15 ms·

It's a significant damper on social mobility, which is generally tied to many positive aspects of society.

oldpersonintx 3y ago
as a parent, my obligation is to my family, not someone else's but even then, my tax dollars pay for public education, infrastructure, public college, roads, etc etc ....I am most definitely subsidizing opportunity for others
- mistrial9 3y ago
  you are generating pride by doing something for your own family.. but it is stated in the general case, not the personal case. Public policy is tricky that way.
- woooooo 3y ago
  Nobody's arguing against that or telling you what to do with your money. They're saying its a problem for social mobility when "how much money your parents have" becomes a gatekeeper to homeownership.
  - oldpersonintx 3y ago
    well I'm sorry but what are you going to do about it? you don't know where people get their down payments...if you are really dogmatic about this, you end up with 100% mandatory public housing
    - HDThoreaun 3y ago
      Pass legislation that makes housing more affordable so that you don't need to have rich parents to buy a house...
      - foogazi 3y ago
        > makes housing more affordable There’s a lot of variables at play on house prices: desirability, location, space, build cost What legislation can make housing more affordable ?
        HDThoreaun 3y ago
        Legalizing multi family units for one.
- ksplicer 3y ago
  I think this is short sighted. Even if you want to ignore all the arguments about what's best for society and just focus on your own personal gain, what about your great grandchildren? Or your great great grandchildren? It's estimated that over half of children do worse than their parents today. Investing in a strong safety net and high social mobility are a way to ensure that if generations from now branches of your family tree fall out of middle class they'll have a chance to climb back up again.
  - oldpersonintx 3y ago
    > Investing in a strong safety net and high social mobility are a way to ensure that if generations from now branches of your family tree fall out of middle class they'll have a chance to climb back up again. yes, and I pay six figures in tax every year so there is plenty enough from me in the community pot for you to achieve this if you instead send the money to Ukraine, thats your choice
- jwestbury 3y ago
  > as a parent, my obligation is to my family, not someone else's As a member of society, however, your obligation is to other members of society. I'm not going to argue that you're not doing that. I do think tax rates are too low on the top 10% in the US, assuming that's where you're from (seems safe) -- but the biggest shortfall is surely on the top 0.1%. The reality is, opportunity for others is objectively declining.
  - oldpersonintx 3y ago
    [flagged]
johngladtj 3y ago
Social mobility isn't an unambiguous good
- notaustinpowers 3y ago
  Nothing in this world is an unambiguous good, but social stagnation sure doesn't seem like the better option.
- abenga 3y ago
  In what ways is it harmful?
watwut 3y ago
Damper on social mobility is inequality itself and that young people can not afford flat without help. Families helping their own kids is not damper on anything. Moreover, it is completely normal behavior historically. Inheritance is a thing and always was.
Bluecobra 3y ago
I'm not sure what you mean by this. In 2010, my dad gave me $10K to help with closing costs and the down payment of my first home in addition to the money I already already had saved up. It was absolutely the right time to buy a home since it was during the great recession as I also qualified for a $10K first time homebuyers tax credit. My social mobility has been a hockey stick upward since then compared to my parents, due to going to college and having a good job.
- danpalmer 3y ago
  The fact that your parents could give you that money suggests you were already not at the bottom of the social mobility ladder. It's possible you've moved up the ladder, but it's also possible that your parents did the moving up the ladder (when home ownership was more accessible, jobs paid better), and that you haven't actually moved much from their position, even if you've got a better start in life. Many millennials currently find themselves in this position, myself included. I'm better educated than my parents (by qualification), and I earn more than them, but they own properties and cars and go on holidays frequently, because they bought houses at the right time and earned more proportionally to their costs earlier in life. I'm still very much in the same socio-economic range as my parents are now, they did the moving earlier in their lives, I'm unlikely to be able to move.

as a parent, my obligation is to my family, not someone else's but even then, my tax dollars pay for public education, infrastructure, public college, roads, etc etc ....I am most definitely subsidizing opportunity for others

mistrial9 3y ago
you are generating pride by doing something for your own family.. but it is stated in the general case, not the personal case. Public policy is tricky that way.
woooooo 3y ago
Nobody's arguing against that or telling you what to do with your money. They're saying its a problem for social mobility when "how much money your parents have" becomes a gatekeeper to homeownership.
- oldpersonintx 3y ago
  well I'm sorry but what are you going to do about it? you don't know where people get their down payments...if you are really dogmatic about this, you end up with 100% mandatory public housing
  - HDThoreaun 3y ago
    Pass legislation that makes housing more affordable so that you don't need to have rich parents to buy a house...
    - foogazi 3y ago
      > makes housing more affordable There’s a lot of variables at play on house prices: desirability, location, space, build cost What legislation can make housing more affordable ?
      - HDThoreaun 3y ago
        Legalizing multi family units for one.
ksplicer 3y ago
I think this is short sighted. Even if you want to ignore all the arguments about what's best for society and just focus on your own personal gain, what about your great grandchildren? Or your great great grandchildren? It's estimated that over half of children do worse than their parents today. Investing in a strong safety net and high social mobility are a way to ensure that if generations from now branches of your family tree fall out of middle class they'll have a chance to climb back up again.
- oldpersonintx 3y ago
  > Investing in a strong safety net and high social mobility are a way to ensure that if generations from now branches of your family tree fall out of middle class they'll have a chance to climb back up again. yes, and I pay six figures in tax every year so there is plenty enough from me in the community pot for you to achieve this if you instead send the money to Ukraine, thats your choice
jwestbury 3y ago
> as a parent, my obligation is to my family, not someone else's As a member of society, however, your obligation is to other members of society. I'm not going to argue that you're not doing that. I do think tax rates are too low on the top 10% in the US, assuming that's where you're from (seems safe) -- but the biggest shortfall is surely on the top 0.1%. The reality is, opportunity for others is objectively declining.
- oldpersonintx 3y ago
  [flagged]

johngladtj 3y ago

Social mobility isn't an unambiguous good

notaustinpowers 3y ago
Nothing in this world is an unambiguous good, but social stagnation sure doesn't seem like the better option.
abenga 3y ago
In what ways is it harmful?

watwut 3y ago

Damper on social mobility is inequality itself and that young people can not afford flat without help. Families helping their own kids is not damper on anything. Moreover, it is completely normal behavior historically. Inheritance is a thing and always was.

Bluecobra 3y ago

I'm not sure what you mean by this. In 2010, my dad gave me $10K to help with closing costs and the down payment of my first home in addition to the money I already already had saved up. It was absolutely the right time to buy a home since it was during the great recession as I also qualified for a $10K first time homebuyers tax credit. My social mobility has been a hockey stick upward since then compared to my parents, due to going to college and having a good job.

danpalmer 3y ago
The fact that your parents could give you that money suggests you were already not at the bottom of the social mobility ladder. It's possible you've moved up the ladder, but it's also possible that your parents did the moving up the ladder (when home ownership was more accessible, jobs paid better), and that you haven't actually moved much from their position, even if you've got a better start in life. Many millennials currently find themselves in this position, myself included. I'm better educated than my parents (by qualification), and I earn more than them, but they own properties and cars and go on holidays frequently, because they bought houses at the right time and earned more proportionally to their costs earlier in life. I'm still very much in the same socio-economic range as my parents are now, they did the moving earlier in their lives, I'm unlikely to be able to move.