The Difference between a 23YO American in 1980, and a 23YO American in 2025

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I have posted about this before. I keep good records. Not only do I have my Social Security report showing what I made in 1980 as a 23 year old, I believe I have kept every tax return I have ever submitted in my almost 7 decades in this country.

IMHO, America, whether under Democratic or Retrumplican control since 1980, has been living under the trickle-down economic bullshit.

We've been sold a worthless bill of goods. Until we destroy trickle-down horseshit, even winning control of the government, results in nothing but nibbling at the margins of what is destroying the Middle Class.

"Pro-growth" is complete fucking bullshit! Take cancer, for example, no one should be "pro-growth" for cancer, but that is what trickle-down is...IT'S A FUCKING CANCER!

Anyway, here is a small part of my story. If you think it could resonate as a simple explanation of how we got to this fucked-up stage in America, feel free to use it.

In 1980, I was a high school graduate working at a grocery store chain in Ohio. As a Stock Clerk I made $12.60 an hour, time-and-a-half for overtime, double-time for Sunday's and Holidays... and even got 8 hours of pay for my birthday, whether I worked that day, or not.

We also had a decent benefits and pension program.

We enjoyed those good wages and benefits, mostly because our major competitor, Kroger, was unionized and our company tried to closely match the Union compensation standards to stave off Union efforts at our company.

The calculator I've used tells me that $12.60 per hour, full time, plus the overtime we averaged, would equate to $96K per year in 2025 dollars. Next time you're at Walmart, or Kroger, ask one of their Stock Clerks if they make $96K a year? Just be ready to run if you need to.

You need to understand. This was a "choice" job for a 23 year old from the Midwest with a high school diploma. This was the type of job that could put you solidly into the Middle Class. You could raise a family, own a nice home, have a car, or two, and maybe afford to take a nice family vacation every year. Hell, you could even afford to take the family out to Sunday dinner a couple times a month, and do the occasional ice cream shop treat for the family.

Not only that, you had a decent pension that you could combine with Social Security, retire at a decent age and live a comfortable and modest life.

If you played your cards right and got some scholarship or financial aid help, you might even be able to send your kids to college.

I left that job to do what eventually became a 30 year Navy career. I managed to make it through the ranks and earned a commission as a Navy Mustang Officer.

I am now retired and enjoy the type of pension and medical benefits most Americans can only dream of.

But back to that grocery store job. Somewhere in the 1980s, this country lost its way.

Suddenly, it was the grocery store clerk or union worker that were the cause of all America's troubles. It was the millionaires and billionaires that were "suffering" under the yoke of Americans who thought their hard work "entitled" them to a modest living and the occasional dinner out with the family.

See, WE were the problem. Our demands for a modest slice of life were keeping all these "job creators" down.

Why should that stock clerk make a decent living? He never hired someone. His wages and buying power never did anything for America. It's the billionaires that need more. I mean seriously, how many yachts is that stock boy buying?

It seemed like overnight that America began to no longer value labor, we valued wealth.

If you wanted a modest life, get a second job. Drive a taxi. Hell, you have 120 hours a week where you're not working. Go get a second or third job bum!

You think working 40-50 hours a week entitles you to a pleasant night out at the IHOP with your family?

I understand that there is a bit more to it, but what we did 40 years ago screwed over an entire generation.

Now, to get that "comfort", you need to be a Walmart greeter at age 80.

There's something rotten here