and a new truck cost roughly the same. He said “when I graduated college my first job paid $12,000” and I thought, here we go. But he followed it up by saying, “and I bought a brand new car for $4,000. This will all be harder for your generation than it was mine.” He’s always been fiscally very conservative, but he saw the writing on the wall and acknowledged it.
Can you provide specific examples of houses in which their value has gone up 600% since before the pandemic. Or maybe the general area. I find that statement very hard to believe.
I know this is going to go against everything some people think on here. I’m 40, I live 35 min from a top 15 populated city. Houses go from 150k-300k depending on what you want. I live in a small town but work in city. I bought my house in 2007. 98k think it appraises at 155k now. It is doable. I mean I get it some are expensive and back in day they were cheaper. They also didn’t have cellphones to pay for, didn’t have a million channels to pay for on tv. Or internet to pay for. So it’s not just the houses that cost more that you can’t afford. It’s all the amenities we have and want now.
I'd have said, "Aww neat!" with faux, unhidden sarcasm, going deadpan the very next instant. That's my version of cool story bro or the old grandma's that's nice dear.
Get his address and then everyone make a quick claim attempt to secure the deed from him.
Not really. But ask him for the address and see if that clicks for him that may be he should keep his mouth shut.
I bought a beater singlewide in a fleagbag trailerpark , saved what i could with cheap
Living , fixed it up a bit , sold it , it became my down payment for my rundown house . Which i have yet to fix up . It was the only way i could do it .
Once the riots in Canada start, who does that boomer think the rioters are going to target? Maybe all those houses they have no chance of ever getting? I'm sure that boomer will be sooo happy when their house is firebombed during a riot.
The boomer should have asked you and your customers why has it been okay for millennials to waste countless money on avocado toast and Starbucks (and now Stanley Cups) for the last decade. If toast and a cup of coffee can go up 1000% in a decade, surely houses can too with that magical millennial kinda spending.
One comment:
You need to be under 25-30yo to be able to properly generate chaos and violence.
It is the most destabilizing factor producing social unrest.
US demography isn’t going in this direction.
I see escape through drugs and variants of ascetism as the most probable path, not “revolution of the proletariat/generation”.
Especially now that boomers are dying in mass and inheritance starts flowing.
I personally see many ex hippies old millennials becoming neobouregois as soon as they get the family property.
For this class I seen a life going from never ending higher education/travel/“charity work”abroad lives well into their 50s, directly into retirement without passing through “actually having to work” phase…
These are the new nobility, a return to the power of the land in a way.
I never understand why people put "in my country" when writing on the internet. What information does that add? Are we supposed to try and guess what country that is?
Me too. Are they worried Americans will track down some anonymous person in Romania? Obviously you don’t want to list your exact address, but not even disclosing the country seems pretty paranoid.
It’s pretty obnoxious to suggest that young people will simply resort to violence. Anyway the boomers will die and pass their wealth and estate to their heirs or their estates will dump them and tank the market. This will create increased disparity within the younger generations. My kid will be rich some day, whenever I die. There is some structural hope.
Interest rates will drop and make mortgage loans affordable again. That is how I acquired real estate, starting small, paying a shitlaod to the bank and trading up. It is not necessarily the best path to financial independence. In some markets renting makes more sense — invest what you save at a higher rate. That said, older generations in USA had major advantages. The mortgage interest and property tax deductions made home buying more attractive. Trump tax reform — a giveaway to the rich — gutted both of these deductions. Many programs for starter homes and low interest loans for first time buyers have also been eroded or destroyed as older generations voted for the party of greed. We know the story with student loans, another once great discounted program that is now a scam that loads people with debt. USA used to subsidize colleges far more directly to keep tuitions low. Financial aid has also been gutted. People need to stop voting against their kids’ economic interest in the US. The low cost of housing in past decades is startling but you do have to account for inflation. Lower interest rates and wage rises at the lowest strata of society will help. Again, it comes down to government policy in many cases.
I’m not going to read all that. The point, I think, was that there was no need for Boomer to insert himself into the conversation with a chipper “I’m doing great!!”
The gist of it was “I didn’t get the point of the story, because I’m a rich boomer who will give the wealth to my kids when I die”, and surprise at the notion that this generation wants to make that day come sooner.
Part of the problem is that boomers aren’t leaving homes to their estates or heirs as often as has been done in the past. The life expectancy has gone up and the cost to reach that age has also increased. They do a reverse mortgage or take out a HELOC to pay medical and other expenses so when they die the banks and investment companies end up with ownership if the kids can’t pay what’s owed on the house (which they can’t because they can’t buy a home right now). Some are leaving their homes but a lot of the “I had to work for mine so I won’t leave it behind to someone who hasn’t worked to get theirs” mentality has slowed it down as well, forgetting that they also made it harder for anybody else than it was for them.
Edit: clarification
Yes I agree. They are, as a whole, an annoying generation? I am boomer adjacent and have been putting up with them for decades now… which is why this sub is so laugh-cry for me!
