To save a nation, what will it take? Part V

When we last got together we talked about inflation. It seems to me that I came away with the idea that inflation is more than just changing a few of the price tags at the grocery store, but in fact, inflation makes a hit on everything that we purchase; a loaf of bread, a bag of apples, a pound of bacon, a T-bone steak, a gallon of milk. And yes, a Big Mac, a Lota Burger, a diet Coke which seems to come in an ever decreasing cup size. An Omelet with your favorite cheese, Huevos Rancheros, Biscuits and Gravy. An Enchilada, with or without eggs on top, even a smothered Burrito or just a plain Tamale made with real Masa and stuffed with shredded beef.

High dollar meals have gone up also, if you are lucky enough to find a sit-down restaurant that has their dining room open and actually staffed with waiters and waitresses, you will also find that the luxury of eating out has gone up at about the same rate as everything else. Oh, how I miss sitting down to a T-Bone of a Prime Rib. But to some of us, or most of us, now if we have a T-Bone or a New York steak, it will be at home on the grill.

Not to blame the restaurant owners for this dilemma. Any one who has been to the local super market since the turn of the economic event will relate to the accelerated prices at every turn and all inclusive.

Have you had your vehicle worked on lately? Have you noticed how a visit to the service or repair shop now costs more than you expected? You may not have known, but the price of the oil for an oil change has gone up, the parts for repair work has gone up, the price of a tire has gone up. Have you noticed how the price of the car has gone up? Yes, I bet you have. It wasn't so long ago that I cringed at the thought of paying forty thousand for a nice car or pickup. Does a seventy-five thousand dollar pickup make you faint? OK, I’m not prone to fainting, but I still have a few good gasps left.

Continuing with things that are important to us, would you want to buy a house now or would selling one make more sense? Well, maybe neither, if you sell your house you’ve got to buy or replace it with another to live in (if that’s the case) and maybe the one you sell at an inflated price will net you enough money to cover the inflated price of the new one. To get some perspective on the housing issue – the median house price in our area is listed at $294 thousand. Up 18.1% from a year ago. So, if you are swapping houses it becomes net – net. But suppose you are a young family that is trying to move out of a rental to their own house and participate in the American dream. I would say that the odds don’t look so good. Or, if they are able to pull it off, how much lifestyle will they have to sacrifice just to make the monthly payment? A lot, I’d guess. But, if they do make the jump, and they can make the monthly payment without personal devastation, and no bad luck hits them economically along the way, I wish them the best of luck and, in the long run, the house will become their best asset.

When I first heard Jerome Powell, Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, say that “inflation was transitory” I almost flipped. Actually, I assumed that I didn’t know what he was talking about. Or, worse, he didn’t know what he was talking about. And, I think I was right both times. So, having a friend who is obviously smarter than me, and has all of the answers, I asked “GOOGLE.” See next paragraph -

“Inflation is transitory when experts expect that it won't last. Inflation often rises and then levels out or rises slowly over a long period of time. There are a few different patterns of transitory inflation. A sharp, temporary increase in prices followed by a dip. An increase in prices followed by a plateau.”

And so, the inflation we are now in has proven to not be transitory, and this inflation, similar to most, may return to normal, or, wage earners will have salary adjustments to level the consequences, or there will be a lot of personal economic destruction along the way, which usually means that a lot of people and families will have to adjust their lifestyles to meet their current conditions. In other words, someone else, someone you probably don’t even know, has just put their thumb on your head and screwed it into the ground.

It is finally slipping out, Whoever is pulling the strings has decided that you and I should lower our lifestyle to match the rest of the world, to facilitate the goals of the coming “World Order.” Think I’m crazy? I hope you are right. Pray for awakening

That’s My Opinion