Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Well I see the debate rages on here on the thread and everywhere else too.
The core rate even the last month is still increasing annualized north of 3%. Also, CPI is deflated 7% in year ending April, but that's almost entirely due to drop in energy prices.
(BTW, about energy, gas is back up to $2.35/gal.!!! That will really crimp the economy again. Right now America can't live on anything over $2 bucks a gal. The gov't should drop the gas tax post-haste or risk further econo-disaster.)
The problem with Gwynedd1's arguments is he seems to forget all you need for inflation is central bankers who print money and absolutely drench banks with liquidity at the slightest drop in GDP (c.f. Alan Greenspan).
Here are some off-the cuff examples I've gathered showing price increases from 1990 to 2009 for various household products and stuff (none of which I've ever used personally or anything):
See folks, if you have a gov't that misleads it's own people and essentially prints money in spades, anything of real, tangible value is going to go up handily in price as sure as a marble rolls downhill.
Spot on. It's been said wages have not kept up with inflation.
Yes I agree that energy is what is currently keeping the CPI down. I look at the numbers each month and the basic necessities that we need to live on are going up but are offset by the negative energy numbers.
Of course most people just read the headline and see the numbers posted by the MSM; very few go to the BLS site and read the report.
Found this one in the local paper today and thought I should add it (source=College Board):
US avg. public 4-yr univ. tuition, fees, room & board = 1990 $4,455 2009 $14,333 222% increase
Is giong back to 1990 really proof of anything? Far as I know no one is claiming we've been in a deflationary environment for 20 years or even 5 for that matter. I suppose you could make the point using 1990 numbers that real estate has inflated and the stock market has risen and so on. But, what does that prove or disprove about whats happening right now? And more importantly what does it prove about what will happen going forward?
Where are these numbers from? $880 is not the national average for a one-bedroom apartment. The other things are just odd. I guess I'll have to drink less fancy tropical drinks at bars and use less aloe vera gel? This is not how you measure whether prices have gone up in the aggregate.
I do buy yoghurt all the time though. Its $2.00~$2.50 for a 32 oz container of plain yoghurt (no more for flavored), you can get it cheaper on sale.
Dairy is becoming dirt cheap, gallon of whole Milk is only $1.99 here now. There are often sales for 2 gallons for ~$3.25. The restaurants are hurting and closing and they consume a lot of food stuffs, often in a wasteful fashion. Although anecdotal I've been seeing a lot of aggressive sales on foods for the last 2~3 months. Its across the board. They are slow to change the sticker price, the movement is all in the sales.
Usey dear, that apartment figure is for Boulder, CO where I've lived a good part of my life, but that's irrelevant (and I did say the data was "off the cuff".)
The point of my post, in alternate terms is, "Hey, wake up and smell the coffee." If you don't get it, you probably never will...but I'll give you a hint: You have been brainwashed, but you can un-brainwash yourself if you work on it. Sorry if that is condescending.
Usey dear, that apartment figure is for Boulder, CO where I've lived a good part of my life
Looking at real estate and rent costs in an isolated area is not that interesting because they can change fairly quickly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by POhdNcrzy
The point of my post, in alternate terms is, "Hey, wake up and smell the coffee." If you don't get it, you probably never will...but I'll give you a hint: You have been brainwashed, but you can un-brainwash yourself if you work on it. Sorry if that is condescending.
Look, if all you can provide are meaningless numbers and banal fallacies, then you're better off not typing anything at all.
You're not going to offend me by suggesting I'm brainwashed or any other childish nonsense. Why even bother? State your views and either justify them or end it there.
user_id said, "I guess I'll have to drink less fancy tropical drinks at bars and use less aloe vera gel?"
Exactly!! But that is a different subject, and a most interesting one too.
There is a wondrous dynamism to this area of economics (and I forget what they call it.) Like for example, since the price of the bicycle cogsets have almost tripled, I figured out how to make them last more than twice as long. This will be a big emerging field in future years, how to use technology or strategy or innovation to get more utility from X amount of whatever product or material. For example, if marijuana were to become extremely expensive for whatever reason, someone would invent a new kind of bong or vaporizer to recycle the smoke back through a second and third time, etc. etc.
Such strategies can't be applied to all costly things however. And if it gets to be like Mexico where one week's pay for Jose La Plumber hardly buys him one pair of shoes, you know that times are tough indeed.
Last edited by POhdNcrzy; 05-18-2009 at 03:50 PM..
Reason: I love a good edit now and then.
Exactly!! But that is a different subject, and a most interesting one too.
No, its the same subject. Looking at isolated cases tells you nothing about inflation in any sense of the word.
Quote:
Originally Posted by POhdNcrzy
For example, if marijuana were to become extremely expensive for whatever reason...
Marijuana is an illegal substance, I don't even know why you are mentioning it. It grows like a damn weed, the only reason its cost more than a tomato is that its illegal.
Honestly, though, what is your claim here? Are you suggesting that inflation is out of control? Its going to get out of control? What?
1. Inflation is much, much worse than 90% of the population seems to think it is. (And sort of as a corollary point, the US dollar is actually worth much, much less than 90% of the population seems to think it is.) (And the powers that be in the US are responsible for these misconceptions.)
2. We may have debts being destroyed and asset deflation. But the idea that the relative purchasing power of the US dollar is increasing or going to increase in any significant way is ludicrous in the extreme.
That being said my protein powder I bought tonight was down about 10% (on sale). The last time I bought it was about 8 months ago.
I also see some drops in food prices and I agree with what you've said about that.
BTW, about the yoghurt. Yes lately I'm buying the local "big supermarket" economy brand of lowfat vanilla yoghurt. 32 oz. for $2.29 and it's perfectly good yoghurt.
To me one of the real positive things about our capitalistic system here in the US is how all the competition seems to keep the prices of a great many products and services affordable and reasonable. Another positive is how for every product out there, there is a "poor man's" option which is just about as good but a lot cheaper in price. Now that's democracy, really!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