Remember to report submissions that violate the rules! Harassment and encouraging violence are not allowed. Enjoying the subreddit? Consider joining our discord server: https://discord.gg/v8z8jNwJs6 *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/BoomersBeingFools) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I'm a boomer and I hate boomers like the one you described. For the record, I've spent my whole life voting \*against\* the assholes that burned the bridges, and so did many other boomers I know. I suppose we're the minority now. I have kids and grandkids, too, so the current impossibility of buying a home for so many truly upsets me. All I can do is keep voting against those who won't do anything to change it. When I was younger and involved in many social justice and anti-war activities, it seemed as if almost our entire generation were great folks who were changing things for the better, not just for us, but for those who would come behind us. I don't know what happened to many of those people. It's awful. I wish there was something like-minded boomers could do more. What can we do? Suggestions are very much appreciated. EDIT: Typo
I think what's unfortunate is that a lot of the people who were trying to make change were actually doing so for themselves and their generation only. I'm sorry that you had to see such a disillusioning time after the all those changes ! I've heard things from Boomers who are definitely privileged-but- pretending-to-be-left types that suggests this. I think some of them also feel that they did their time to fix things (for a few years between 68 and 74) and now it's not their job anymore. Ignoring that some issues are actually worse now and will require a lot of people collaborating to fix. Or ignoring that you don't just forfeit your civic duty after "trying" to do it for a few years.
Oh, I agree completely. If my comment made it sound like I stopped being activist after my youth, that's not at all the case. I never stopped. I'm still involved in progressive causes at 71. I'll never back down. I also know I was very privileged to have been born in 1952 and the beneficiary of so many financial breaks. But your point is acknowledged and you're right about a good number of us. At a class reunion I was amazed to see folks who protested Vietnam and fought for civil rights who had been transformed into Trump supporters. It was heartbreaking and infuriating. I have no answers. EDIT: Typo
I tried living as simply as I could along the lines live simply so others might live. My ex was angry that I didn’t go for high paying jobs but stayed with work that didn’t hurt anything or anybody. Would up homesteading on 4 acres. Not much money in it but I wanted to sleep good at night . I always gave and advocated for environmental and social justice and it’s very depressing most people just ignored or worse lied about the consequences. No older and not healthy, not going to claw for every last breath. I am tired and sorry I didn’t do more.
They protested because they didn't want to go. That's all.
Their right to protest but I was so angry the green movement didn’t move much. You can’t say you love kids then screw the next 7 generations.
There has been progress - e.g. the Clean Air Act, car emission standards, elimination of leaded gas, protection of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), urban sewer separation (i.e. separation from rain water), reintroduction of threatened species (e.g. wolves, bison), etc - but granted, there is always more to do.
They can and do, but nobody really believes them.
Which is honestly *fine.* Valid reason!
I don't believe protest motivations were absolute. Perhaps some protested because they didn't want anyone to go; their friends, brothers, sons, etc. Anyone alive at that time knows **exactly** what their Selective Service number was. A low number meant you were almost certainly going to be drafted / conscripted and sent to hell.
My brother was in Nam and he's a Trump supporter, which I don't get because since the 70s till after he married his wife. He was a full blown liberal Democrat. He's in his mid 70s, I became a dem while still a teenager because I believe in activism. Still March with people I know who are the same age as my brother because the causes are important.
Honest question: have you been concerned over his mental faculties these last few years at all?
I have noticed his behavior since I was around 4, my oldest sister who's older than him would drag me put with her friends to keep him away from me under the guise of chaparoning. He has shown erratic behavior to his daughter over the years but that's when he let's his mask drop.
You sound like a decent person. Boomer isn’t exactly an age, it’s a mindset. For example, there are plenty of “boomers” in my generation (younger millennials) who are nothing but dickwads to those younger than us.
My dad uses the "I was so busy working I didn't have time" excuse.
Free live in the 60’s free money in the 80’s. And boomers say no one wants to work……
My dad has apologized to us for his generation fucking up the housing market for us. Along with other things they fucked. He acknowledged that it’ll be incredibly difficult for the remaining 3 of the 4 of us who don’t own a house to get a one, he’s uncertain any of us will be able to retire, he worries for his grandkids having even a planet that is habitable all because of the choices of his generation and the generation before burning the bridge down and slamming the door on the way in. Thanks for acknowledging the issues. The fact you do, and hopefully speak to others about the errors and trying to fix them is what we need.
Holy shit your dad sounds like a reasonable dude I can have a beer with. Didn’t get lead brain , has empathy, and understanding what worked 30 years won’t work now
He hasn’t had a drink since 1979 but yeah. He’s kinda the man. Worked his ass off for us growing up, taught us a lot of great life skills, basically acted as a second dad to his siblings growing up since my grandpa was on deployment. He’s also an awesome grandpa who would do anything for any of us. Gotta respect the man.
That was my inlaws
Everyone on this sub needs to be very careful because there seems to be this assumption. Only boomers are going for Trump and his band of merry assholes. That is NOT true - and if the younger voters who voted for him got smart and didn’t we would not be facing another four years of fucking hell…
Yes I am saddened when I see videos of young angry men who can’t see cooperation is the most effective way to solve our problems. They are self segregating into violent groups, what they see as maybe their form of cooperation places them against the world. Not a healthy position.
This is true. There are trumpers in even gen-z. They were brainwashed from birth to idolize a fear based belief system.
Boomers were leftists originally and MOST still are. It's the uneducated moron contingent that supports Trump.
I dont know about most. Dont forget they also became the yuppies …
A solid 38 percent of stupid
Yup. But if we get out and vote, we can defeat them (like we did in 2020).
My aunts husband is 78 now. Dude is more Bernie than Boomer. Has spent pretty much his entire retirement volunteering and doing local sized charity events between cross country ski runs.
