The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the December inflation data today [DATA HERE] for December. Readers on these pages are not surprised to discover that inflation in the U.S. economy has now reached a forty year high at 7 percent. {Go Deep}
Unfortunately, the 7% in June of 1982 was when inflation was on the way down from Jimmy Carter’s failed economic policy. This time our 7% milestone has been achieved while inflation is on the climb thanks to Joe Biden’s failed economic policies.
Carter’s mess was created by regulation, policies and oil prices. Biden’s mess is created by the same and much more.
Yes, it will be getting worse.
That weird picture with the Bidens and the Carters comes to mind. The scale within the picture is appropriate when considering inflation and what is to come. Biden’s inflation is much larger than Carter’s.
As you know, the top line number of 7% is a false premise. We are feeling much, much higher overall prices in our lives with gasoline, home heating fuel, electricity costs, housing and the astronomical prices at the grocery store. The BLS data is backward looking, meaning it was compiled in early December 2021 for comparison to December 2020. Where we are CURRENTLY is much worse than where we were in early December.
We are feeling the front side of the inflation hurricane right now. The consumer prices at end of January and through February are now reflecting new purchase order prices and contract prices to wholesalers, buyers and retailers. The higher energy costs, fuel costs, warehousing costs, transportation costs and delivery costs are cumulative. As a result, the December report is simply the precursor to what will be much more damaging inflation data in Feb (showing this month) and March (showing Feb).
Additionally, the BLS data captured gas prices at their slight drop from oil prices in late November and early December. The price of oil has now gone even higher, and the price of gasoline is once again on the rise. We have not yet seen the worst of this folks. Hopefully most are prepared.
I modified BLS Table-1, taking out some of the noise, to give the snapshot of how the bureau is compiling data:
You can review BLS Table-2 Here for a detailed breakdown of each category.
As previously mentioned, the contracted price for goods delivered (depending on sector) are net terms in 30, 60 or 90 days. Meaning, the purchase price on final goods wholesalers were receiving in November, 2021, were agreed upon months before. Those terms for current arriving goods are no longer valid. The new Q1 2022 terms (purchase orders) carry higher costs, and as an outcome, higher prices to consumers are still coming.
The media are trying to put a spin on the inflation data in an effort to protect the Biden administration from the catastrophic damage caused by policy. Some of the talking points the media are trying to use are just ridiculous, Pravda would be proud.
Reuters delivers this nonsense: “But Americans have so far remained upbeat, thanks to a tight labor market. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index rose again in December, this time above projections by economists surveyed by Reuters. That’s fueled spending: Holiday retail sales increased almost 11% in 2021 compared with 2019, according to the Mastercard Spending Pulse. Consumers may be able to take certain supply-chain related cost hikes read more in their stride.”
But I must credit ABC as an example of the most laughable deflection which has been deployed by the White House….
As noted by Joe Biden, Jen Psaki, Ron Klain and now ABC news pushing their talking points, who do they blame? YOU.
The Biden administration is blaming consumers by saying DEMAND is too high, DEMAND is the problem. WATCH:
As crazy as this sounds, it was predictable. The Biden administration actually wants the demand for goods and services to contract. Repeat, they want demand to stop. This is the basic premise behind “lower your expectations.”
First, the DC politicians delivered the “rust belt” to us as an outcome of their favoring Wall Street over Main Street, and now they are wiping out our checking accounts with massive inflation. Remember the oft repeated -and infuriating- catch phrase, “The U.S. is a service driven economy?“, said by both wings of the UniParty? Well, put another way… first they off-shored our jobs, now they off-shore our wealth. This is not an accidental outcome of flawed policy, they are doing this intentionally.
We are being gutted from the inside.
You don’t accidentally stop pipelines, cancel oil leases, shut down refining capacity, change port regulations and then act surprised by saying: ‘Whoopsie’ gasoline seems to be costing more? Duh! It’s a feature not a flaw. Many of the people behind Joe Biden are stupid, but they ain’t *THAT* stupid. They know what they are doing, but they have to pretend not to know things in order to avoid the tar and feathers.
