The Affordability Crisis—Is It All in Your Head?

Millions of Americans believe that everything from groceries and cars to homes and vacations has become impossibly expensive. But are things actually less affordable than they were in the past, or are we measuring affordability the wrong way?

In this episode of Sanity Check, Cal Beisner revisits a question raised during his recent appearance on David Wheaton’s The Christian Worldview: Why are so many Americans, particularly younger generations, increasingly attracted to socialism? One commonly cited reason is the perception that the American economy no longer provides an affordable path to a good life.

Beisner examines that claim by looking beyond sticker prices and comparing the cost of goods over time in inflation-adjusted dollars, quality, quantity, amenities, and—most importantly—the amount of time an average worker must labor to afford them. Using housing as a primary example, he shows how dramatically the size, quality, comfort, and amenities of the average American home have changed over the past 75 years.

From housing and automobiles to air travel, clothing, food, and technology, the evidence tells a more complicated story than the popular narrative of an ever-worsening affordability crisis. Beisner also considers the notable exceptions of education and medical care and explains why their rising costs deserve particular attention.

What does this mean for Christians thinking about economics, socialism, and the state of American prosperity? And what should we make of the widespread belief that the good life is increasingly out of reach?

Listen to this episode of Sanity Check to examine the “affordability crisis” from a different perspective.

https://thechristianworldview.org/

https://humanprogress.org/u-s-housing-became-much-more-affordable-over-the-last-40-years/

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