Too many things have been placed down the memory hole and it's up to those of us old farts seasoned folks to remind those younger of what it was like for us.
No, I'm not talking about the usual "when I was your age" hard times stories when we tell you all about how we slogged through 10 feet of snow to school uphill (both ways), I'm talking about how really good we had it.
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We didn't have to worry about our schools. Extra schools were built for the Baby Boom generation. We had well-equipped new schools, great teachers (they were paid fairly well back then), and plenty of offerings in art, music, sports, and college-prep. Hardly anyone bitched about taxes either because most had children in school who benefitted from the spending or they understood the fundamental importance of an educated population.
Everyone understood that upward mobility required education or vocational training programs. Parents expected their kids to do better than they did. The sky seemed to be the limit for my generation.
We had help going to college if we needed it. State universities were heavily subsidized making tuition affordable and some states even offered free state college educations to residents of the state. If we needed help, there were zero interest government loans (particularly the National Defense Student Loan program which reflected an understanding that education was important in our nations security) which didn't require any payments until 6 months after graduation.
There were plenty of unions to ensure that people were paid decently, had a safe workplace, and worked to promote programs that benefitted working people and those who were vulnerable. Unions were accepted and acknowledged as beneficial not only to their members, but also in advancing wages and benefits for those without a union.
Most jobs had pensions and fully employer funded health insurance. You never had to fight with your insurance company either. You paid your deductable and the insurance company paid their share. No calls. No arguments. No denials of coverage.
You went to a real bank. The banker would help you set up a savings and checking account. Every child had a small savings account with tens of dollars in it (account maintainence fees were unheard of). These were encouraged by banks to teach children the benefits of saving. There were no fees unless you overdrew your account. Banks survived nicely on the difference between the rates they charged in interest on loans and the rates they paid in interest on savings. Of course, bankers didn't get mega millions in salaries, either. I grew up living next to a banker who lived a nice middle class life without the need for a gigantic bonus or hefty payday.
Our roads were well maintained. In fact, an interstate highway system was being built to make travel faster, easier, and safer.
There was plenty of regulatory oversight to ensure that our food and products were safe and the public health departments made sure that everything was healthy and safe locally in grocery stores, restaurants, and other public places.
We had tariffs on imported goods which added revenue to the government and encouraged buying domestically.
We made everything here. From mining ore to smelting to production we made stuff. From growing the cotton to milling it to making finished good, we made stuff. We bought that stuff, too, which maintained and added jobs to this country. This is the main reason that our entry into World War II was essential to the Allied victory.
We had real news. From newspapers to television, there were real reporters (or former reports that anchored newscasts) and the reporting of actual facts. We never saw the now typical "2 sides of the debate talking points pie fights" that is accepted as news today (we'll just have to leave it here). We had documentaries during prime time which showed us problems in our country that needed attention (like the conditions of migrant workers).
We had politicians that talked about what they planned to add for us and our country. Only recently have we experienced pols who brag about how much they intend to take away.
It wasn't all rosy and we did have our fair share of festering problems with racism and sexism, for example, but we did have it better than the younger generations. Our parents expected us to do better. I remember my parents and grandparents coming to my high school graduation. It was a big deal for them. I was the first person in my family to graduate from high school (their generations had to leave school and get jobs to help support their families) and was heading towards college where I became the first college graduate.
We didn't do it on our own. We never did. We had help with every step we took. Those who promote pulling yourself by your own bootstraps have (conveniently) forgotten how much help they got on their own road to the American Dream. I haven't forgotten. It's why I don't bitch about taxes which I see as paying back for all I've received. They shouldn't complain either.
Seeing young people struggle to go to college or leave with enormous debt doesn't help. Watching the only jobs available being McJobs; part time, no benefits, minimum wage jobs good only for teenagers doesn't allow adults to survive. Seeing wages diminish, benefits erode, and pensions disappear is creating a downward spiral that must be reversed. We need to start making things here again. That alone would go far in providing employment. We need to empower unions again. We created a strong middle class with unions. Without them, workers lose more each year. We need to get out of lousy trade deals and return to a system of tariffs.
I want young people today to have what I had, what my generation had. It's only fair.