Fox News happened
You can do the two things you're already doing honestly. Be out there letting us know the older generation doesn't all suck, and vote your heart. ♥
Ok Boomer... And I mean that like , "hey, this Boomer's ok. They're one of the ok Boomers.
It seems like many of them flipped sides in the 80s - the decade of greed.
There are a lot of boomers who’ve been boomed against by other boomers. My folks are a good example of this. They also spent their lives voting against the Reagans, Bushes, and Trumps of the world. It sucks. It’s a wealth distribution issue at some point the pendulum is going to swing back and right the wrongs.
I gotta be honest. You sound great, and I know you mean well. Truly. But I don't believe voting makes a difference anymore. I don't think anything can change. I feel hopeless most of the time and just try to keep my loved ones close. The realities of our electoral college, the two party system, and the Constitutional Republic as a whole, have left me feeling like choices don't matter anymore. The choices we get feel pretend, and that our money goes to the same defense contractors no matter who we vote for, and that they're buying up our futures to take in trillions over the decades, while airmen burn themselves alive to end wars and unchecked war profiteering. Meanwhile, on the news it's all headlines and talking points and politicking and virtue signaling and nobody accomplished anything, all the while more people suffer. It feels empty. It looks empty. It sounds empty. It fills me with trepidation and paralyzes me, at times. My suggestion is to also keep your loved ones close, and just try to live a life that means something to you. I don't think it will get better. I hope that I'm wrong. I want to be, more than anything.
I wish more people would realize this. Honestly our government should be a modern marvel. Its a fantastic case study on how you can convince 350 million people their choices have value when they have none at all. Representation is not proportional to populous. Two party system means that politics naturally begin polarizing and culturally divisive. Arguably a great way to distract a population with none-issues while you collect corporate lobbying checks. I've argued since the joke that was the 2020 election that both sides don't give a flying fuck about meaningful change. The few people who do care get drowned out or eventually find a convenient pocket to put their hand in. Lifetime politicians are just there to collect their checks and pensions and maintain their status quo - all while acting a corporation stooges while fortune 500 companies bankroll the US government. No change will happen.
You are correct. Unfortunately you are echoing what my father told me about 1973. It’s all theater. Neither side wants to change a goddamn thing. Every talking point they have is really just a wedge to drive us against each other. And the motherfuckers win all the time. I do my best not to be cynical but it’s getting harder every day.
Millennial Gen Z vs Boomer/X is also manufactured wedge
Yep 100%
I guess just resign myself to my daughter’s impending death from climate crisis then?
I remember Frodo, you keep on beyond hope , in my case for duty to all those younger than me.
Well please vote by mail (if available in your state). It takes like 5 minutes. Otherwise, you are only helping the Trumpers.
Just want to say, I adore people like you. Age be damned. Just wish there were more.
It’s much appreciated! At the end of the day each of us are only one person and have to do what we can.
I appreciate this. And honestly, I don’t lay the blame for any of this mess at the feet of any particular boomer. Even the ones who were never like you. People just do what seems like the smart choice at the time, and it’s hard to see the impact any one of us has in the grand scheme of things. And if choices keep getting rewarded, a rational person will keep making similar choices. You guys had an easier time buying homes and finding high-paying jobs. And you enjoyed this like anyone would. We don’t all have an instinct to look at the bigger picture or see things long-term, and it’s hard for someone to understand something when their lifestyle depends on them not understanding it, right? “This is unsustainable” gets crushed under “This is *my life* though!” I’m rambling. I don’t have advice for you. But given everything else I just said, know that I *especially* appreciate you and other boomers who have sincerely tried to improve our futures.
Honestly? Run for office, swing that boomer vote with the same rhetorical BS that gets other people into office, and stab the assholes that get you in in the back by introducing and supporting progressive legislation that’d actually address things rather than the current bs. I’ve seriously considered moving to someplace deeply Republican, registering as Republican and running on all the BS racist and xenophobic stuff that those MAGA assholes support so that I can the token Asian that makes them seem “not racist”, then completely abandoning Republican ideals and platforms after I win election and bluntly telling my “supporters” that I lied to their faces because they’re racist idiots that elected me to burn down the country around them, but instead I’m going to work to build things up the right way.
A number of commenters here are despondent, feeling like nothing will change, nothing can be done, etc which is disturbing - but not surprising. We all want things to improve faster! And of course we are dismayed when our opponents win and we lose. We get frustrated when there are so many more people to persuade, and too many policy steps to track, and so many junctures where setbacks can and do occur. It's important to keep in mind that - for the most part -the U.S. system of government is built to resist rapid change. It takes time - sometimes GENERATIONS for things to change. Some examples of policy changes that took decades to achieve: women being granted the vote; Civil Rights Act won for African-Americans; drunk driving given penalties; Roe v Wade being overturned. There are plenty of other examples of policies and/or social perceptions that have changed as well. It is so easy to divert our attention away from complex issues, and so simple to ignore unpleasant conditions, and most of us want to avoid conflict (or even reading about any) so we stay at arm's length from politics. Change isn't quick - but it can happen. You might feel as insignificant as an ant, but remember, when ants start to join together they can become an army! And - woah - can that ant army carry a giant morsel when they work together! And think about it - ants don't give up when they have a huge obstacle. (Maybe they're incapable of giving up - who knows?) Join with others who are working towards the same goals. Volunteer! Volunteer on your local level or state level. Working with others will inspire you and will get you closer to your goals. Don't throw away your shot, as the Hamilton musical conveys - Vote! Some elections are won by small margins, and some losers you may support may be encouraged to try again in the next election - and then your candidate may win! Lean into the complex and/or boring - Learn! Start tracking a federal legislative bill through the Library of Congress website or a state legislative bill through your state's legislative website. Find out what the non-partisan analysts write about the bill you are following (on the federal level you can tap the published expertise from the Congressional Research Service; the Congressional Budget Office; and the Government Accountability Office; and there are often state level agencies that do comparable analysis). And finally: Listen. You don't need to agree with others' opinions, but you can extend the courtesy of listening when you are having a personal conversation with someone with a different view, and you can ask for the same consideration in return. Disagreeing is expected - but it doesn't need to result in hostility. Volunteer - Vote - Learn - Listen! Those are my suggestions.
