Comments on current events 55 years ago.

[Swamprat1958]

Comments made in the year 1955! That's only 55 years ago!

'I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $10.00.

'Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $1, 000 will only buy a used one...

'If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. 20 cents a pack is ridiculous.

'Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging 7 cents just to mail a letter

'If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store.

'When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 25 cents a gallon. Guess we'd be better off leaving
the car in the garage.

'I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying DAMN in GONE WITH THE WIND, it seems every new movie has either HELL or DAMN in it.

'I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas .

'Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $50,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President..

'I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now.

'It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet.

'It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work.

'I'm afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business.

'Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to government.

'The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on.

'There is no sense going on short trips anymore for a weekend, it costs nearly $2.00 a night to stay in a hotel.

'No one can afford to be sick anymore, at $15.00 a day in the hospital, it's too rich for my blood.'

'If they think I'll pay 30 cents for a hair cut, forget it.'

[rwc1969]

Whenever I see something like this it amazes me how much the cost of things has went up as compared to the relatively small amount of pay increases over the years.

Then, Minimum wage= under 1 dollar, but a new car was under 1000.

Now, Minimum wage= 7.25, but a new car is well over 7250.

[Old GI]

I was seven years old and can remember my Father saying many of those comments.

[Rick]

According to the Social Security Admin, the national average wage in 1955 was $3,301.44. Today it is $41,334.97. Quite a difference, too.

[hunter63]

I get these almost daily in e-mails........still kinda cool.

I can remember going over to one of my dad;s friends house to watch the Rose Bowl game on T.V. maybe about 1955. Least it was supposed to be ball game, kinda hard to tell.

He said at the time, "I see it, but I don't believe it"
If he was alive today he would be amazed.

They say (still don't know who "they" are), but knowledge doubles every 15 years, but I almost gotta believe it's even faster than that.

First "real grown up job", was working for a small city (I was the 4th guy), in 1966 @$1.25 per hr.
Later moved to the big city, worked in a factory, $2.45 1/2 cents per hr. WOW.
Anyway thanks for the post, bring back memories............

[rwc1969]

My uncle worked for the big three in the 50's and I believe he was making 2 something an hour. He could get room and board for 10 bucks a week, and later bought a house with property for under 10,000. He retired from the big three and sold the property in the 90's. It was valued at over 2.5 million dollars.

In my experience wages have went up about 10X, but property and vehicles have just ballooned way beyond that. Say 25 or 30X more expensive. Taxes and fees are much higher these days to, much of which are figured into the cost of things we buy.

I like looking back and seeing how things were in America, but to me it's extremely depressing.

[Rick]

The life expectancy in 1955 was 69.6 years. Today it's 77.9. We've gained 10 years!!

[hoosierarcher]

They say (still don't know who "they" are), but knowledge doubles every 15 years, but I almost gotta believe it's even faster than that.

The more change that happens the faster change happens. (Can you say vicious circle?)
We are currently at a state where by the time technology gets to the consumer its out of date and completely obsolete in 6 months or less.

5 years ago a 2 gig RAM was the pinnacle now it's 8 gig or better. I remember when the PC first came out and it is SAD by today's standards. What you could get for $5K back then is pitiful compared to what you can get for under $1K today. So not EVERYTHING goes up in actual price. Also a "portable computer" in 1995 was in two SUITCASES and cost so much only large companies could afford them for their traveling associates. Now just about anyone can afford a laptop/notebook computer for basic uses. Also remember that America is the one country where the poor have a TVs and cars. Not the very poorest perhaps but a great percentage. I was told by a computer programmer from India that had grown up in their slums that American poor are the richest poor people in the World. I told him to check out Appallachia and see that even here the poorest of the poor are indistinguishable from the poorest of the poor anywhere else. By on average he was right.

[crashdive123]

Thanks for the post Swamprat. The house I grew up in was purchased in 1955 for $12,500. In 2004 I was visiting some friends that still lived in the area where I grew up and saw that house for sale for $489,000. Don't know if they got it or not. To me, it'll always be a $12,500 house.

[Ole WV Coot]

18 cent gas plus green stamps or a glass, full service. Check oil, wash windows, check tire pressure. I bought cigs for 18 cents a pack then. Later a carton in the PX was $1.00, PBR was 79 cents a six pak at 7-11. Bought a new Buick, loaded for 3500. Had a 3br 2 bath colonial built in Woodbridge, VA, half acre lot for 30,000. Sold in the '60s for 400,000. 1800 for a new VW bug. Those were decent prices.