oldfart
Older than dirt
Fifty years ago was 1963. There was large ownership of homes by then for working class. Actually, even in 1953. Everyone I knew were homeowners. Due in large part to the GI bill for all you right wingers that have been told that government can't do anything right. The GI bill helped build the middle class. Most Americans had one vehicle because usually only the father worked. Mom didn't need a car. There was a small grocery store on neighborhood corners and main street usually in walking distance. More efficient big stores finally killed main street. No t.v's? . No refrigerators or ranges. Maybe you're talking rural poor areas. In industrial areas large union membership kept wages up for everyone. This was before corporations could offshore if they didn't like labor prices and regulations like pollution control. I lived in Los Angeles in the early 50's and can tell you about air pollution. Now china has it. If they start regulations like we had and if they have pay raises so their workers can have a decent life, out of respect for their citizenry, big business will just go to a more "business friendly" country like they did to us. Thanks Nafta and other trade bills. This is globalization and the chase for the cheapest labor and the greatest profits. Most gains go to the upper 1% or the upper 1/2 of 1% or whatever it is.
Actually the real break I between the top 0.01 % and everyone else. I also grew up in the 50's and you left out high quality public education, affordable higher education, twice a day mail delivery, and the biggest public works programs in American history (the Interstate highway system, the local school bond issues that built the schools we educated the boomers in, and the public buildings such as post offices and courthouses that once were jewels of civic architecture).