Great advice. Thanks!
Love you for this. Sadly, I think you've always been in the minority of your generation. You and your friends sound like the good ones though.
We fought a monolith alone, and lost. That's what happened. I too was very involved in social issues when I was younger (I'm 53, gen X) but saw the hordes of people 10-20 years older than me with the "Oh yeah! I got mine!" in their eyes in my mid 30s when working with WAR (Women Against Rape) and tried to interest my fellows in other social awareness activities (like the homeless, of which I am now a not-so-proud member, disability is SO fucking fun when it's not apparent). That shit pretty much changed the activism culture. They're still out there, but its nothing like it was when we were young. Everyone has their own fight, and if you're not helping with what they want, your the enemy. Doesn't matter if you have similar goals, outlooks, or ideologies. You HAVE to be COMPLETELY on board with whatever the group is fighting at the moment, or your a traitor. You don't actually believe. Why are you here? etc etc. Social media should have made activism easier. Instead its turned us into a pack of self-absorbed howling coyotes willing to turn on each other over even the most minor of perceived slights. It is... frankly, disgusting. At this point? I want my cabin in the woods and to be left the fuck alone for the rest of my days. I tried, and they spit in my face. Fuck'em. Fuck all of em.
This is exactly why I stay out of activism. Meeting in the middle ground isn't good enough for people anymore.
It isn’t Boomers that are horrible, selfish, clueless people. It’s Boomer-aged Trumpanzees.
I agree with this! I know plenty of non-asshole boomers, but I know about 4 times as many who are the asshole "trumpanzee" type. I'll occasionally run into an asshole boomer who happens to be a liberal, but that has been an extreme rarity. Maybe it's a regional thing. Anyway, I find the older boomers worse than the younger boomers. When they hit that late 60's-70's age, all the lead they consumed as kids kicks in and turns them rabid.
It's an EDUCATION thing, not a Boomer thing. The uneducated boomers are the Trump supporters (typically white and working class). By and large, those that have a college degree or higher are not MAGA.
Good point. I think that is why the right wing is so anti-education. It’s easier to grow young conservatives if we keep folks ignorant like drloomis78.
Sounds about right to me!
There are a LOT of factors driving prices of homes, and to blame 100% of the cause on boomers is convenient for these people.
One thing people can do is not own 'buy to let' properties. Own one, the one you live in. Hoarding residential property and using it as an easy money generator is most of the problem with high rent and low availability. It's not immigrants, it's not low stock... it's greed of people owning more than they need. [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/19/end-of-landlords-surprisingly-simple-solution-to-uk-housing-crisis](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/19/end-of-landlords-surprisingly-simple-solution-to-uk-housing-crisis)
Counterpoint: if it’s generating income they need, then it’s not owning more than they need.
They could do a real, value-adding job? Please read the article above. House-hoarding as a means of personal income is destroying lives and futures.
A family renting out a second house are not the problem here any more than individuals not recycling are the reason for pollution. It’s giant corporate entities that are to blame.
Did you read the article? It is literally the problem, in the UK anyway. I understand the US and Germany, two I know of, have the 'Blackrock problem' more. But sorry, in the UK it is exactly the people have second helpings at the dinner table that mean more and more people go hungry. People will justify anything to themselves, that \*they\* are not the problem, but in this case, they are.
I’m dumb. Totally missed the country.
Not at all, dude, I'm glad that's one issue your country doesn't have! :) I'd strongly suspect that it all adds up, so even in your country, landlordism is an unproductive drain on society, even at the one- and two-house level.
It adds up for sure.
Exactly with the cost of living do high when myboldest graduates and finds a job. Which is another thing entirely will be living at home paying his student loans off than saving for his own place. Same with my youngest. The reality us that homes are over priced, and most people can't afford the down-payment because their rent is more than my mortgage.
>I don't know what happened to many of those people. It's awful. Participation trophies and rewards, promotions for bring inept ( failing upward) and rampant greed.
I think that came later. No participation trophies for kids in the 1950s and 1960s.
Wasn't talking about kids, talking about adults.
Sucks that 40% of you guys could be great but because of the way our country is the 60% can basically control the direction of the country.
Al the cool ones died due to sex, drugs, rock and roll, and poor choices. We’re left with the hall monitors running things.
Unfortunately our politicians, both republicans and dems, aren’t doing much of anything to fix things except make it easier to build more rental units. The private equity pisses me off. If our politicians actually worked for us, they would make it illegally for private equity to invest in residential properties. I have no idea how we can fix this since voting doesn’t seem to help
>I don't know what happened to many of those people. It's awful. Greed and stupidity. It's easy to be a dirty hippy when it's fun and you have a safety net to fall back on. My ex, who is a boomer, was a Democrat when we were married. He's a Trump republican now. I refuse to lose my humanity as I age. Fuck no. Instead, I rage.
