Arnett P

It’s not just the Boomers. The trend dates back before they were buying houses. There are other generations of young people. They are priced out and rates are high.

The trend is the same for both metrics: Up. You’re right about luxury, but the floor has shifted—even basic models are overpriced. Meanwhile quality has gone the opposite direction. We’re paying a premium for tech and fancy interior lights.

Well I have 200k+ on one of mine. So it’s possible to squeeze out more juice. That would impact the equation I imagine. Behavior economics.

Well, now that’s an interesting concept to tackle.

Share of US consumer spending, by income group. 59 percent of spending by the top 20% of earners while the bottom 80% only make up 41%.

Have you ever seen what a K shaped economy looks like? No, I’m not talking about K-Pop 🙄

It’s that phenomenon when the top 20% can still afford Disney vacations while every winter the heat gets lower for the 80% 😬

We are in 59/41 danger zone.

#EconSky

www.axios.com/2026/01/22/j...

A Nation Of Movers No More America was once a nation of nomads. But not anymore.In the 1900s, nearly one in three Americans moved each year. By the 1960s, it was one in five. Now, only about one in nine people change residences...

In the 1960s, 1 in 5 Americans moved yearly. By 2024, it hit a low 1 in 9.

Mobility is key to seeking a better life. High costs and "locked-in" rates have frozen the real estate market. The American Dream has stalled. 🏚️📉

#EconSky

nationalmortgageprofessional.com/news/nation-...

Is that because consumers are living on credit cards? Maybe that has something to do with it.

Got a 2008 that just crossed 200,000 miles. Do all the basic maintenance myself.

Car Payments Now Average More Than $750 a Month. Enter the 100-Month Car Loan. The price of new cars and trucks in the U.S. has increased 33% since 2020, and consumers are piling on interest as they stretch out loan terms to eight, nine and nearly 10 years.

Welcome to the new economy.

Where the middle class can’t afford to buy a house or a car.

An absolutely terrific job well done by our country’s leaders 👍🏼

#EconSky

www.wsj.com/business/aut...

Unions are handing Democrats a golden opportunity amid the shutdown battle | Judith Levine Federal workers’ move offers Democrats a chance to win the budget battle – and their identity

Federal unions are urging Dems to risk a shutdown and hold the line against cuts. This gives the party a "golden opportunity" to reclaim its identity, stand for public services, and expose GOP cuts as serving only the rich.

#USPOL #EconSky

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

JD Vance backs mass ‘doxing’ campaign to find and harass Charlie Kirk critics US vice-president encourages ‘calling out’ anyone who celebrates Kirk’s murder, including notifying employers

What is this? Like what is happening??

MAGA is turning into extreme Lefties.

Doxing and Cancel Culture. Then what, mandatory sensitivity training? I thought that wasn’t their style?

Anything else folding inside-out we should know about??

#USPOL

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

U.S. Department of Labor Will No Longer Enforce Independent Contractor Rule On May 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced it will no longer enforce a 2024 rule on determining independent contractor status. Quick Hits

US DOL is stopping enforcement of its 2024 independent contractor rule.

Reverting to an older standard that gives employers more flexibility. See DOL Fact Sheet#13.

Independent contractors don’t receive overtime or benefits. Something often exploited

#EconSky

natlawreview.com/article/us-d...

Driven to Debt: America’s Car Crisis Is Pushing Drivers to the Edge | FOX 28 Spokane Owning a vehicle has long been a cornerstone of American independence, a rite of passage tied to personal freedom, mobility, and identity. Yet, today, that once-reliable symbol of the open road has be...

The car crisis is getting worse: 44% are making sacrifices (groceries, bills) to keep their wheels. Even high earners ($150k+) are delaying purchases due to tariff uncertainty.

New US car prices climbed from $30,000 in 2012 to over $47,000 in 2025.

#EconSky

www.fox28spokane.com/driven-to-de...

Today’s housing market is so upside down there are more senior citizens buying homes than Gen Z and millennials Home buyers need to make six figures to afford a median-priced home in the U.S.

In 2024, US home buyers aged 70+ (22%) surpassed those under 35 (19%) for the first time. NAR data shows median buyer age hit 56.

Younger buyers face high rates & prices, while older buyers leverage cash & equity.

Bottom line, it’s broken.

#EconSky

fortune.com/2025/07/23/b...

‘Could become a death spiral’: scientists discover what’s driving record die-offs of US honeybees Experts scrambling to understand losses in hives across the country are finally identifying the culprits. And the damage to farmed bees is a sign of trouble for wild bees too

Wow. Record US honeybee die-offs (60% avg. loss) due to mites, climate change & pesticides threatening food security. Costing ~$600M.

Bees pollinate 100+ crops. Losses could be a 'death spiral,' impacting the economy.

Maybe not fire all the scientists??

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

House sends GOP’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ to Trump’s desk in major win for Republicans The “big, beautiful bill” is heading to President Trump’s desk. House Republicans passed the core of Trump’s domestic policy agenda Thursday afternoon — including sweeping tax cuts, a crackdown on …

“Congressional Budget Office estimates the net effect of the package will be an additional $3.3 trillion in deficit spending over the next decade.”

Wonder how the people who “voted on the economy” feel right now.

