This essay suggests that the peak years for the USA standard of living were in the mid-20th Century, and those born before World War II saw the greatest benefit

This essay suggests that the peak years for the USA standard of living were in the mid-20th Century, and those born before World War II saw the greatest benefits. There will eventually be political consequences for the erosion of the USA standard of living. The Economist magazine had an article, which was discussed here on Hacker News, with the title “The link between polygamy and war“ to which I responded: "This suggests that political stability depends on young men being able to pursue their romantic dreams. This would apply in any country, not just African countries. In nations in the West, an important limiting factor is the ability to get one’s own apartment. That is, the ratio of average male wage to average rent. In the USA, the happiest year for this ratio was 1958, when people were spending 22% of their income on rent, on average. Not by coincidence, this was the peak year of the Baby Boom. In some sense, it was the best year in history to be a young white male in the USA. It was the year when it was easiest for an 18 year old male to get out of high school, get their own apartment, marry their high school sweetheart, and start a family. And of course, young people did this in huge numbers, which is why 1958 remains the peak year for teenage pregnancy in the USA." More here: http://www.smashcompany.com/philosophy/do-men-become-warlike-if-they-do-not-have-women http://www.smashcompany.com/philosophy/do-men-become-warlike...