If they can reduce demand by making things unaffordable, they can claim victory over inflation (mid/late 2022) and proclaim their economic policies a success. The prices will never drop, but the percent of change will stall out. They will push the windmills, sustainable algae cakes, and other ideological quests from the Moonbat tribe who worship at the altar of climate change.
The downside of the White House achieving what they call “success” is unfortunately, by the time we reach that point we will have nothing left; we’re broke. Prices will finally level off, but the savings of Americans will have been depleted, and wage growth will take years, if ever, to catch up. You will own nothing, and be happy.
oil prices dropped temporarily due to the belief that omicron would cause another business contraction. It’s back on the rise again now that omicron has proven to be a COVID weak sister
Interestingly, here in Ontario gas prices consistently start out about ten cents per litre more at 5:00 in the morning. They drop ten cents by about 5:00 in the afternoon every day!!!!
Charge more for the working man going to work, and hide it from the leftist losers who are out and about at 3:30 going to their yoga classes.
DD
During the Carter years, my parents owned a gas station. It was awful seeing people in endless lines hoping to get some gas, any amount of gas. When my mother went to pay for the gas that was delivered to their station, the storage tanks on shore (Charleston, SC) were FULL and the tankers waiting offshore were also FULL. The shortage of gas was a big lie!
All of the government is a lie, a big big lie.
The Founders set up a good government. Unfortunately, it’s now populated by professional liars and grifters. They are the virus and we are the cure.
D.D.
Same here in Greater Vancouver.
Look at our bank and energy stocks…Suncor recently doubled their dividend.
Gas is over $1.70 per litre here, that’s over $7.00 per gallon and rising.
We’ll see, but government taxes will shrink as folks drive less.
Cheers!
You mean much like a common cold type thing?
It was because they opened the Strategic petroleum spigot to create more supply hence lower prices. Strictly temporary and now prices are heading north.
By doing this they know that they are in deep doo doo and now are running out of ideas/options…it appears now it’s blame the consumer…
Should make some money? Where/who would that profit go?
Didn’t President Trump have it filled completely up with under $40 a barrel oil prices?
“Based on the prices of oil, I’ve … instructed the secretary of energy to purchase, at a very good price, large quantities of crude oil for storage in the U.S. strategic reserve,” Trump, a Republican, told reporters at the White House. “We’re going to fill it right up to the top,” he added without offering details. –
Reuters COMMODITIES NEWS
MARCH 13, 20204:06 PM
I heard that the reserves were given to other countries – not ours.
Sorry, no link, it was a while ago – might have been on Jack Posobeic’s podcast…
I heard the feds were using it for their vehicles.
That would be no surprise either!
No, they timed the opening of the federal reserves spigot at the same time winter mix pricing was going into effect and prices were already going down a bit. Clever manipulators.
Just got back from Costco paid 2.63.. I know it was a fluke.. Gas stations on the way home were posting 2.92- 2.99.. fill your tanks today gas prices change on Thursdays
Here in my part of Kentucky, gas is back up to $3, up 20 cents overnight.
Hey gas hasn’t gone up in a couple of weeks, looks like things are BaCk To NoRmAl, right?
your sarcasm is correct.
they lowered it during family gathering time – so people couldnt talk about them poorly. once we are isolated back to our communication bubbles having to call or text to talk the prices will be back up.
The only thing dropping in this inflationary environment is Biden’s approval rating. At the current trend, he should be at about 0 in 12 months.
You should see my property tax increase. Local Governments sure love to see property values shoot up.
Just sent off a check for ours. I had to have a short lie down after to recover. No mortgage, but do we own our home? No, we do not.
not sure of your age, but is there any type of homestead rule where you are?
Sometimes property tax exemptions are available if over 65 and it is your home.
But yes in general we really just ‘rent’ our ‘property’ from the taxing authority…
Even if you were 100% self sufficient you would have to ‘earn/sale’ enough to cover your property taxes to keep your property from being auctioned off from under you.
Thank you. Yes and we have both, but we are in Texas. Property prices are through the roof. We are more or less fixed. We live in a modest house, but we are retired now on a fixed income. What has placed us in a precarious situation is not being able to secure any return…not extravagant, any….on our savings which we cannot risk in the casino that is Wall Street. Financial repression in other words. Coupled with devastating inflation, as seniors we are hit with a double whammy.
