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From 15 Cent Burgers to $50,000 Cars: What Does Normal Really Cost Today? | 07-27-26
Liberty RoundTableJuly 27, 202600:24:50

From 15 Cent Burgers to $50,000 Cars: What Does Normal Really Cost Today? | 07-27-26

Sam Bushman breaks down a viral story about Scotty's Drive In, a 60-year-old burger joint in Idaho Falls that started selling burgers for 15 cents in 1964. That leads into a deep dive comparing minimum wage, burger sizes, cars, and homes then versus now, and a fascinating back and forth with ChatGPT about whether inflation (CPI) or gold and silver is the better measure of affordability. The real question isn't what things cost; it's what it costs to build an ordinary life today compared to what past generations considered normal.



Timestamps:

0:00 Intro, broadcasting live from the Rocky Mountains

0:18 Nostalgia for cheap childhood hamburgers

1:56 Minimum wage then versus now, CPI versus gold and silver

2:24 The Scotty's Drive In story, 15-cent burgers since 1964

4:25 How much smaller burgers actually were back then

6:55 Comparing McDonald's, Red Robin, and Five Guys pricing today

8:24 The big question: what does it cost to live an ordinary American life

12:33 Comparing 1964 versus today: homes, cars, and one-income families

18:01 The real comparison we've been missing

20:08 What are you willing to sacrifice: cars, AC, streaming, bathrooms

23:28 Gratitude, hometown businesses, and building the best of both worlds



Call to action:

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