I hope you receive the traction on this that you deserve, Peter. You succinctly identify the problems that face Gen X and younger. I would qualify as Gen X if I were not artificially shoehorned into the Boomer generation, with which I have nothing in common economically, intellectually, or socially (born 1962). I'm in the "Work until you die" category and not because I am stupid, improvident, or lazy.

Anyway, if you're writing this and Medium is featuring it on the home page, maybe something positive will happen. It's obvious that the trajectory for the majority of people financially and materially for my entire life isn't sustainable.

I'd like to say that I know a few rich people who are decent, but any more -- no, I do not. The ethical wealthy people I knew when I was younger are all deceased, having been born pre-1900. The current ones don't just control the economy and commerce as you suggest, with products and advertisement increasingly focused on the high-income few (California's high-income segment gets over $560K yr income, fun fact - assets not considered), they also control entertainment and education.

The tastes of the richest, most decadent, most sociopathic teach our children and provide them with their entertainment and pastimes - our awesome world. They keep people at each others' throats over terminology and concepts common during the 19th century.

There's nothing but mansions on our local keys here ... some are never occupied, while others see their owners maybe one weekend a year. Working people live in motels as you correctly outline. For the time being. Tell me why that's a great idea and how it can never be changed, and how it is the fault of those who work hard and cannot accomplish the basics for themselves.

This is not the "Gilded Age" it's the age of people who have zero problem criminally serial-killing billions of people, nearly every animal/plant other than cockroaches, rats, and in Florida seemingly, gators.