Abbott promised (yes, I know) to reduce property taxes. We are not the only ones screaming, believe me. Thank you for your thoughtful post.
But, you have no income tax. Lose a little, gain a little. Live in Texas: Gain a lot.
Much of that is true. But we have no income now, and we do have sales tax. Swings and roundabouts.
I need to add this. We are better off than so many. That is not lost on me.
Property taxes outpace income taxes. Texas is notorious for our ridiculousness with the former.
Yes sir, it is.
Now in Texas some older retirees can apply for a “deferred tax payment plan.” It’s essentially a promise to the county to pay all accumulated property taxes + interest whenever the homestead is sold. May want to look into that.
I became aware of this just this year. And I do understand how it is supposed to work. But at the moment I’m not feeling comfortable with leaving that as another issue to deal with for our children when we are no longer here. But we are keeping our options under review. I appreciate your alerting me to that as a strategy. Thank you.
🕶I love you sis🕶
And I you, dearest (recovering🙏) friend.
Exemptions here in blueMA are set at such a low income bar that very few qualify.
Does homestead rules apply to HOAs? Flippin’ hate those things.
Yep, got notification yesterday that our HOA is increasing by 15%.
Ours went up 20% as of the New Year with no advance notification.
And ours went up so much, the HOA decided to split it into two payments…one on Jan 1 and another in June…so “it would be easier for paying”.
????????????!!
We fight the increase.. Daughter says we are the only people she knows that are very proud to have their home devalued.. .. Saved $1800 this time
We fought as well. You’ve got one smart daughter. I hope she’s taking notes.😊
Yeah, never thought after payingit off it would start to run what our house payment s were.
Essentially renting from the government.
Fight it…protest it…
All of the conservative—maybe all R—-candidates in Texas are making a big push against property taxes. Our early voting begins Feb. 15th. We shall see….
Here in Northern Michigan, fuel has increased tremendously during the last year. Gasoline is $3.33/gal, Diesel is $3.56/gal and Propane is $2.07. Probably a 40 to 50% increase from a year or two ago. Building materials have increased as well.
I haven’t noticed the price of food drastically increasing except for beef. Shelves are well stocked and if you shop around and buy wisely, everything I normally eat is about the same (Chicken, pork, vegetables, canned items) as it always been.
Hey, I have a plan, check it out. We can implement a passport that allows you to be able to buy things and travel. When we see prices going up on certain items, we can restrict democrats ability to buy leaving low prices for republicans.
We don’t have to stop there either. We can limit the privileges of the vaxed population because they are running around with those nasty spikes in their bodies.
Just to make it fair though, we can set it up like a game show with a giant spinny wheel. Everyone can tune in to see what group will be affected in a lottery atmosphere. This has never been done before. Instead of finding out who won, the new fascination will be who lost.
The next loser could be you!
Yes it my family’s fault. How dare we *checks list…demand food, shelter, and transportation. Do they honestly think we are going to fall for this? They are not Obama 2.0 They are Obama -10!
JV, yes, they do think we are all going to fall for this, look around.
The northeast (most of it, not all, there are plenty like me but we are outnumbered) is full of covidiots. Full of them. Masks in cars. Masks here, masks there. Get your booster…OMG go get it. I read stories on here and wish that is what I was seeing…instead, I get to witness Covidiocy.
So, yes, they think we ill fall for this.
Americans will have to prioritize. Things like house remodeling, vacations and new car purchases are now luxuries. Focus should be on self sufficiency; upgrading appliances, starting a garden, and water filtering system.
No, do not upgrade your appliances! If you have old ones that work, keep them or get them fixed. The new ones don’t last very long and they are expensive. You really don’t need appliances that tell you what time it is, the weather, etc. Just ones that keep stuff cold, keep stuff hot, wash clothes or dry them. Keep it simple and your expenses should be a lot less than buying new.
And upgraded appliances can ‘speak to’ internet watchdogs.
