OUR LIFE IN AMERICA ABOUT 40 YEARS AGO

THE METAMORPHOSIS By Ernie D. Delfin OUR LIFE IN AMERICA ABOUT 40 YEARS AGO (Part 1 of 3) In his best-selling book, The Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw proudly opined that his Silent Generation (those born between 1925 - 1945) that preceded our own Baby Boomers generation (born between 1946-1964) was the “greatest” generation. Having read that book that was written over a decade ago, I felt that Mr. Brokaw had valid justifications that his World War II generation was the “greatest”. However, my own baby boomers generation had also many “great” legacies and contributions to our society, such as the ending of the Vietnam war, with our powerful “Make Love, Not War” demonstrations all over America, the Great Civil Rights Movement that occurred during our generation culminating with the Rev. Martin Luther King- led historic march to Washington D.C., where he delivered his inspirational “I have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963, who was unfortunately felled by an assassin’s bullet almost 5 years later on April 1. 1968. Also, with the vigilance of the press, our generation also witnessed the humiliating resignation of President Richard Milhous Nixon on August 9, 1974 due to the Watergate Scandal. Our generation is turning 65 years old every day, like President Bill Clinton, and the younger batch are now in their late 40’s but we continue to contribute our talents, experience and resources for the betterment of our society. The phenomenal progress in technology came from ambitious and talented visionary leaders like Bill Gates of Microsoft and Steve Jobs of Apple. In medicine, our generation continues to invent many useful and lasting contributions, like the expensive and wonderful Da Vinci robots used in delicate surgeries in major hospitals, wonder drugs or prosthetic body parts enabling the disabled walk or moved to lead more useful lives. Every generation lays the foundation for the next generation to improve it as it deems collectively important and necessary. That socio-cultural foundation could probably be the most precious legacy that a parent can leave to his children. For instance, it was an idealistic U.S. president, the charismatic “Camelot” president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, who challenged my generation to explore space and go to the moon. Neil Armstrong fulfilled that challenge when he walked on the moon on July 20, 1969. President J.F.Kennedy’s immortal admonition that he gave as a challenge during his January 20, 1961 inauguration: “Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country” reverberated throughout America even decades after his death. I was still in high school when he was assassinated on November 22, 1963 and like millions of his fans and countrymen, I also felt devastated when he died an untimely death. He was the first U.S. president who left some indelible marks in my young mind as I started to read and enjoy world events as required by our World History teachers. When I immigrated to the USA in the mid seventies, the more I read about my adopted country’s socio-political history. That was almost 40 years ago, and life in the USA as it is in the land of my birth, the Philippines, has changed quite dramatically especially in the economic, social and technological arenas. * * * * Is our life, especially for the typical American family, (not the ‘one per center’ as being described by the Wall Street Movement) better off now than 40 years ago? That is a debatable question; I will give you my conclusion at the end of this column. But first, let me briefly paint the prevailing economic conditions then, the employment opportunities and cost of living conditions in the mid 70’s when even single people like me first arrived in the City of Angels, either as tourists or students like me or as third preference immigrants from the Philippines. The minimum wage in California (slightly higher than the federal minimum wage) was only $1.65 per hour, regular gasoline was about 35 cents per gallon, and we were even given some “blue chip” stickers, that we could accumulate to redeem some valuable merchandise, a dozen eggs cost about 45 cents. A lot of foods, like pork neck bones and fish heads were not being sold, but given “free” as the Asians were apparently the only ones cooking and eating them. As I seldom cooked in my apartment, probably my grocery expenses were only about $30 a month, as I could have a lunch at McDonalds or many fast food restaurants for just about a dollar. My first studio apartment in mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles was only $95.00 a month; after a year I progressed into a one bedroom apartment and my rental increased to $110.00 per month. My first car was a Chevrolet Nova, with no air-conditioning, for less than $2,000! That model did not last long as it was a No Va ( it means “No Run” in Spanish!), then a couple years later before I got married, I bought a Datsun 260 Z (Datsun is now Nissan) a two-sitter-sports car for only about $7,000, putting about half as down payment. My monthly car payment for two years was lower than my insurance premium as I was a young, single driver and I lived in Los Angeles! When we heard that a certain Mr. & Mrs. Juan de la Cruz bought a house, say in Carson or Long Beach Calif, where there was a concentration of Filipino Navy families, for about $25,000 for a 3-bedroom 2 baths house, we exclaimed “WOW”, that was too expensive! If somebody wanted a more upscale house in a more affluent neighborhood like Palos Verdes Peninsula for about 50% more for the same house, the more we were shocked! If someone were looking for a job, there was a great probability that he or she would land a job in a few days, and many of the early immigrants like me often worked overtime or even have a second or even a third job. At that time, we did not have a lot of hobbies nor have discovered the good but “sinful” life in Sin City 280 miles to Nevada called “Lost Wages” aka Las Vegas. The Indian casinos in the Temecula Valley or San Diego were non-existent then. Our disposable income due to overtime pay or second jobs was very high, which means that even a single person like me, could send at least a couple hundred dollars or more to our parents or relatives. At that time the exchange rate was approximately P12.00 per dollar! Going to college then was also very easy and inexpensive. Even before I got my green card, I still remember going to UCLA Extension classes and just paid probably about $l5 for a series of classes. For my subjects at Cal State University-Los Angeles, the tuition per unit was so inexpensive that the cost was never a factor to enroll in as many subjects that an ambitious student ever wanted. Going out on dates and going to nice and expensive restaurants was never a problem and we never ordered or read the restaurant menu from right to left. Nostalgia. Those were the good old days! Last week, in a bookstore I accidentally discovered some interesting cards that showed “Facts that Happened in the Year when You were Born” and I jotted those facts for 1972, 40 years ago: Average cost of house = $27,600 Average Income per year = 11,859 Average cost of a new car = 3,750 Tuition per year at Harvard = 2,800 Movie ticket = 1.75 Milk per gallon = 1.20 A gallon of regular gasoline = 35 cents First class postage = 8 cents Ground Coffee per pound = 99 cents Fresh baked bread = 25 cents Generally speaking, 40 years ago, the prices of commodities then were probably about 10% of the prices now! Our salaries now are much higher but the purchasing power of the dollar has also diminished much more significantly. That’s why even a couple making say $100,000 gross salaries may not even be able afford to buy a nice 4 bedroom house in the more desirable parts of Orange County, like Irvine or Newport Beach or Dana Point. Cars or minivan, especially the foreign cars, cost more than the price of a house 40 years ago. Having been here in this United States for almost 40 years (2 generations), I believe that our life was much better then especially in the arena of socio-economics, employment, education and entertainment. I am inclined to conclude that our quality of family life was much better then as it was definitely more simple and less stressful. And, of course there was less pollution in the atmosphere then, as millions of people were not even residing in this golden state of California or in this great country called the United States.. But as the say, yesterday is now history. Tomorrow is yet to come, and today is present, a great present from Somebody Up There! Therefore, fellow citizens, of the world, carpe diem! Seize the moment and continue to enjoy life! ------- 3 0 ---- Next issue, Part 2 of 3 will describe “THE ENTITLEMENT CULTURE IN AMERICA IS WEAKENING OUR NATION’S FIBER” Then, Part 3 of 3 will discuss “THE FUTURE OF AMERICA ESPECIALLY FOR THE IMMIGRANTS IN 2012 AND BEYOND” Email writer at: ernie.delfin@gmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com