Millennials

[1972 Grad]

What’s crazy is them doing it with not fat on them , my grandfather looked like he wasn’t much wider than his M1 . I think about that some times when I complain about it being cold outside . I can’t even begin to imagine what it took for them to make it through those times .

I had some of my dad's old 8mm film put on compact discs a few years ago. He and my grandfather had a lumber yard and building material business. They unloaded rail cars of materials by hand as they located right across the street for the railroad. They had a little sidetrack where the dropped rail cars off for them. Some of the film showed their crews constructing their concrete block buildings. Nobody looked like they weighed over 150 pounds.

 

[NashVol11]

Mine is 3 years old and I paid less than $100. I'll bet it does most of the stuff yours does as well. You continue to spend money you don't have. I have been debt free... and out of slavery... since 2003. It took a concerted, focused effort to achieve that, and you can do it too. If you want. Or don't, and stew about how unfair life is.

Stop blaming others for your decisions, and above all don't expect me to pay for your 'education'.

Mine is two and a half years old as well. I’ve paid down like 70K in loans in the last year, so I’m not who you’re complaining about. I just have the capacity to understand the problems of people who aren’t literally in my own shoes.

 

[05_never_again]

Generation X here.

We hate everybody.

Gen X is the best generation. Don't take themselves too seriously, have by far the least annoying set of stereotypes, and generally have a balanced way of looking at the world.

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

Mine is two and a half years old as well. I’ve paid down like 70K in loans in the last year, so I’m not who you’re complaining about.

Good for you. I'm genuinely happy for you. Keep it up. When you are debt free, you will REALLY get an education on April 14th of every year.

So let me ask you another question then. Do you think college should be free?

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

Gen X is the best generation.

Get off my lawn.

 

[hog88]

I had some of my dad's old 8mm film put on compact discs a few years ago. He and my grandfather had a lumber yard and building material business. They unloaded rail cars of materials by hand as they located right across the street for the railroad. They had a little sidetrack where the dropped rail cars off for them. Some of the film showed their crews constructing their concrete block buildings. Nobody looked like they weighed over 150 pounds.

Me and a friend of mine used to take the Meadow Gold Dairy horses (Bob and Dan) around to various events and give hay rides to kids. One day a lady came up raising 100 types of hell over how we were abusing those poor animals making them pull that wagon in the summer heat. When I told my damn he about fell over laughing told me those horses didn't know what a days work was.

 

[NashVol11]

Good for you. I'm genuinely happy for you. Keep it up. When you are debt free, you will REALLY get an education on April 14th of every year.

So let me ask you another question then. Do you think college should be free?

Don’t think it should be free, but do think there’s something very wrong with this picture (even if you substitute a public school)

 

[hog88]

Don’t think it should be free, but do think there’s something very wrong with this picture (even if you substitute a public school)

Yes there is something very wrong with that picture. There are people willing to go into debt to pay that.

Get the .gov out of the school loan business and watch the tuition rates come down.

 

[1972 Grad]

Don’t think it should be free, but do think there’s something very wrong with this picture (even if you substitute a public school)

Inflation from 1980 until 2020 makes that $3.10 minimum wage from 1980 equal to $9.86 an hour today. Inflation has caused more than a 3 time increase. Look to Hog's post above to explain why college costs have gone up almost 10 times, or 3 times the rate of inflation.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

The first 2/3rds of the Boomers were threatened with being forced to fight in SE Asia jungles. Well, at least the males were. Then those that had their numbers called were often cussed at, called baby killers, and spat on if they were lucky enough to not come home in a box. I'm pretty sure they'd gladly have traded that for some student debt that nobody forced them to take.

 

[1972 Grad]

The first 2/3rds of the Boomers were threatened with being forced to fight in SE Asia jungles. Well, at least the males were. Then those that had their numbers called were often cussed at, called baby killers, and spat on if they were lucky enough to not come home in a box. I'm pretty sure they'd gladly have traded that for some student debt that nobody forced them to take.

That Vietnam war covers me , as does having drills hiding under our desks during elementary school in case of a bombing attack from Russia, and people building fallout shelters in case of a nuclear detonation. Plus, I visited 5 guys that I knew from my youth in Washington D.C. Their names are on the damn wall. I went to school with them, and/or played baseball with them, and they weren't fortunate enough to survive that war.

 

[CagleMtnVol]

Is that real? I mean....that has to be fake.

Please tell me it’s fake.

It's fake that's Allie Stuckey "The Conservative Millennial" she's done fantastic liberal spoofs for several years.

 

[Sandman 423]

This is worth the listen.

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

Yes there is something very wrong with that picture. There are people willing to go into debt to pay that.

Get the .gov out of the school loan business and watch the tuition rates come down.

Better yet, make those student loans bankruptable, and watch those loans go away for those bs degrees.

 

[NEVolFan]

That Vietnam war covers me , as does having drills hiding under our desks during elementary school in case of a bombing attack from Russia, and people building fallout shelters in case of a nuclear detonation. Plus, I visited 5 guys that I knew from my youth in Washington D.C. Their names are on the damn wall. I went to school with them, and/or played baseball with them, and they weren't fortunate enough to survive that war.

