Perhaps if construction workers did not expect to receive wages that just a few decades ago would not be earned by a Doctor, and buyers did not expect to receive more for the money when purchasing a house, then Americans would be working in construction.
But, let's face it, it's ridiculous to think that one could work in construction, and live in a style that just a few decades ago was reserved for bankers and professionals.
I make a good living now, and I look back wondering how in the hell I made it on a fraction of what I make now...but I did, and I see others coming up behind me making do with less.
Our expectations are out of whack with reality.