Our Fathers and Grand Fathers Time

[67SS]

I happened across this. while searching for something awhile back... and I was checking it out when I came across page 31.....continued on pg 63
http://www.gunsmagazine.com/1959issues/G0159.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

rocked me back on my heels....

started me to thinking how long have true patriots been around.... I dont think we have ever been with out them.. and that is a comfort...

on a side note.. check out the pricing!...

then realize in 1955 minimum wage was about 0.70 to 0.90 an hour.

if you want to check out several of the old Guns Magazines.. here is a link to Guns in PDF form.. from Jan1955 to jan 1963

http://www.gunsmagazine.com/classic-gun ... -editions/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[The Annoyed Man]

I saw today on the news that today is Ronald Reagan's birthday. He was born in 1911. Just sayin'......

[Keith B]

Actually, minimum wage in 1955 was raised to $1.00 an hour, making a full time annual salary $2080 net. The average price for a Ford car was around $2275, making it 1.09 times the annual income of a minimum wage earner. Homes were around $22K average, so they were about 11X the annual salary.

Move to 2013 and minimum wage in Texas is $7.25 an hour, making a full time annual salary of $15.080. Average car price now is listed as $41,638, making it 2.76 times the average annual net income. Homes are also different. While the median price of a home varies greatly by county in Texas, the median home price in the DFW area is $225,000 making it 15 times the annual salary.

So, things were significantly better for those making minimum wage in 1955 than in 2013.

[67SS]

the 1955 1.00 per hr law was passed in 1955 did not take effect till 1956... so in 1955 it was still 0.75 per hr..

http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1987/06/art4full.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Historically, changes in the minimum wage provisions of
the Fair Labor Standards Act have consisted primarily of
increases in the wage rate and expansions in coverage. 3 The
minimum wage, which was originally set at $0.25 per hour
in 1938, reached $1 per hour in 1956, $2 per hour in 1974,
and the current level of $3.35 in 1981 .

[Keith B]

the 1955 1.00 per hr law was passed in 1955 did not take effect till 1956... so in 1955 it was still 0.75 per hr..

http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1987/06/art4full.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Historically, changes in the minimum wage provisions of
the Fair Labor Standards Act have consisted primarily of
increases in the wage rate and expansions in coverage. 3 The
minimum wage, which was originally set at $0.25 per hour
in 1938, reached $1 per hour in 1956, $2 per hour in 1974,
and the current level of $3.35 in 1981 .

Even so, the numbers the average was around $0.80 an hour, so ~$1665 annually, or 13.2x annual for a home and 1.4x the annual for a car. They were still better than those who make minimum wage today. I will also bet that the cost of insurance, utilities, medical care, gas, etc back then was a lower percentage than today. Put it all together and we have lost ground in the wages of the minimum wage employee.

[67SS]

no dispute Keith.. devaluation of the dollar/buying power is a marked reduction over 1955...

we are on the same page... been sayin it for years...no one listens.

[Keith B]

no dispute Keith.. devaluation of the dollar/buying power is a marked reduction over 1955...

we are on the same page... been sayin it for years...no one listens.

I agree. While I may have better opportunities than my parents did, it is only because they pushed me to get the educaiton they were not able to get. Still, I believe the average middle class person and below struggle more to make their paycheck go farther today than they did back then.

[67SS]

yep.. the only one's who have seen any advantage.. are those making 100k+ per year.... they can keep their heads above water fairly well... I remember 1969 thinking that if I could make 50K a year I would be a very fat daddy..

[MasterOfNone]

I suspect that the average prices cited reflect some cultural changes that do not necessarily influence the ability of someone to get by. People seem to be buying larger homes than in 1955 (http://www.census.gov/const/C25Ann/sfto ... vgsqft.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), so the average home price is not a good comparison. If we had the average home price for a certain modest size in 1955 and today, that would better reflect the ability of a person making minimum wage to afford a home. People also seem to be buying nicer and fancier cars today, another cultural change that would affect the comparison.
So the numbers cited compare a minimum-wage earner's ability to make an average living more than they compare the ability to make a sufficient living.

[MeMelYup]

Health care for the entire family was completely covered by the company. Most mom's stayed at home, took care of the house, and gardening. Majority of people had gardens for fresh veggies.

[Andrew]

Here's a great paper about housing and prices. http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/jchs. ... xander.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and yes the average sq. footage of homes has doubled since the far away 50's. As has the demand for house tech that those 50's buyers would consider science fiction. Coated dual/triple pane glazing with inert gas fill, Microwave ovens, Jacuzzi tubs, Insulation! not just improved but any at all, cladding and roofing options with 3-4 decades of warranty, etc, etc, etc.

Comparing automobile prices is only half the story, cost to own including maintanence and fuel was higher in the 50's in adjusted 2010 dollars than it is now. Plugs, points, condensers, plug wires, tires, belts, hoses, batteries, brake linings, every wear item on the 50's auto had 1/4 to 1/5 the life of a comparable component in 2010. Heck, I'd be willing to wager that most folks under 40 have never even heard of ignition points and condensers(i'm a Mopar guy and I hated setting up dual points and timing that gas sucking dual thermoquad nightmare every 3-4k miles). Reliability, meh. Stalling, flooding, sunken carb floats, jets that would always vibrate loose, there was a reason that every major intersection had 4 gas stations with a 3 -4 bay garage attached.

[67SS]

just courious.. did anyone read the pages 31 and 63 from the link posted?

[Andrew]

Health care for the entire family was completely covered by the company. Most mom's stayed at home, took care of the house, and gardening. Majority of people had gardens for fresh veggies.

Hospitalization was covered, not the all inclusive health care we know today. But then a trip to your family doc and a stop by the pharmacy didn't set you back 3 weeks pay either. Hospitalization insurance and "sick days" became popular during WWII as employers sought ways to circumvent federal wage controls to attract and retain quality employees. Unionism strongly supported the push toward collective medical care also. Remember that there wasn't much "Medical Science" could do for you(other than gross physiological repairs)until the post-war years.

[Andrew]

just courious.. did anyone read the pages 31 and 63 from the link posted?

Yup, though I did have to go to the January 59 issue in your second link, the first link wouldn't open for me. Lots of periodicals available from that time period, late 50s to middle 60s, had what if and are you ready type articles. National paranoia over the Red and Yellow menaces was rampant. My Pop was a Hustler driver and almost lost flight status because of weight loss and what the docs thought was an ulcer(actually acid reflux).