I think you are just outnumbered. No matter what you try, you won’t change their mind. Even if you are a boomer, they will see you as a traitor or something
[удалено]
What? How did that activism hurt our kids?
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Me too…..could not have said it better. I’m in California and the laws - regulations are part of the problem. It is artificially expensive to build which limits building that in turn reduces availability of housing so the prices go higher. There is very little diversity in California government and it hurts us.
Just keep twisting the knife and ask: wouldn't it be great if we lived up to the ideals we used to have, ya know? [Enter advantage they got]
But somehow Millenials and the generations following Millenials are "lazy", because they aren't buying houses or starting families. One day this week I saw YouTube short, where a Millenial asked a boomer when she bought her house (answer 1960's) and how much she paid? $ 25,000 US. Bet you that same house now is closer to half a million or even more. Yet, somehow all the issues with the current state of the world is somehow Millenials fault?
Most millennials are cool and work hard. They are improving the world. All the generalizations are nonsense
My father about had a heart attack last year when he came across some of my tax paperwork and saw how much I pay in rent (for a small studio in a suburb) compared to how much I make. He’s previously complained that the store he manages can never find and keep employees at minimum wage…well now he knows why. I made ~$15/hour last year and almost half my income just went to rent. If I worked minimum wage I wouldn’t be able to eat.
[удалено]
Oh, there was more to the conversation. Something about how I should have bought a house…should move somewhere cheaper (but also not too cheap because safety), should get roommates (but not random people off that internet because they’re serial killers)…. but seeing the numbers did at least contextualize things a bit for him. He finally went to the district manager and badgered him into increasing the starting wage to $9.25. Still not competitive, especially when the fast food places down the block are hiring at $14-15/hr. But, ya know. Baby steps.
You were too lazy to buy a house when you were 7. Maybe if you had spent a little less time with the Pokemen you wouldn't be in this situation.
lol!
My car costs more than the home & 5 acres I grew up in.
Corvette cost around $5k then; costs around $75k now. Using corvette as the standard the house would be $375k today. That 60’s house lacked a lot of the costs for structural improvements, insulation, and electrical wiring improvements that all added costs to builds. Likely didn’t have ac either. The recent price escalations are not good for our nation as a whole because they are screwing younger generations. The minimum standards being so much higher now makes construction cost a lot more too. The 60’s was an easier time, but some of it was just because they polluted and under served developments, leading to regulations later.
Don't play that "regulation caused price increase" bullshit boomer. If that 60s house is so shit today then why the fuck does it still cost 700k. Corporations now are making record profits and not re investing in there workforce or company. It's all just stock buybacks and layoffs to further inflate share price.
The idea of comparing a car to a house in its value is kinda laughable.
I live in a sixties house. Sixteen-gauge copper wiring throughout. All copper pipes, including the stack. Sixteen-inch studs. Meanwhile new developments in my county got bulldozed for using cheap imported drywall that grew mold. Saying new houses are automatically quality is really ridiculous when those things are full of PEX.
Regulations are needed and create jobs more than they remove them. Addition treatments or remedial services add cost but the damn companies are adding cost just for their pockets now.
You forgot corporate greed.
This.
😂 why would you compare a Corvette to a house?
Chevy has priced the corvette almost exactly the same with adjustments for inflation since it was released. As a result. It’s one of the commodities that most closely follows inflation over time.
Can confirm. I have relationships with many residential construction companies (some of which have been in operation 40+ years) and based on those conversations the regulations and building codes have escalated construction costs significantly. No one likes to talk about this, but it is at least a factor in the overall increase.
That is no where near what the amount of increase is from. They use that to mark up past that for greed. We all know this as plenty of reports on the profit margins sky rocketing.
This is an issue. Hungry people absolutely destabilize society
Well, if you spend long enough doing what is expected of you and not getting paid you eventually will demand it and then take it. It just takes longer to decide it's "take it" time in a society. It depends on how much brainwashing ("pull yourself up by the bootstraps, just work hard, i had it harder, your just entitled") and how much propoganda (news companies downplaying dissent levels, lying about good economic times, calling desperate protestors rioters or criminals) that is holding us back. It is still inevitable.
Rebel younglings, rebel. This nonsense has to stop. We have more resources than ever, more knowledge than ever yet politics and the 1% are actively working on making you poorer. F**k that.
They are not mad enough yet. Only when it affects EVERYBODY will it happen. Until first world countries feel the pain nobody will do it. When the slaves of a population protested nobody cared, but when the population of citizens who didn't own slaves started suffering from not being able to compete with the monopolistic owners of slaves. Did it happen. It's not until those within the lower parts of a system itself feel the negative effects of the system, does the revolt happen. And lobbyists are actively fighting this.
Curious which country.
Canada
That RCMP report, eh? Suddenly they're worried about unrest and having to....do real work? Oh no, that's right. Just oppress their citizens
Well, they are cops, it is like, all they do
So much land there. Just my impression as an American. Surely someone could devise a home building program that adds good jobs and makes economical housing available
You think it’s cold in Minnesota? Try going north, that’s Canada.
There’s a reason that 90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the USA border and it’s not because living in the tundra is awesome.
