I’m the same age (1973). I have lived in Australia all my life and the same situation applies here but on a smaller scale. Obviously we have our own idiosyncrasies here like our culture has changed from being very laisser-faire to more regimented. Australians used to have a “fair-go” attitude to things - basically an unspoken agreement as not take advantage of anyone. Yes, we were simple.

There was no reason for Australia to have imported so many people. We had many Italians come out post-war and they have integrated very well into the population. But they are White people with Euro values like us.

Now we are just foreign owned. A large portion of our mineral wealth flows OS - esp China and we make nothing. Population explosion has been less impactful here as Australia is HUGE but we have large deserts which are hard to exist in. Australia is exorbitantly expensive. I went to Japan 5 years ago and found the prices there only slightly higher than ours.

I have only been to California and I was there in the Obama years - so just before it really went to shit. I loved California. We were around San Fran and the Napa Valley. So good. But I imagine America is a hard place to scratch out a living these days.