I agree.. However, I hate my HE washing machine.. I can get cleaner clothes down at the creek beatin the laundry on a rock
I bet you’ve already scheduled your “rock beating” for the night of Biden’s State of the Utterly Destroyed Union speech as well. As I said last night on another thread, I think I’m washing my hair that night.
Rather attend a skunk wrestling match!
I totally agree. Boy, do I ever.
I’ve penciled in I’ll be opening my mail at that time, and can’t watch 😉
Mine was doing a terrible job cleaning and especially draining after 9 years – even though the pair is Whirlpool, which, last I looked, is a decent company.
I got a repairman in last year, direct from Whirlpool, who said not to even think of trying to buy a new one. Instead we replaced the agitator. It improved matters immensely.
Yep. The repairmen know. I had one tell me that if I ever decided to change out my 20 yr. old double ovens, to call him and he would buy them from me!
Bought a Speed Queen 6 years ago and I love it! Old fashioned ingenuity right there.
I too loathe our HE no center agitator machine. Never imagined before buying how overly sensitive it is, and goes off balance at the blink of an eye. First and last HE washer we will ever own.
Jimmy was at least a nuclear submariner! What has Joey ever done?
Joey (aka The Big Guy) made sure Hunter paid his fair share. Teaching your children financial responsibility is quite the accomplishment.
If you listen to him, he helped raise the flag at iwo jima, was on the bridge at Selma and other impossible tales! 😂Whatever group Joe meets with, he has to top them with a made up story of his own….only now he believes them. I expected him to say he house once burned down too when he was in Colorado!😂
Biden tells victims of last week’s Colorado wildfires that he once “had lightning strike our home and almost lost our home.”
That is a lie. According to a 2004 AP report, it was “a small fire…contained to the kitchen” that “was under control in 20 minutes.” pic.twitter.com/cfBDyo6KkT
There you go! 😂 Thank you. I only heard he comforted them with visions of windmills rising from the ashes of their homes!
Well to be fair there is one house he has burned down…ours.
Biden is the world’s foremost expert on being an Amtrak passenger; just ask him and he will tell you.
Train’s, he loves trains.
Jimmy DID NOT serve as a “nuc” in the USN.
I pwomis
two words – Corn Pop
Infuriating knowing the political class are doing this to innocent Americans ON PURPOSE. Let’s Go Brandon!
Of – For – and By Federal government.
Ask not what government can do for you, but why is government doing this to us.
Answer to pay back the Chinese for what MAGA did to them.
Unfortunately, the feckless Fed had a chance to start raising rates at the January meeting but is choosing to wait. My guess is they are just another group of controlled bureaucrats, and they will wait until after the mid-terms to appease their masters.
The FED is still printing money and adding to their $ 9 trillion ‘Balance Sheet’ and don’t plan to stop until March. Balance Sheet = the amount of dollars the FED created out of thin air to buy US debt (bonds). That money from nothing has been spent and is bubbling up in inflation.
The FED will not control inflation, the interest on the debt, new deficit spending and refinancing of existing debt requires huge issuance of bonds. There aren’t enough buyers for the bonds that need to be issued, and the $ 9 Trillion on the Balance Sheet will not be sold to real buyers. The FED has monetized that debt and we’ll pay it through higher inflation. This has been talked about for 10 years but with the $ 9 trillion the FED has crossed the rubicon.
Yes, $ (forex)is falling against other currencies because they need that to happen.
Dark Winter.
Empty shelves.
Empty wallet.
Good times!!!
1 – 2 punch. Add in the Cyber-Polygon exercise about a ” hack ” of the supply chain / infrastructure.
The set up ……
Just now on USA Network news ) Talk of terrorists at Texas border , major mention of food supply issues in stores.
I’m looking online for a new job.
I hope to become a cook at the new Koveedkamp Luxuryless Hotel.
Move to Washington state. Gov. Inslee may have a job for you at his new quarantine facility in Centralia, WA.
I think you meant concentration camp, Fionnagh.
Resettlement Camp Specialist , is a real MOS , they hirein’ too….
Washington State like NY want to give medical ‘ officials ‘ police powers to detain.
I read about that exercise from a link, thanks to a poster here yesterday (I think it was yday).