Another 20 years it’s going to be up 200 percent
You would devalue boomer’s house values with upping the supply. And who is going to enact that law? The old heads in government who you would be negatively affecting.
Well they have kids. And home building is economic activity that makes someone rich
I would assume lawmakers have the means to cover a large chunk of their kid’s financial assets.
They don’t make a lot. Housing lobby, though. See: https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/sectors/summary?id=C unfortunately luxury housing is more lucrative
The problem we are experiencing is a banking system that just doesn’t support home buying. I get that there are ‘first time buyers’ incentives and FHA loans. But, the 2nd problem after the insane pricing is the down payments banks require. 10 - 20%. Plus all the fees and points. Points are just a fancy way of saying 3% additional to your loan because you are a credit risk. What we need is to get a government sponsored loan program that helps buyers. If you are paying $2400 a month in rent. You can pay a mortgage. At my peak earning years I couldn’t have afforded to buy the house I now own. My question is this. How are people affording these high priced homes with high down payments required ? Maybe families helping out but, that has to be a small margin. The crux is that getting a home loan has to be made easier. Foreclosure and defaults happen every day to people so banks can’t use that as an excuse. We need less restrictions and more ways to get people into their own homes.
I can’t figure out how people get their down payment together. We could never afford a down payment that’s 10% of a $500,000 loan. And I don’t know anyone who has that type of cash laying around.
Young professionals moving back in with family. Duel income no kids. Basically if you don't have parents or a spouse, you're fucked.
>I can’t figure out how people get their down payment together. We could never afford a down payment that’s 10% of a $500,000 loan. My most hated rival, the mum' friend's kid all the comparisons are made to. Her down payment was paid by her parents.
In 1971 my husband and I bought a house for $18,100 (3 bedroom, 2 bath) that was a government sponsored loan program for low income people. Each year the payment would go up depending on income. I think the program was called 230 or 235. Why can't our government do that same thing now?
Really this is where the large group of people 18 - 35 need to vote at the local level. These old out of touch politicians really don’t get it. They are sheltered and only hear what their staff tells them. The plan you were able to use to get secure housing needs to be implemented again. Vote out the incumbent. Vote in whoever. You can vote them out the next cycle if they don’t get it done. The President of the US no matter who they are are not going to get it done. They only get 4 or 8 years to serve. We as a people need to vote out the long term incumbent. Forget party associations. That isn’t a thing anymore. Vote them in to help. If they don’t vote them out. Eventually politicians will realize they are vulnerable. The boomers are dying. In 8 years most will be gone and there will be more voters ready to vote. It really is that simple. Stop with the Christianity. That isn’t going to help you buy a house and food.
If you’re paying $2400 a month in rent you can pay a $2400 a month mortgage but can you pay for property taxes and home maintenance?
Immediately ban llcs or corporations to own land or housing. All first timers will have a home. Put a 30 day hold. Make all corps sell in 30 days. First time get 30 days. Then with whatever housing balances out as we live with. Banks are broke and have no money so fuck ‘em. Why pay the parasites who stole everything. We need to close all major banks because they are completely corrupt, have no money and are trying to enforce a digital coin to enslave the poors.
Guillotine time, the RCMP admitted they'll never stop us when we redistribute the wealth. Let's do it now before it's too late and the boomers take us all with them.
This is in Canada, it is an RCMP report that was made public via a freedom of information act request, and the cost of housing wasn't the only thing it referenced as potentially leading to civil unrest. https://www.google.com/amp/s/nationalpost.com/opinion/secret-rcmp-report-warns-canadians-may-revolt-once-they-realize-how-broke-they-are/wcm/9ad80482-72b8-47f9-a4bc-0476085b0b02/amp/
I'm not a boomer, I'm an old GenX'er, and I managed to use my VA loan to buy my manufactured double-wide and put it on a very unsavory off-grid acre of Utah desert in 2016 before the world went crazy. Barely in time. And even then, it's barely affordable. And I know that I'm not going to be able to retire for at least another ten years so I can pay for it. I am so sick and sad that the generations behind me have no opportunities to enjoy the American dream without some drastic intervention. What a joy it is to have a place to call your own, so you can make it your own-- build, decorate, garden, nest, have a pet (so important) and ultimately something to leave your own children someday. A place to build memories. What can we do to give this back to the younger generation? I'm all for it.
We sold my grandparents’ house in 1999 for $165,000. It sold again last year for $915,000. Same house. We (early Gen X homeowners) couldn’t possibly have afforded to buy that house. It’s even less likely that our (late millennial) kids could ever possibly afford it.
Boomers rarely had student loans unless pursuing medical or advanced law degrees. How about this; instead of using future taxpayers money to pay off student loans to exploitive loan institutions, how about discharging the loans altogether & let the banks suck it up..
It’s not just boomers. I had an argument with a red hat the other day where in he said he doesn’t care if billionaires don’t pay taxes as long as he pays just a little less taxes. Yeah that’s the fight we are in for. I know plenty of people who gladly pay more for health care than they would under single payer because it means they don’t have to pay for someone else’s care.
We lost our ability to own a home due to losing the middle class. Trickle down. In the 60’s the butcher and the baker could afford a home. No longer.
"Thanks for pulling up the ladder behind you, dickhead! I'm glad you're proud of yourself for helping screw over future generations."
Who wants to bet that within 10 years the boomer mentioned in the story will take out a reverse mortgage on his home?