Perfect place to add my post. 72.., I sensed it in you, thanks man!

I grew up in the sixties... turned 17 and enlisted in the Navy. Vietnam Nam was now out of consideration in my mind. Well... noooo, I was trained up for 1.5 years and sent up the the Mekong River to support the 9th Infantry.., and jointly we took care of businesses.

I have 4 high school buds on the wall... lost them to the cause the government said they would support. Well, as we know that was only partially true.

So ... when I get challenged here about my views I look back at what the f I did as a patriot and sometimes get upset when a powderpuff tells me to go pound sand.

I love this country... and will do what I can to keep it out the libs hands!

Keep America Great... it’s worth fighting for.

 

[NurseGoodVol]

Mine is two and a half years old as well. I’ve paid down like 70K in loans in the last year, so I’m not who you’re complaining about. I just have the capacity to understand the problems of people who aren’t literally in my own shoes.

Empathy can be a good trait as long as it doesn't cross a line to enabling.

 

[Rickyvol77]

Well, for one, many of us have 100K+ in student loans with relatively low-paying jobs, which is pretty bleak regardless of how you label it

Prob shouldn’t have signed up for the loan. Whose fault is that exactly?

 

[NorthDallas40]

Like $400? What is that against 100K?

I’m fortunate to have a job that pays well, but most of my generation isn’t so lucky.

I make over twice that and paid $199 on contract for my phone over 4 years ago so it’s even less of my money and I have no real intention of upgrading anytime soon so I get to keep even more money. I win!

 

[NorthDallas40]

Mine is two and a half years old as well. I’ve paid down like 70K in loans in the last year, so I’m not who you’re complaining about. I just have the capacity to understand the problems of people who aren’t literally in my own shoes.

Hmmm... so you make $100k and you’ve paid down $70k in debts in the last year. So if you’re contributing to your 401k and you’re paying taxes you’re living on around $10k a year?

 

[825VOL]

If you want to stop the student loan madness, require the universities co-sign all the student loans. Make them responsible for teaching useful classes that translate to the workplace. You would immediately see useless degrees vanish. Outside of STEM subjects, the same degrees can be obtained from a community college for pennies on the dollar. Then you would see a dramatic reduction in enrollment and in colleges fees. We have been hoodwinked into thinking we need to spend $100k to get a degree in sociology to get a $35k/yr job. What idiots we have become.

 

[NashVol11]

Hmmm... so you make $100k and you’ve paid down $70k in debts in the last year. So if you’re contributing to your 401k and you’re paying taxes you’re living on around $10k a year?

Nowhere did I say that 100K is my salary. Reading comprehension is your friend

 

[NorthDallas40]

Like $400? What is that against 100K?

I’m fortunate to have a job that pays well, but most of my generation isn’t so lucky.

So you’re just saying that $400 against $100k in student loan debt is nothing? Ok

How about 28 years old and paying off $70k in a year. I’d guess you’re making well over $100k then!

 

[NashVol11]

So you’re just saying that $400 against $100k in student loan debt is nothing? Ok

How about 28 years old and paying off $70k in a year. I’d guess you’re making well over $100k then!

Yes, I mentioned that a lot of us have 100K+ in loans and SpaceCoast seemed to be implying "well if you hadn't spent so much on your phone..." which wouldn't change anything. You're right, and I'm also (IMHO) pretty low-maintenance and don't like owing money, so a lot of my income just goes to loans and living expenses.

 

[AshG]

If you want to stop the student loan madness, require the universities co-sign all the student loans. Make them responsible for teaching useful classes that translate to the workplace. You would immediately see useless degrees vanish. Outside of STEM subjects, the same degrees can be obtained from a community college for pennies on the dollar. Then you would see a dramatic reduction in enrollment and in colleges fees. We have been hoodwinked into thinking we need to spend $100k to get a degree in sociology to get a $35k/yr job. What idiots we have become.

The position of universities is not supposed to be job training. That's a very recent development in the thousand year plus history of higher education. Universities exist to maintain and expand the wealth of knowledge required for society to function appropriately.

Are there fields that leave me scratching my head? Absolutely. But those fields - gender studies, women's studies, [insert race here] studies - exist because there's actual demand for experts. Do well and publish and a political party or think tank will pick you up for $150k to help inform how to reach and interact with those specific populations. But does every bloody University need a [topic] studies program? No, there's just not that much demand.

My dissertation spends quite a bit of time discussing the role of the community college. They are definitely the right way to go for most people. If more people got an associate's degree in a practical field, it would lower the cost of University for those looking for a more specialized and in depth education.

 

[825VOL]

We devalued a high school degree by refusing to teach meaniful subjects in high school and allowing students to simply pass rather than learn anything. Colleges should not have remedial classes that attempt to teach what should have already been learned. A college degree is really not needed in most fields of work other than STEM fields. While it is great for an individual to learn the skills needed for a “society to function”, it is assinine to state the only way this can be learned is by going $100k in debt at a public university. The universities have become greedy- backed by the never ending student loans available- and have forgotten their intended role imo. What used to be taught in high school for free is now being taught in college for $30k a year. Very sad for the following generations.