Cost of Living in U.S. Has Risen 14% Over the Past 3 Years

And the cost of living will continue to rise as Trump's tariffs start to take a big bite, and his supporters are apparently ok with that
increase now and will change their minds when it hits their pockets big time.

 

The Fed couldn't care less who is in the WH. Their loyalty is with the banks, not DC or the American people.

Buying gold during Obama years would have been a big mistake. The price of gold peaked at $1900 in 2011, but was around $1000 when he left. You would have lost nearly half your money.

 

Political fanatics will endure anything in silence as long as their party is in power. Dems won the House, so they will have someone to blame going forward.

 

As far back as 2013 even the Wall Street Journal was asking, was the Federal Reserve politicized by the Obama White House ?

Under Obama every branch of the executive government was politicalized including the IRS, DOJ and the FBI.

I think the "Feds" ****ed up by keeping the interest rates artificially low for so long during the Obama administration.

Was it a mistake or intentional ?

The Feds have honestly made mistakes in the past.

 

The Fed is not a part of the executive government, and they couldn't care less what the president wants. They put the word "federal" into the name to make it sound like it would be a part of the government. Its not. Its a banking cartel.

Was QE such a big mistake? I don't know. Massive amounts of the QE has been reversed as per plan, so what exactly was it such a big mistake?

Yes, the Fed has made mistakes in the past. Recently the biggest mistake was in 2003-04 when the housing bubble was starting, and not only did the Fed keep the rates near zero, Greenspan went in front of TVs to tell the public to take advantage of exotic mortgages, including adjustable rate ones. He KNEW the rates had nowhere to go but up. Later he admitted it was a mistake. Instead of cooling down the overheating housing market, he threw fuel into the fire. Did he do it to get Bush re-elected? Some say so, but the truth is the Fed loyalty is with the banks, and they were raking in billions from the mortgage markets. He did it for them.

 

Both True Republicans and Democrats have already placed blame and rightfully so, even though they are not in control of anything.
Now the Democrats have teeth.

 

You are writing to an individual who remembers when gasoline was 25 cents per gallon and a loaf of bread was 10 cents. My first car cost $1650 brand new. The products I sell are double in price compared to just 10 years ago. Inflation has been with us for decades and has affected us steadily. Don't kid yourself.

 

I am not kidding myself. I did not say inflation does not exist, I said there has not been much of it in recent years (until now). The other poster provided the actual data.

 

OK, so we disagree. I think there has been quite a bit of it for 50 years.

 

Yes. I only have the official numbers to look at, which can be misleading depending which products you are looking at. The numbers are computed by looking at a "basket" of products relating to day-to-day consumption. They take items in and out of the basket, which can affect the results.

CPI "basket" categories:
- food and beverages,
- housing,
- apparel,
- transportation,
- medical care,
- recreation,
- education
- communication,
- other goods and services,
- taxes (some taxes, not all)

https://www.bls.gov/cpi/questions-and-answers.htm

 

Immaterial. It is just a disagreement on the comment of "not much inflation in recent years."

 

Remember the double dip recessions of 1980 & 81-82 ?

That was the real "Great Recession" that affected everyone from the poor to the rich. Double digit unemployment, double digit interest rates and double digit inflation. Lets not forget waiting in line to purchase gas for hours.

Interest rates were so freaking high you didn't use credit to make a major purchase.

President Reagan inherited those recessions and not wanting to make the same mistakes that FDR made during the "Great Depression" he didn't interfere with the economy, let it run its course with little interference and there was a full recovery of the economy in less than 18 months.

The so called "Great Recession" (2007-June of 2009) that President Obama inherited that Senator Obama helped to create, there was no full recovery of the economy by the time Obama left the White House not even with "Cash for Clunkers."

If Obama hadn't interfered with the economy with regulations and restrictions and almost a trillion dollars for shovel ready jobs when there were no shovel ready jobs, there would have been a full recovery of the economy by late 2010 or early 2011.

I remember when a pair of Levis cost $4.25, a Colt AR-15 sold for $189. and a six pack of beer was a freaking dollar and a pack of smokes was .24 cents and when you bought them from a cigarette machine there was a shiny new penny inside the cellophane wrapper for your change when you used a quarter.

I also had to pay two bits for a gallon of leaded gas.

 

The interference came from Paul Volcker who had the radical idea of letting the interest rates 'float'. It worked.

Even Ron Paul, a sworn enemy of the Fed, liked Volcker.

 

Sure. The numbers are what they are, but if you feel otherwise, then that is fine. We agree to disagree.

 

The analysis of the numbers differs.

 

Sure. The topic of the thread is "Cost of Living in U.S. Has Risen 14% Over the Past 3 Years"

My point is that it has accelerated recently, and you are saying it has been on a steady rise.

 

Ill let you know how much trickle down there is when the job markets viable enough to even afford living.

 

I think a lot of people forget that we were literally on the verge of another great depression. Raising the interest rates at that time due to the catastrophe that Bush left could have easily tipped us into one.

 

No I said it has been with us for a long time. You said it was meaningless except for the quote above. I disagree. Let it go.

 

We're in a state of genuine economic crisis, and have been for more than a decade.

Well, more than 40 years actually.

Matters can only grow worse.

 

Correct; it's an unsustainable situation.

 

I don't think so.

 

What dont you think?

 

Marxism and political correctness.

 

Uhhhh. okay... sure. Whatever you say dude.