Eerie, as it is similar to Event 201, where they “exercised” a pandemic.
Aren’t we now smack in the middle of Event 201? Worldwide!
Add in odd/even gas lines and a couple good blizzards and it’s 1978 all over again!
You brought back memories for me of 1978! Good times. Got my car stuck in ice/snow twice. Worked at hospital and had to decide which to buy before payday- gas or food. Drove to work many times before payday on fumes!
We are half way there on the blizzards.
Some oil analytes are predicting one hundred dollars a barrel for crude. Currently hovering between 60 and 75.
my bad 85 now. sheesh.
I saw an article in the Oil and Gas Journal a month ago laying out the possibility of $300/bbl oil
Leave it to commies to portray such high inflation as successful. FJB!
Every generation has to learn how bad the Democrats policies are. I guess this is what it takes to earn that education. All of the moonbats will somehow look for a way to blame conservatives, but they have total control over all three branches and there is little they can do to deflect their incompetence.
Once the vaccines are admittedly abandoned due to their failing. They will blame Operation Warp Speed for the failure. They will claim that they didn’t have enough time to get it right, that Trump rushed it, and they will hang the failure and deaths they will have to reveal all around Trump’s neck. And the Media will do it gladly.
Trump just doesn’t see the chainsaw he is walking straight into and no one can talk him out of his – get the vaccine- position. It’s sad. Even the best president in my lifetime can’t or won’t listen to reason.
One other thing- that is the weirdest photo I have ever seen of a president.
Well, right up there with the Bill Clinton portrait of him in a Blue dress, anyway.
Call President TRUMP on the phone and explain to him what to do! You seem superior in knowledge.
His Truth Social launches February 21 – anybody can get onto it and pontificate directly to the Don.
“Underestimate Donald J. Trump at your own peril.” ~ Wilbur Ross
Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t. Most of the left have taken multiple jabs. Maybe they are dumb enough, if dear leader shout-whispers, “it’s Trump’s fault you’re ADE dying! Sniff!” — maybe they just jump tracks and rage at OMB. That to me is a big if. So I suspect Pres Trump’s instincts are right to take the credit while being against mandate. Time will tell.
Also, FJB
Trump never mandated anything.
Biden did. Biden still does.
Trump is not at fault for antying. And, people I believe can see that. No matter how much BS they try to get to stick.
Our (natural) gas bill is up 40% from last year at this time (apples to apples on usage).
My thermostat is down 20% from last winter.
We live on the central Oregon coast. Thermostat has been set at 65 since we moved in just over two years ago.
Only time it goes up is when the sister in law or the nieces from Californica comes to visit.
Rarely kicks on during the day unless we get a cold snap.
Electric forced air. Surprisingly, the electric bill has pretty much stayed the same.
In Wales we had coal fires (terribly Green unfriendly but oh my, we were toasty warm), and very efficient old school radiators. We are colder here (Texas) than ever we were there in very cold winters.
Same here. We play a game… How Low Can We Go. At the moment we’re down more than 20%.
I started December with mine lower than I had ever tried. Then I got delta and had to turn it back up because of bouts of chills.
Been lowering it back gradually ever since. Thanks for the reminder to go shave off another degree now. I own a number of good sweaters.
The difference between my December 2021 heating bill and December 2020 looks like just a little less than a third increase. Life in a deep blue state. It wasn’t even that cold in December. Right now we’re in a deep freeze. 😳
Fashion and style are not issues when one is cold. I grab the warmest thing I can find, even if it is my husband’s, and hang the way I look.
Having said that, steph, I bet you look simply gawgeous in your warm sweaters😊
The good ones are mostly for performing music, Betsy. ☺️ I still get a bit dressed up for that even when it’s on Zoom (sigh).
But I have a larger selection of very ratty ones that I allow my cat to knead her paws and drool upon. 🤣
(And thanks for the compliment.)
Oh my!.and your instrument?
I’m afraid I’m just as solicitous of our felines. Whatever they want, who am I to deny them?
Used to be the media was always so concerned with people on fixed incomes when inflation got bad. Seems they don’t talk about that anymore. Not that its inconvenient because the left is fully in charge. I think they may have decided to drop any reservations and go for broke in their plans to fundamentally transform society in their own image.
