>>>>> did it in 1968 then any kid should be able to do it in 2018 - the fact that pay is lower and expenses have skyrocketed doesn't seem to mean anything to some people I guess -- ya know NUMBERS.
>>>
>>>Pay is lower now than it was in 1968????
>>>
>>>In 1968 I could hire a topnotch programmer for $50K. I won't even guess what a programmer of that quality would cost today, if you could find one.
>>>In 1968 a good caddy on a golf course got about $20/bag. If you can get one now, you have to pay $100/bag.
>>>Have you hired a plumber lately?
>>
>>Aside from the fact there has been 603.4% inflation rate since then you're missing a HUGE part of the picture regarding the cost of living in 1968 vs 2018 - your example is absurd as it ignores all the factors.
>
>Don't know where the 603.4% came from. Every inflation calculator I've seen says that a 1968 dollar had the buying power of $1.18 2018 dollars.
>Cost of living is something else. Of course it has increased and one of the largest factors influencing the increase is wages. Look again at my programmer example.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, the dollar experienced an average inflation rate of 4.06% per year. Prices in 2017 are 603.4% higher than prices in 1968. In other words, $100 in 1968 is equivalent in purchasing power to $703.41 in 2017, a difference of $603.41 over 49 years.

$100 in 1968 → $703.41 in 2017 ... projection is $100 in 1968 → $722.96 in 2018.

Now --- for example --- how much have college costs risen?

.....did it in 1968 then any kid should be able to do it in 2018 - the fact that pay is lower and expenses have skyrocketed doesn't seem to mean anything to some people I guess -- ya know NUMBERS