Thread: America has a massive truck driver shortage. Here's why few want an $80,000 job

Originally Posted by Judy

But tell us who your income stream comes from and we'll gladly write letters and tell them to stop issuing cost of living increases.

My income is "fixed". A couple of year ago, we didn't get a cost of living increase because the government, under Obama, was doing so bad. But the increases I do get are a token gestures against how much more everything costs. I would rather gasoline, groceries, utilities and such remained the same. My only salvation is my house is paid off. I only have property taxes on it. If I rented, I would have long ago been out on the street. If I had mortgaged the house, I would have long ago been out on the street.

Even in business I was conservative. I had three big rigs and drivers to drive them. They were older trucks, but paid for. Back in the days of Jimmy Carter, we had very little work. My drivers had begged me to buy new trucks as another trucker who parked in the same yard did. But one day, while we were waiting by the phone for someone to call in a job for us, we watch a car drive into the yard, over to those three new trucks. Drivers got in to them and the car followed them out of the yard. They had been repossessed. One of my drivers kissed his truck, because he still had a job. The three drivers of the new rigs were now unemployed in a bad economy. Those three new rigs being repossessed contributed to inflation.

A couple of year ago, we didn't get a cost of living increase because the government, under Obama, was doing so bad.

You didn't get an increase because inflation was zero to low because the economy was doing so bad. Inflation is a natural event of a good economy. It gets leveled out when supply catches up to demand. Inflation is the direct result of capitalism, supply and demand.

Originally Posted by Judy

You didn't get an increase because inflation was zero to low because the economy was doing so bad. Inflation is a natural event of a good economy.

No! During that year my groceries and other costs stayed the same, so I had no problem. But then, when I got the raise, it put me into a new income bracket and I lost access to other benefits, which was a whole lot more than my raise.

Originally Posted by Judy

It gets leveled out when supply catches up to demand.

I've never seen it "level out". As I said before, when I was young, a family could survive with one parent working and 8 hours, five days a week job. Now it takes both parents working at least two jobs, 6 days a week, to survive.

Originally Posted by Judy

Inflation is the direct result of capitalism, supply and demand.

No! Inflation is the direct result of deficit spending. And, like drugs, it seems to be addictive!

Oh good grief. You went into a new income bracket because of the income tax, not inflation. When you were young there was a lot of inflation. You weren't paying the bills so you didn't know.

Originally Posted by Judy

Oh good grief. You went into a new income bracket because of the income tax, not inflation.

Even if that were what happened, the tax bracket should have been adjusted for inflation so it moved with my income adjustment. BUT IT DIDN'T!

Originally Posted by Judy

When you were young there was a lot of inflation. You weren't paying the bills so you didn't know.

To get into my personal history, my mother, divorced, did home babysitting when I was young. When my brother and I were older, she took a job as a secretary for a construction company. That income plus a small amount of child support, kept us fed and fine in suburbia. When I was in high school, she had saved enough, that she sold our house, got a good deal from the company she worked for and had an 8 unit apartment complex built. We lived there a few years until she remarried and sold it. That is almost impossible in today's economy.

We weren't rich, but we weren't poor either.

You were young and didn't realize that her ability to do that was linked to the inflationary growth of the value of your house when she sold it. Inflationary gains from the sale of your house in suburbia made the 8 unit apartment complex possible. Your mom was also a good manager and business person. Not everyone is.

Originally Posted by Judy

You were young and didn't realize that her ability to do that was linked to the inflationary growth of the value of your house when she sold it. Inflationary gains from the sale of your house in suburbia made the 8 unit apartment complex possible.

Wow! So selling one house for "X amount of dollars gives you enough to buy eight similar houses in the same neighborhood. She was a genius!

Originally Posted by Judy

Your mom was also a good manager and business person. Not everyone is.

And that's the difference!

I imagine she used some of her inflationary gains on the house sale for down payment and had a bank loan on the apartment building, possibly a partnership with her construction company, which is where the "good deal" came from, and she used the apartment rents to pay off the loan and supplement her income. I'm sure when she sold the apartment building after she remarried, she realized some very nice inflationary gains again. California is one of the most inflationary states in the country when it comes to real estate and was when you were growing up. You were just a kid and didn't know all the details. In those days, parents didn't talk all their business in front of the children for fear they would run to school and tell it and then everyone would know their business, steal their ideas and compete with them! Smart people.

Originally Posted by Judy

I imagine she used some of her inflationary gains on the house sale for down payment and had a bank loan on the apartment building, possibly a partnership with her construction company, which is where the "good deal" came from

As I pointed out, the inflation in the value of the house was equal to the inflation in the price of the property. So there was virtually no gain there.

Actually she bought property with an old house on it with renters already in it. Her company gave her a discount on the construction and probably helped her find financing. She built the additional seven units from scratch.

When I was a senior, she sold the place and we moved to an upper part of town, right next to the judge. That place had a large back yard, a swimming pool, and a poolhouse, which I lived in after I got out of the Air Force. I thought of buying that place back in later years. But the entire town has gone down since that time.

Originally Posted by Judy

and she used the apartment rents to pay off the loan and supplement her income.

Of course! That was the plan!

Originally Posted by Judy

I'm sure when she sold the apartment building after she remarried, she realized some very nice inflationary gains again.

She banked much of the rent money from the other units, which is what a responsible person would do.

Originally Posted by Judy

California is one of the most inflationary states in the country when it comes to real estate and was when you were growing up. You were just a kid and didn't know all the details.

I knew enough!

Originally Posted by Judy

In those days, parents didn't talk all their business in front of the children for fear they wp;d run to school and tell it and then everyone would know their business, steal their ideas and compete with them!

Boy, you had a rough childhood!

I knew little of my parent's divorce as I was only about five. But both she and my father filled me in later in life. So I pretty much know what went on.

LOL!! Your Mom did what I told you to do, sell the house, pocket the profits and move to an apartment. It's so funny how you reveal a story that proves my point to the letter about inflation. Americans have made small and large fortunes through inflation, in wages, earnings, profits, and oh my yes, real estate. That's how our economy works. Always has, always will. And when we get rid of that evil capital gains tax, it will work even better.