Why Do Americans Care So Much About Freedom

Why would anyone want to buy an apartment in Moscow? Especially since the prices in Moscow are insane and the economy can only get worse.

And about the picture, the shower head is out of place as it looks suspiciously modern. The tiles bring back memories.

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I honestly have no idea. Weā€™ve been trying to talk him out of it but heā€™s stubborn.

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Is he Russian? Why does he like Moscow?

Is that true? If I google ā€œaverage salary in 1980ā€(that should be more or less the right time frame for most of our parents) and ā€œaverage cost of a home in 1980,ā€ I get ā€œ$12,513.46ā€ and ā€œ47,200ā€ respectively.

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I actually donā€™t really have an opinion on the issue of ā€œtoo muchā€ vs ā€œtoo littleā€ choice. TBH. I think both sides are valid.

The ā€œchoice overloadā€ perspective is just one that I donā€™t really hear very often. THe guyā€™s arguments seemed valid and we did read a couple of studies (one of 401k enrollment, health insurance choice and jam).

I could be completely misinterpreting the argument so I linked someone who has a handle on what his views are

Next thing I know, youā€™ll be telling me that capitalism and the industrial revolution didnā€™t create child labor.

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They didnā€™tā€¦ Child labour predates both. Capitalism and the industrial revolution resulted in huge job creation, in particular unskilled job creation. Unskilled job creation in the absence of regulation otherwise will also result in an increase in jobs done by children in families who otherwise canā€™t support them or are struggling.

Correlation is not causation.

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I actually went back in time even further, which admittedly, was inappropriate for the generations we speak of here. If i do look back further Iā€™d still be wrong in saying one yearā€™s salary Iā€™d still be wrong. However cost of homes was far lower compared to earnings. I know old people who bought homes in Levittown, LI, for less than 10k.

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We agree 100%.

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On a second read I think I picked up the appropriate tone ha

But were the homes 4,000 square foot, 5 bed, 4 1/2 bath places, or were they 5 roomsā€¦total?

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This is unarguably true, however those periods also correspond with interest rates that were higher by orders of magnitude, and therefore available mortgages much smaller. The increase in prices corresponds pretty perfectly with the amount people are able to borrow. Which is to say nothing more than the amount people are willing to pay for a house is effectively as much as they can afford.

In both cases if you look at the deposit you need, or look at the cost of the mortgage, the figures arenā€™t very different.

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Iā€™ve heard it from avowed socialists and, well, I get the argument but I think itā€™s an incomplete argument when you ask the obligatory ā€œcompared to whatā€ or ā€œwhatā€™s the alternativeā€ā€¦

Iā€™ve had this discussion with a few separate family members (a cousin and my brother-in-law) and when I ask them to clarify their position for me by asking some iteration of those two questions, they resort to circular logic or some non-sequitor to avoid exposing they havenā€™t thought that deeply about the subject.

I donā€™t hold it against my cousin - heā€™s a genuinely nice guy - my brother in law is a fucking idiot who is a walking example of the Dunning Kruger effect ā€¦ fuck that guy.

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According to one of my professors (in jest): ā€œgrad students are left of marxā€ :laughing:

thatā€™s what I was afraid of falling prey to by voicing my (uneducated) opinion. Iā€™m not convinced thereā€™s choice overload, but Iā€™m not entirely convinced we need more either

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Voicing your opinion (with an open mind) is the best way to refine it. Test it in the marketplace of ideas. Good ideas stand up to criticism, bad ones die (or hide behind censorship).

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But the weekendā€¦surely, surely, it was brought to me by Unionsā€¦and not by productivity that enabled people to both not work and not starveā€¦

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In the 1950s, the size of the typical new home increased to 950 square feet , and "by the 60ā€™s 1,100 square feet was typical, and by the 70ā€™s, 1,350 . Beginning with the recession in 2000, the average new house size stabilized to 2,320 (square feet)

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I donā€™t know but what youā€™re talking about can cost over one million in my town and surrounding towns.

Canā€™t remember where you live. Are you talking about the 4,000 square foot place, or the 5 room place? Both can be million dollar places, depending on location, Iā€™m sure.

It appears that the numbers are around 65K and 340K now. So now we have an average house price that is around 5.2X average salary. In 1980 that ratio was 3.8. So it is worse, but not terribly so.

I think the feelings of things being so much harder are a mix of a few things actually being harder: homes cost more, education costs a lot more compared to wages. But IMO the biggest thing is lifestyle inflation. Some of this is due to us creating a consumer society (it is easy to get debt to buy things).

I make okay money (significantly more household income than my area, Twin Cities, MN), but live in a 1300 sq ft house that I owe ~90k on (bought at 138K), my wife and I drive $5k cars. I look around my neighborhood, where on average people make less than I do, and I am not surprised people are living pay check to pay check. Their garbage / recycling are full each week with Amazon boxes, their driveways have financed SUVs, their house in the same neighborhood as me was 300-350K (I have perhaps the cheapest house in my area). I recently upgraded my 4 year old smart phone which was sub $200. My new one was $265 (5g yay). My less fortunate friends get flagship phones every year.

I am at the point that for most people that buy that new luxury car, or phone, or more house than they need, that I donā€™t feel envious, I pity them.

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