$3,300,000,000,000

#EconSky #USPOL

thehill.com/homenews/hou...

Debt Is the New Middle Class: Why Everyone Looks Rich But Owes Everything Everyone looks wealthy in 2025, but debt fuels the illusion. Here's how debt replaced true financial security for today’s middle class.

Compelling perspective on how debt is now driving the “appearance” of middle class in the United States.

Key drivers:

* 📈 Rising costs
* 📉 Stagnant wages
* 📱 Social pressure

Huge implications for the American dream.

www.savingadvice.com/articles/202...

#EconSky

The No. 1 country Americans want to move to most, says survey of over 100,000 people Over 116,000 Americans visited the Expatsi website to research moving abroad in 2024. Popular destinations include Canada, Spain, and the UK.

Top expat locations Americans are interested in.

1. Portugal
2. Spain
3. UK
4. Canada
5. Italy
6. Ireland
7. France
8. Mexico
9. New Zealand
10. Costa Rica

www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/05/...

Thanks for the substantive comments. Also great article. It’s bullseye and outlines the mechanisms behind the affordability crisis in great detail. Debt alone has surpassed its economic benefits.

2025 Average Cost of Living by State | Chart, List, & Tools Knowing the average cost of living by state can help you set product or service prices, salaries, and budgets. Find out more here.

We need to fix this. The avg rent for approx. 690 sqft is ~$1375 after removing the below states:

NY: $2927
MA: $2515
DC: $2305
CA: $2182
NJ: $2050

$100 has a different value depending on your state.

No wonder emigration is growing.

#USECON #EconSky

www.patriotsoftware.com/blog/account...

U.S. plans to receive and aid White South Africans granted refugee status as soon as next week, document shows The Trump administration is planning to soon receive the first group of White South Africans​ it says deserve a safe haven in the U.S.

Sure. Come on in. Once they realize the price of a nice 2bdr in Johannesburg basically gets you a ticket into US poverty, I’m sure they’ll be ecstatic.

#USPOL

www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/whi...

Is it cheaper to build or buy a new home? Here's what 'costs of construction' survey shows If you're choosing whether to build or buy a home, interior finishes, HVAC and plumbing are construction costs you have to consider.

NAHB recent cost of SFH construction survey:

Interior finishes 24.1%
Major system rough-ins: 19.2%
Framing: 16.6%
Exterior finishes: 13.4%
Foundations: 10.5%
Site work: 7.6%
Final steps: 6.5%
Other costs: 2.1%

Construction makes up 64.4%

#EconSky

www.usatoday.com/story/money/...

Slowly but surely the first amendment is being eroded. Right before our eyes. In less than a year. Weird they are so defensive about “antisemitism”. Many in their circles believe Jews are the evil “cabal”.

Can’t burn the little guy for the big guy. Most are small-medium and don’t have a lot of money.

However an investigation of some can be warranted. To keep the status they can’t wade too far into politics. According to the IRS tax guide.

Young men are 'playing videogames all day' instead of getting jobs because they can mooch off of free healthcare, claims congressman To justify Medicaid cuts, House Speaker Mike Johnson says the healthcare program leads to "able-bodied young men" playing videogames instead of working.

More backwards logic. 64% of Medicaid recipients under the age of 65 work FT or PT.

Workers sacrifice themselves everyday. Pay barely pays the bills. SBEs can’t shoulder the burden alone.

US col. is becoming unbearable for most people at this point.

#EconSky

www.yahoo.com/news/young-m...

Cost of living in Guangzhou - ExamineChina Guangzhou (Canton) in China is the city of the world's largest and oldest trade fair. How much is the cost of living in Guangzhou?

www.examinechina.com/cost-of-livi...).

Trump tariffs won't bring manufacturing back to US: CNBC supply chain survey — CNBC President Trump's U.S. manufacturing boom is unlikely result from tariffs, with costs too high and a global hunt for low-tariff regimes coming: CNBC survey.

Politicians do everything backwards. If the US fixes the affordability crisis, then reshoring works and people can live on modest wages reducing welfare.

In China’s big cities, ~$2.5k-$3k/mo USD covers a family of 4. That’s what we are competing with.

#EconSky

apple.news/A_DL2DcnoQs-...

Trump’s tariff formula ‘was rigged’ to get higher rates— and it used the wrong value for one of its variables, conservative think tank says A report from the American Enterprise Institute showed the White House used the wrong number in its tariff calculations.

You gotta be kidding me. They used an inaccurate formula!

“A conservative think tank found the White House measured retail price elasticity when it should have used import price elasticity”

“…the formula…relied on has no foundation in…economic theory”

#EconSky

fortune.com/2025/04/07/t...

Revenue for online learning platforms is expected to reach ~$60bn, with a 2025-2029 CAGR of 5.8%.

Given mounting debt and a cost-of-living squeeze, are these courses driven by genuine utility, or are they fueling an unhealthy cycle of overconsumption?

#EconSky

www.statista.com/outlook/emo/...

Elon Musk's DOGE launched its website. It was hacked within days “this is a joke of a .gov site,” one hacker published to the DOGE site.

LoL…DOGE left their database open

Sounds like these “top” brains skipped mysql_secure_installation

#USPOL

fortune.com/2025/02/14/e...