Peacetrain (1000+ posts) Sat May-07-11 07:05 PM
Original message
I have lived through end of the world scenarios, end of the US economy,
end of the US status as a world power, end of everything, more times than I care to count.
I think I have lived through four end of the world predictions.. (and that does not even count 2000 can anyone forget that)
When I was in high school the one thing every guys in my class could count on was going into the service if he did not get into college. 58,000 of my generation died in Vietnam.. That of course was after spending a few years as a little kid doing duck and cover or sitting in halls during drills. Talk about fodder for nightmares.
Of course people were building holes in the ground to survive the nuclear war Russia was going to start with us.
There was no medicare till 1965.
The 70's were a damn nightmare.. you paid 15% on a mortgage if you were lucky..and the same for a car payment.
Lots of scary times.. lots of enders who are always telling us all the good times are behind us.
Let me just share this with you.. You don't want to go back to those times. They were NOT GOOD times for many many people. That is except the music. We had really good music..
Just sharing some memories
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1060539I have to admit enjoying the Carterite inflation. You could take on serious debt, and just a few years later, it was trivial. I guess there was some risk involved, but it sure did work out well for some people. The peanut was an incompetent, embarrassing boob, but lots of people made out great. DUmmies never succeed in any era.
DesertFlower (1000+ posts) Sat May-07-11 07:14 PM
Response to Original message
1. i'm 69 and i remember. we had air raid
shelters and were taught to get under our desks at school in case of a bomb.
the high interest rates were great if you had money to save. i remember paying 19% interest on a car loan, but that was in '84.
Anyone who paid 19% on a car loan in 1984 was a deadbeat who had to borrow from Broken Legs Savings and Loan.
dixiegrrrrl (1000+ posts) Sat May-07-11 07:21 PM
Response to Original message
3. Cuban Missle Crisis...remember how scared our parents were???
People were truly afraid we would be attacked, or that WW3 would start in some manner. A collective holding of breath for days across the country.
And the Red Menace was alive and well.
The Red Menace was also very real, until it was destroyed by Ronald Reagan.
1620rock (1000+ posts) Sat May-07-11 07:55 PM
Response to Reply #3
6. And don't forget the "Yellow Peril". If we don't stop them over there...
The "gooks" will be climping up the beaches of California...such ignorance.
Thank goodness, we killed lots of them. If we hadn't, who knows where they would be "climping".
tularetom (1000+ posts) Sat May-07-11 07:54 PM
Response to Original message
After I graduated in 1966 I could choose between several job offers, any of which had a decent salary and good benefits.
After graduation, we were able to purchase a home with no down payment on a 30 year fixed rate loan with very affordable payments (which we were able to make on one income) and raise two kids.
The birth of our daughter in 1963 cost $250 which we paid in cash. The birth of our son in 1966 cost $525, also paid cash.
I remember paying 17 cents for a gallon of gas at Ft Benning GA in 1962. And buying two bags of groceries including five lbs of hamburger, chicken breasts, and all kinds of fresh veggies at Lucky Market in Berkeley CA in 66 or 67 for $12.
I actually believe this DUmmy. It's almost impossible for people today to realize how explosively the cost of medical care increased with the advent of Medicare. Blank checks always have the same effect. And in the early 70s, I could estimate grocery costs by multiplying the number of bags by $5.
RebelOne (1000+ posts) Sat May-07-11 08:01 PM
Response to Reply #5
10. Yes, I remember the cheap gas.
I lived in Miami, FL at that time and there were gas wars every where. And the gas prices were in the single digits. Those days will never come back.
I believe this DUmmy is the usual DUmp liar. Gasoline went over a dime on the day they learned to refine it, even during gas wars. In today's dollars, I'll bet gasoline was lots more expensive back in the Model T days than it is even now.
Peacetrain (1000+ posts) Sat May-07-11 08:05 PM
Response to Reply #5
12. We had the best music..no doubt about that
and I remember the 19 cent a gallon gas wars.. but I also remember paying 15% interest on the car loan and trying to get a house loan in the 70's... oh my GOD.. we got one for 15% and were lucky to get that..
Home loans were very easy to get in the 1970s, though there was a short span of time during the Carterite disaster when home loans were very expensive. That was the first time I ever heard of "creative financing", which is the same as "green jobs" and "alternative energy", i.e., a scam. Never heard of paying a rate like that for a car loan, and I had several during the decade. But I'm sure lots of DUmmies are paying 15% for their car loans today.
