[dumpsterdiver]

> But something changed around the time of the Great Recession; the birth rate fell precipitously, and it did not recover when the economy improved.

I'm going to guess that this is generational shock. That generation got burned hard, and now they are weary. I suspect when another generation passes they will forget.

[bboygravity]

Also "the economy improved" doesn't mean that people could afford a house or kids. It could just as well mean that companies and the 1 percent got way richer.

[knallfrosch]

That's what 2,000 people tell Paul Krugman every time he tells them 'the economy is fine' in his New York Times column. It's quite entertaining to watch, altough troubling. He's smart, he gets a lot of direct feedback, and yet he doesn't understand it at all.

Put simply, the economy isn't "working" when people can afford less food by the month, renting gets harder by the week, used cars are double as expensive, new cars are unavailable and building a house is nothing more than a dream that we inherited from previous generations.

Krugmann just thinks Americans are stupid: "You don’t want to say that Americans are stupid"

See: Why Are Americans So Negative About the Economy? https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/15/opinion/americans-negativ...

[christophilus]

I agree with everything you say, but technically it's about as easy for me to build a house today as it was for my grandpa (who built his own house in the 40s). At least, it is if I get to ignore regulations.

It requires being very frugal, moving to a low cost of living area, taking a lot of time, manual labor, and getting help from friends. Also, you have to live in 3rd world conditions for quite a while.

At least, that's what my grandpa did. I know a few folks-- who are quite poor-- who have done it in the past 10 years. But maybe 0.01% of the population is willing to do anything like it. I know I'm not.

[HDThoreaun]

Americans are stupid. Housing is more expensive but real wages are up, the vast majority of Americans can afford more food than ever before.

[dumpsterdiver]

> Housing is more expensive but real wages are up, the vast majority of Americans can afford more food than ever before.

Housing is pervasively unattainable, and yet you would still claim that "real wages are up"? What the crap do "real" wages mean to you? Our parents and grandparents easily purchased homes to keep them safe in as they grew old. What "real" wealth do we have that can compare?

[j33zusjuice]

Could? Look around, that’s what it means.

[scotty79]

Unless the new generation experiences another new shock which seem to just keep comming.