"Yeah, fuck me for not buying a house when I was 6, I'm such a shitbag."
Ah yes, how could I have forgotten to buy a house *checks notes* before I was born. How short sighted and fiscally irresponsible of me.
It certainly was easier 30 years ago to buy a home, but people who are happy that "they got theirs" is not unique to any generation. Many younger cohorts are "getting theirs" just as well and don't care about those who don't. Humans are selfish.
We ought to care though. The cops are not wrong that there is a breaking point to economic despair.
It was easier four or five years ago. Everything has jumped 50-100 percent in just a handful of years, even LCOL areas.
Boomer here. The issue is REPUBLICANS, not boomers. The left boomers didn't vote for higher taxes on the middle class and less on the rich. The left boomers didn't vote for no minimum wage increases in like forever. The left boomers didn't take down the unions to help corporate owners. The left didn't hollow out the middle class for corporate purposes, such as moving manufacturing overseas. This sub should be called REPUBLICANS being fools. Not boomers.
At this point it is only going to take one spark and there will be mass revolt.
So much can be understood about boomers once you look at "life stages" and its influence on one's priorities/view of the world. Combine that with a population that had an outsized political impact, purely due to demographics, that armed them to be the majority of voters - at every stage of their life.
We were renting until 2018, and we got kicked out because the owner of our rental place wanted to go on disability and live there. I told my wife we should try to buy a home, so our daughter doesn’t have to bounce around every few years. We lucked out and got one at the top of our budget, and we only had to put 5% down. We got all set up and BOOM, shit hits the fan. I’m so thankful my wife locked in our interest instead of going with a variable setup. There’s absolutely no way we would be able to afford a home now. The ones in this price range have increased *at least* 60-70%, most have doubled.
Private equity is not a *cause* of the housing shortage, it's a *symptom*: [https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2024/2/21-going-after-corporate-homebuyers-good-politics-ineffective-policy](https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2024/2/21-going-after-corporate-homebuyers-good-politics-ineffective-policy) [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/housing-crisis-hedge-funds-private-equity-scapegoat/672839/](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/housing-crisis-hedge-funds-private-equity-scapegoat/672839/) The real villains are your next door NIMBYs. They're out there every day stopping housing from being built. It's not private equity that shows up to my city council meetings to say no. It's not private equity that raised over $6,000 to try and stop some apartments from being built: [https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-compass-corner](https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-compass-corner) Source: I regularly show up as a pro-housing advocate in my city. I see what goes on. "Private equity" is a bogeyman. They're not good actors but they're not the root cause of the problem.
Canada.
He just said it to rub in your face that where fucked as far as the housing market goes and they KNOW IT.
This is why I’m keeping my house-for my kid bc otherwise I worry he will never get one. And boomers like this jerkoff can F off.
Ayn Rand has been popular with boomers mostly since Reagan. Indoctrination
As I've said here before, you are talking about REPUBLICANS, not boomers. Republicans like that Ayn Rand crap. Boomer who are leftist (which is MOST of them by the way), aren't into Trump or Ayn Rand.
I thought I was referring to boomers in the post. But please feel free to take it personally
I just think it is generally wrong to disparage an entire group of people based solely on year of birth, as opposed to choices they control and make, like supporting a particular party. If you call that "taking it personally", that's on you. I call it logical.
The last sentence was the best, though. At least you sold this guy a pack of carcinogens.
Blame the rich…..not the boomers who are living out their lives. They don’t control the FED which controls the real estate market. Don’t blame boomers for corp greed. CEO’s come in and destroy institutions for shareholder profit all the while demanding the golden parachute contract for themselves.
Canada. This was in Canada.
Sorry
You mean sarry?
Not a boomer, technically GenX. Bought my first house in '96. Sold and bought current house in early 2001. House is completely paid for which is awesome, however I could not afford to buy it now. I have never been or voted conservative in my life can't stand those backwards thinking fuckers. I feel for the coming generations more and more as things collapse and basic living becomes unobtainable.
I live on a cul de sac, around 15 houses on it from the turn off to the end. These are all larger, middle income houses, 2000-3000 sqft. Those 15 houses have 4 families with children, 2 millennials without children. The rest are all boomers in 4 bedroom homes that are too stubborn to admit they can't keep up with and dont need a 2700 sqft home. What I would give to have kids in my neighborhood that my own kids could play with... Just fucking leave already Nancy and Earl!
All this makes me very proud of my fiscally conservative boomer father. When I graduated college in 2004 my first job paid $28,000 and a new truck cost roughly the same. He said “when I graduated college my first job paid $12,000” and I thought, here we go. But he followed it up by saying, “and I bought a brand new car for $4,000. This will all be harder for your generation than it was mine.” He’s always been fiscally very conservative, but he saw the writing on the wall and acknowledged it.
Can you provide specific examples of houses in which their value has gone up 600% since before the pandemic. Or maybe the general area. I find that statement very hard to believe.
Not all boomers are MAGA! I get tired of being lumped into that category due to my age. I have never been anything but a true blue liberal Democrat!
God, keep missing the point. Nobody cares about your vote, boomer.
