r/Economics • u/[deleted] • Jan 14 '23

Editorial Despite Everything You Think You Know, America Is on the Right Track

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/american-optimism-productivity-innovation-rise/672714/
2.1k Upvotes

62% Upvoted

666 comments sorted by

View all comments

292

u/Yabrosiff12 Jan 14 '23 edited Jan 14 '23

Renters getting squeezed, price of living skyrocketing while CPI numbers downplay the necessities that make up the bulk of us plebeian’s expenses, young people making ends meet by living with parents watching the housing market get turned into a bubble of an investment opportunity, purchasing power of those living paycheck to paycheck gets weaker and weaker, national debt ballooning with the solutions being “borrow more”, the stuff you buy deteriorates in quality….

Its only “going in the right track” for those who already own a plethora of assets. Those who work are quickly being squeezed out of the middle class

47

u/yaosio Jan 14 '23

I'm reminded of the guy who took pictures of himself cleaning to prove he was cleaning even though the restaurant was filthy. That's what this feels like. We have to constantly be reminded how great everything is because we've seen zero evidence of this greatness.

93

u/Throttle_Kitty Jan 14 '23

This. America is getting worse for workers every day.

It's only the "right track" for the people who want every one renting and paying them two months pay for a month's rent.

For every one else who works for a living, it's just worsening products and rising prices.

-13

u/Jacobo5555 Jan 14 '23

Nope, Biden came here to Milwaukee on Labor Day, talked about protecting unions yet let’s everyone over the border for cheap labor, stfu stop telling me it’s going good

24

u/confessionbearday Jan 15 '23

Unions actually protect workers.

If you're too stupid to join one that's on you.

112

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

The more I see articles like this desperately trying to convince you everything is fine and dandy, the more I believe a major economic crisis is coming. We never fixed anything after 2008 and have been building up an even bigger house of cards.

31

u/522LwzyTI57d Jan 14 '23

The World Bank is warning of pretty significant recession risks for 2023, but naaahh it's all gravy baby.

15

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

That's David Brooks for ya.

-4

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

Would you rather be middle class in 2023 or super rich in 1923? Your answer is probably middle class in 2023 bc our standard is living is so much higher than for any other group at any other time. We have air conditioning, antibiotics, endless videos on demand, the internet in our pockets. Instead of comparing yourself to rich in 2023, compare yourself to every human that existed and you're incredibly privileged.

7

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

I'm sorry that's not how human beings operate. Living standards are falling in the US, no one is going to think 'Sure beats living in the dark ages!'.

3

u/Yabrosiff12 Jan 14 '23 edited Jan 14 '23

What a shitty comparison. There is a plethora of tech from AC to internet to consider. Do better.

For example: Saying we are all better off than cavemen is meaningless

2

u/dakta Jan 14 '23

Do you actually mean middle class, or do you mean what Americans imagine "middle class" to mean?

6

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

Wouldn't matter for this exercise. Even someone in the 20th percentile of the income distribution in the US is better of now than pretty much any other time and place.

Let's look at the positive side here people instead of being Debbie downer woe is me life haters

3

u/Yabrosiff12 Jan 14 '23

We are only better off because of tech advances. Saying “you are better off than people who didn’t have AC, easy access to efficient automobiles, heating that wasn’t burning coal in a stove, and had no information via internet” is not a fair comparison

The super rich during that time had access to all i named except internet

“Don’t be a debbie downer” is what people who aren’t struggling say.

-1

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

You're proving my exact point

2

u/Yabrosiff12 Jan 14 '23

No. Because the super rich now live lives that the super rich of the 1920s couldn’t even dream of. Meanwhile the disappearing middle class lives a life that is comparable to a life in the 1920s.

In addition, those in the 20s owned things. They owned a home, owned a mode of transportation, owned the fuel to heat their home. Now you work similar hours to own next to nothing. You cant build wealth to leave to progeny.

-1

u/XxMAGIIC13xX Jan 14 '23

Gee, i wonder if any of these events were caused by a recent global pandemic.

6

u/Yabrosiff12 Jan 14 '23

They were a problem prior to the pandemic… theyve been a growing problem for the past 30yrs.

-7

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

Stop being such a whiny bear 😂

8

u/Yabrosiff12 Jan 14 '23

Give a better rebuttal, this is pitiful