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Everybody hates the parties, but loves their representative. Tell that representative to stand up to the powers causing these problems with their votes on the Hill.
I feel for people who work like a slave and have to pay 9 bucks a pound for grapes, which come in season toward the end of the summer. tomatoes are 3.00 a lb and that is 2 tomatoes. they pay too many administrators in city jobs, that they are tripping over each other, and raise your house taxes! Most towns need teachers, not administrators! Take out all of those jobs and stick with one principal, and one janitor, and the rest are teachers; like I had as a kid. Get people trained in the hands on jobs, like plumbers and electricians. Everything is upside down. People in CA making 200G a yr cannot afford houseing!
I feel for the guy and all the families. There is a witches brew as they say that has caused this “Affordability” crisis - it’s the government. With one exception, gas prices, the increases in the cost of living are driven by the government. The recent gas prices are just a blip, but there are some other issues to consider:
- Food in general: look at the energy costs that providers have to pay (farmers). You are seeing the increased cost of energy finally hitting the shelves. Low cost oil based fuels are necessary. It is demonstrable that there are groups pushing for higher energy costs to encourage use of “renewable” sources. It’s silly.
- Meat producers are getting hammered, especially beef. It is what it is.
- Grapes: back to agriculture. Most of the grapes are from California. It used to be that California was a huge agricultural state, but state regulations have destroyed much of what we take for granted. Most of our avocados from from Mexico now.
- Cars/trucks: all much more complicated to reach unattainable affordable efficiencies driven by the EPA. Many of your car parts are plastic. Plastic comes from oil. We need lower cost petroleum.
I could go on. We need to make the government get smaller. Asking an arsonist to become a firefighter won’t end well. Oh, if something is more than you want to pay, don’t buy it. Also, if you want to sell me your 2007 Toyota truck, please PM me.
I think there are a lot of factors behind the higher cost of living, and it’s probably not just one thing. Housing, insurance, groceries, labor costs, and supply chain issues have all played a role over the last few years. One thing I’ve noticed is that even everyday purchases seem to add up much faster than they used to. It’s not always the big expenses that hurt the most—it’s the constant increase in the price of basic necessities. I do agree with your last point, though. When something gets too expensive, I’ve found myself waiting for a sale, buying used, or simply putting off the purchase. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s helped me keep my spending under control.
I’ll toss in one more thought - fraud. Do a search on YouTube for what WalMart has been caught doing. They appear to be tagging chunks of meat 2-3 times it’s actual weight. Make sure you get what you pay for.
Look at a chart of the FED’s balance sheet. Note the dramatic increases during the 2008 crisis and COVID. Dramatically increase the money supply, and you get inflation. As I explain to produce workers, doubling the amount of dollars in circulation will not double the amount of potatoes in existence, so prices have to double.
It did not help that during COVID we stopped building houses, then let millions of illegals in who needed housing.
There is a lag period between the money creation and the inflation, which leads people not to associate cause and effect.
“Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon.” -Milton Friedman.
The belief that government can give us something for nothing is a very attractive proposition that people cannot be disabused of.
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No disagreement here. But when you have one major issue to fight (monetization) it does not help to punch large holes in your boat. I’m referring to fraud and energy costs. The 2008 and Covid bailout were breathtaking.
The one gripe I have with the guy in the interview is practicing substitutions. If grapes cost $9, switch to a cheaper fruit. I like peaches, but will not buy them unless they are in season. Gas high? Get an e-bike to use for trips not requiring cargo hauling.
Love to hear youngsters complaining about affordability. Most have expensive tattoos all over, pay $90 a month for cell phone service, and have every kind of pay streaming service available. Meanwhile, programming is free to me via my outdoor TV antenna.
They don’t bat an eye paying $200 to hear their favorite musician play live. Watch the bar fee these kids run up in college towns. Not to mention thatGrubhub and Uber Eats, which they use routinely, is significantly higher than picking the food up yourself, or even (gasp!) cooking from scratch in your own kitchen.
Went to a USED clothing store in the heart of Atlanta. Saw USED athletic shoes, and even sandals, for sale for $299. I asked the clerk what these gems sold for new. “Just under $600,” she replied. Gen Z kids filled the store buying this stuff. Meanwhile, if I buy a shirt in a thrift store for over $6, I feel guilty.
I could cut the crap out of the average person’s budget.
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oooo, I think an old fart is chumming the water to bait another old shark. lol.
don’t even get me started on cars.