Yes, there was always a fear of “the Walker brigade”; the idea that SENIORS vote more than any other demographic (age) group, and they (politcians in d.c ) didn’t want to “piss them off” cause being picketed by this group would lead to voting them out.
Apperently THAT dynamic has changed; yes Social Security “gave” the average recipient a $50/ mo. COLA “raise”, but then raised their MEDICARE premium $35/mo.
So, at best $15/mo. “cost of living” increase, which doesn’t adequately address LAST YEARS inflation, and is going to be swamped by whats coming.
WATCH in the grocery stores, a sight that has become common; a senior, standing at a shelf or case, for a long time, a despondent look on their face.
They are NOT trying to decide whether to buy THIS item, or THAT. They are agonising whether to buy THIS item or NOT, recognising the old “stand by” of buying “wet” cat food to eat for dinner, is no longer an option.
Tell you what, let’s all be alert for Seniors shopping, and if we spot that despondent look and confusion, buy them what they need. Or hand them cash. Or buy it and leave it up front for them if the store is small enough to do that. Or make sure to call the local churches and add to their food pantries. Prepare a meal for neighborhood seniors. Buy that cat food for them. Let’s pay it forward. Lots of folks are too proud to accept help, so figure out “sneaky” ways to help them. Ask them to “taste test” a recipe for you, making sure there’s a lot to taste.
Let’s not let the Brandon Administration kill any more of our precious Seniors.
I take my MIL to the store and I buy what she needs. That is part of what “Honor your parents” means.
What a good man and son in law you are, VB. But from our many conversations, I knew this already. She is fortunate to have you near, and I’m sure she appreciates it very much.
Until you are in the same position because their is only two of those items on the shelf. And, all alternatives are gone, and it’s not just you and the old person but 50 others all clamoring to get one of those two items.
People do not realize the scope, breadth, and depth of what is about to hit if the truckers all walk away. People are naive and stupid. It’s coming.
the voting stuff is irrelevant now.
might be why they arent caring about the impact on fixed income elderly. Plus Covid was a direct assassination attempt on all of our elderly.
My exact thoughts.
Eliminate the elderly who, as a rule vote more conservatively, lower longterm Medicare payouts and Social Security payouts.
Wet cat food is an acquired taste… the paté isn’t bad on wheat crackers 😀
These days, with mail-in ballots and machine tabulation, I think they factored seniors out of the equation; easy enough, even if they’re dead, for them to vote in the way that is needed for the ‘Party’.i
I figured SS would be dead, surprised it wasn’t so took it early just to say I actually collected some without the Medicare hit.
Seniors don’t have to stare at the cat food can thinking about how to make it into dinner, right now the government is paying the full SNAP benefit even if one only qualifies for a penny of it, in the states I checked. Heck I might try it myself. It’s a full hundred bucks a month more than I’m currently spending. Heck might even buy some hamburger; live a little 😀
7% my arse.
Just think, that’s the best they could do to cook the numbers down.
The site Shadow Stats will confirm your correct assessment.
” In searching for a new ‘enemy’ to unite us , we came up with the idea that pollution , the threat of global warming , water shortages , FAMINE , and the like would fit the bill ”
Report by The Council of The Club of Rome – 1991
Crisis Creation – globalistagenda.org/quotes
Famine, people can put up with a lot but they won’t tolerate starving. When you’re really hungry you’ll eat anything, but you’ll also do anything to not starve. This is looking darker and darker by the day.
They are showing that they truly believe most of us are imbeciles. Anyone with an iota of economic sense understands that a country, or even your local city, needs demand to always be steady or increasing. Demand going down is bad…
Yet, this is what the WH, ABC, and others yet to open their mouths want you to believe.
And, don’t worry folks…..there are plenty of eager idiots out there willing to support that nonsense. The best part is that those idiots will have to rectify why they are paying 25% more for their meat, petrol, heating, etc.
I bet none of them go- if I don’t buy this the price will go down…no, they will blame the vaccinated.
I meant unvaccinated….in my last sentence.
Inflation is one thing, but the empty shelves are killing me.