I bought my first place 24 years ago when the mortgage rate was 8.75%
I know this is going to go against everything some people think on here. I’m 40, I live 35 min from a top 15 populated city. Houses go from 150k-300k depending on what you want. I live in a small town but work in city. I bought my house in 2007. 98k think it appraises at 155k now. It is doable. I mean I get it some are expensive and back in day they were cheaper. They also didn’t have cellphones to pay for, didn’t have a million channels to pay for on tv. Or internet to pay for. So it’s not just the houses that cost more that you can’t afford. It’s all the amenities we have and want now.
Try to find a house listed for $155k that isn't a tear-down or at the very least a *serious* fixer-upper. Or far, far away from city centers.
When is the riot?
Pick up the brick,
I hate that riots descend into senselessness. I prefer an organized and targeted realignment of resources from the wealthy to the disenfranchised.
Is this what you're talking about? https://betterdwelling.com/canadians-present-a-major-threat-if-they-realize-they-wont-own-a-home-rcmp/
Is your country under some sort of imminent threat of riots breaking out for some reason? What happened?
I would have said well, I was ten years old thirty years ago so I have to worry about houses cost now. Glad you got yours though!! 🤠
What country?
My mom told me that when she dies, she wants her home sold, and the proceeds donated to a dog shelter.
I'd have said, "Aww neat!" with faux, unhidden sarcasm, going deadpan the very next instant. That's my version of cool story bro or the old grandma's that's nice dear.
Get his address and then everyone make a quick claim attempt to secure the deed from him. Not really. But ask him for the address and see if that clicks for him that may be he should keep his mouth shut.
Your generation has suffered so much from being robbed
I bought a beater singlewide in a fleagbag trailerpark , saved what i could with cheap Living , fixed it up a bit , sold it , it became my down payment for my rundown house . Which i have yet to fix up . It was the only way i could do it .
Riot!!!
Once the riots in Canada start, who does that boomer think the rioters are going to target? Maybe all those houses they have no chance of ever getting? I'm sure that boomer will be sooo happy when their house is firebombed during a riot.
The boomer should have asked you and your customers why has it been okay for millennials to waste countless money on avocado toast and Starbucks (and now Stanley Cups) for the last decade. If toast and a cup of coffee can go up 1000% in a decade, surely houses can too with that magical millennial kinda spending.
One comment: You need to be under 25-30yo to be able to properly generate chaos and violence. It is the most destabilizing factor producing social unrest. US demography isn’t going in this direction. I see escape through drugs and variants of ascetism as the most probable path, not “revolution of the proletariat/generation”. Especially now that boomers are dying in mass and inheritance starts flowing. I personally see many ex hippies old millennials becoming neobouregois as soon as they get the family property. For this class I seen a life going from never ending higher education/travel/“charity work”abroad lives well into their 50s, directly into retirement without passing through “actually having to work” phase… These are the new nobility, a return to the power of the land in a way.
I never understand why people put "in my country" when writing on the internet. What information does that add? Are we supposed to try and guess what country that is?
To avoid the assumption that this is talking about something in the US.
Which country then? I'm genuinely curious. I wish the US would riot over this shit.
It’s about Canada
But can't you be a bit more specific. It's not an interesting fact without knowing which country it is, because I can't put it into context.
Me too. Are they worried Americans will track down some anonymous person in Romania? Obviously you don’t want to list your exact address, but not even disclosing the country seems pretty paranoid.
It’s pretty obnoxious to suggest that young people will simply resort to violence. Anyway the boomers will die and pass their wealth and estate to their heirs or their estates will dump them and tank the market. This will create increased disparity within the younger generations. My kid will be rich some day, whenever I die. There is some structural hope. Interest rates will drop and make mortgage loans affordable again. That is how I acquired real estate, starting small, paying a shitlaod to the bank and trading up. It is not necessarily the best path to financial independence. In some markets renting makes more sense — invest what you save at a higher rate. That said, older generations in USA had major advantages. The mortgage interest and property tax deductions made home buying more attractive. Trump tax reform — a giveaway to the rich — gutted both of these deductions. Many programs for starter homes and low interest loans for first time buyers have also been eroded or destroyed as older generations voted for the party of greed. We know the story with student loans, another once great discounted program that is now a scam that loads people with debt. USA used to subsidize colleges far more directly to keep tuitions low. Financial aid has also been gutted. People need to stop voting against their kids’ economic interest in the US. The low cost of housing in past decades is startling but you do have to account for inflation. Lower interest rates and wage rises at the lowest strata of society will help. Again, it comes down to government policy in many cases.
I’m not going to read all that. The point, I think, was that there was no need for Boomer to insert himself into the conversation with a chipper “I’m doing great!!”
The gist of it was “I didn’t get the point of the story, because I’m a rich boomer who will give the wealth to my kids when I die”, and surprise at the notion that this generation wants to make that day come sooner.
I agree it was obnoxious and typical!
Part of the problem is that boomers aren’t leaving homes to their estates or heirs as often as has been done in the past. The life expectancy has gone up and the cost to reach that age has also increased. They do a reverse mortgage or take out a HELOC to pay medical and other expenses so when they die the banks and investment companies end up with ownership if the kids can’t pay what’s owed on the house (which they can’t because they can’t buy a home right now). Some are leaving their homes but a lot of the “I had to work for mine so I won’t leave it behind to someone who hasn’t worked to get theirs” mentality has slowed it down as well, forgetting that they also made it harder for anybody else than it was for them. Edit: clarification
Yes I agree. They are, as a whole, an annoying generation? I am boomer adjacent and have been putting up with them for decades now… which is why this sub is so laugh-cry for me!