NYSE: Empty shelves? Think of it a nice little trip to the former Soviet Union, without ever leaving home.
Or sunny Venezuela.
Today I finally got smart, turned off my car, sat in a parking lot, and called 2 stores to see whether they had what I wanted. They didn’t – but at least I didn’t waste time & gas driving to them..
my PO Box at USPS is the medium size in a small-ish town in DFW area of TX
In Jan of 2021 it was $232 for a year.
In Jan of 2022 it is $332 for a year.
For an added bonus, your mail will be delivered later than ever before. s/
Is there a plan to bypass the box shredders for parcels?
The Boss. It’s not sarcasm. See my comment, above.
I’m lucky if I get one or two deliveries a week now.
Wow. I lived in a tiny town in Idaho. Our post office boxes were free and paid for by city taxes.
I Hear You Now: Two Day Priority Mail is now Three Day Priority Mail, and more expensive. I’m not kidding. I printed a Priority Mail postage label last week and it the label now says that Priority Mail is three days.
Yeah, at 200 bucks a year I finally let mine go after 35 years. Just couldn’t justify it. 5×5 box. I’d rather buy food.
The chart above indicates that piped utility gas has gone up by 24.1%. My natural gas rate (Northwest Natural) increased by 35% in December.
Yesterday I got a phone call from them, wanting to know if I would volunteer to sign up for their carbon offset program.
The script-reading employee told me that they reviewed and evaluated my history as their customer and that my carbon footprint amounted to 550 lbs/month. In other words, she said that I am personally responsible for 3.3 Tons of carbon released per year.
I didn’t bother telling her that I also burn 2 cords of wood in my fireplace every winter.
Told her the figures were ridiculous and were invented out of thin air. According to her, in a month with four weeks, I am responsible for 137 lbs of carbon released per week. I don’t understand the scam language well enough to have answered her any better than that……I couldn’t think very well on my feet, unfortunately.
So then I asked her what it is they want me to volunteer for to make it all better: She explained that if I would sign up for the volunteer carbon protection program, there would just be an addition of $5 to my monthly bill. That’s in addition to the 35% rate increase that is now built in, as of November.
Our conversation ended with three points:
1) No, I will not participate in this nonsense.
2) Asked her if she had the authority to remove my phone number from their call cycle (this was the third call from them yesterday, I hadn’t answered the first two). She said she did and would.
3) I asked her if I would be punished for not agreeing to volunteer for the nonsense. She claimed I wouldn’t.
Most likely you will be punished but they will do it very slowly and very secretively.
Tell them that it will take several years to equal one flight of Al Gore or John Kerry.
Yes LOL – that was one of the thoughts I had later when those “I should have said…..” lines started to surface!!
Yes, please pay us $5 a month so that we can pay the politicians and others who set up these carbon offset accounts.
No thanks.
I would have asked, if the company, was willing to donate to the stupidity offset program and remove $25 from the bill? Your company’s stupidity footprint is off the charts, and you have a lot of catching up to do. It can either be directly deducted or if you want to pay me by phone once a month, a 15% processing charge will be added.
You sound like my son! If anybody can talk them down on the phone, it is him. Whew! Would’ve made a great trial attorney. Thankfully, he chose ranch management.😊
And the Republicans are equally responsible for laying down like dogs and allowing this to happen. Uni-Party in action.
I despise them worse than I do the Democrats. Not gonna lie.. I want to throw all incumbents out on their keisters! And that’s the g-rated version.
You can go PG13 here.
I’m the only snowflake and I’m ok with it cause gosh-darn I’m mad.
The last thing which can be said about Republicans is that they are laying down.
They’re barking up a storm, over contribution-inducing social issues.
They’re pacing around the legislative table, growling for scraps.
They’re baring their teeth at threats to their way of life, which is anything MAGA related.
Most importantly of all they are listening obediently, with tails wagging and eyes shining, to their masters.
Who are not the voters.
In additiion to exfiltrating middle class prosperity to China, govt policies destroyed SAVINGS, cause why keep your $ in a savings acct or CD, atvan interest rate so low, inflation (even relatively LOW inflation) would steadily erode the value of your savings?
And, the standard bulwark of middle class investment, and of “the Amerucan dream” was destroyed by the runup to the 2008 “financial crises” and aftermath.
And, don’t have to dive very deep to see the Opiod crises was entirely a creation of Federal govt policies.
The rediculous “rules of engagement” implemented in the seemingly endless wars in the ME, yet another policy which seems targeted at US, as it was Patriotic Americans who enlisted to “fight the terrorists over THERE, so we don’t have to fight them here.
In short, WE have been “at War” and being attacked for many years, but are just now waking up to the fact, and recognising who it is, who is attacking us.
WILL the “sleeping giant” fully awaken, and respond doing “whatever is necesary” to reverse the slide?
Everyone should search for and read – SILENT WEAPONNS FOR QUIET WARS and REPORT FROM IRON MOUNTAIN
Do not be swayed by ‘fact-checkers’ claiming they are hoaxes. The truths contained will be self evident and irrefutable .
Yesterday while going through old boxes of books. Found a copy of Hal Lindsey’s “1980s, Countdown to Armageddon”. Rather than store it again, I read through it. The book hits hard on the then current policies of the Carter Administration and his disastrously pathetic economic policies. Of course his references to time are generally off but his detail to world events and Biblical Prophecies were interesting and pretty close to current reality. His calling the rise of China and the book of Revelations references to China as the end times “Kings of the East” and Russia’s alignment with Iran were spot on for current times. What we’re seeing with the destruction of America fits with both Lindsey’s and the Bible’s foretelling of the future one world government. The part we’re not seeing just yet is all of the global players aligning against the nation of Israel. Not difficult to imagine how vulnerable Isreal becomes once the US falls. That condition of the world against Israel is what brings on the final battle of Armageddon, accordingto Lindsey. As painful as experiencing the crushing of America is currently, maybe removing Isreal’s strongest supporter is the ultimate evil satanic objective. Scary stuff.
Good analysis.
I’m familiar with Hal Lindsey’s works and always thought they rang true.
As to timing, Jesus said “not even He knows the exact timing, (the day or hour) only the Father”, but that those – paraphrasing – paying attention “would be able to see the signs”, that things are drawing near.
But Hal Lindsey was wrong about Europe/Catholic church being the beast empire. It is the revived Ottoman / Islamic empire and their Madhi instead. Catholicism believes Jesus is the eternal creator Son of God, Islam calls him just a human son of Mary. Lindsey is also wrong about imminence and a pre-tribulation rapture. The bible says it is going to be pre-wrath instead.
There has been much knowledge and insight increase on this topic since Lindsey wrote so many decades ago about Revelation
s.Maybe. The destruction of Babylon may reference that, but it is also likely that Babylon represents global monetary system and worship of commerce as a false idol. The “kings” of the world are the overseers of that system.
The kings of the world were to come together against God at the end. At no time in history have as many countries agreed as they have agreed on the tyrannical response to Covid and the institution of a Great Reset.
This is exactly how I interpret our end times. Whether you are correct, God Himself only knows. But the appearances of the markers are certainly looking extremely similar to the prophesies.
I don’t understand how you can blame Joe Biden for any of these things.
Joe Biden January 2022
Need to get hold of DC Metro Sanitation.
They are way overdue in removing the trash from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Where I live in NY, about 50 miles north of Manhattan, the biggest increase by far has been in heating oil. We have a 1000 gallon tank so were able to store plenty when prices were lower, but of course we use it every day too.
I just paid $3.31/ gallon for a delivery next week. Luckily we have a multi-fuel boiler so we can burn wood as well as oil.
God be with those in the heating as an absolute necessity states, particularly where they don’t have the wood option and land with trees to provide it.
I think heating oil is a bit more energy dense than propane; where I live propane is about 2.50/gallon in bulk and no sales tax.
I gave up my tank so it’s wood heat now, fortunately the property has plenty of dead trees from the drought to contribute. The insert serves as a stove too. A typical RV bottle fuels the cooktop and water heater. Adapt and overcome.
I salute anyone who raced to get stuff done after the stolen election. Home remodeling, updates, repairs, selling stuff and trimming the fat. My husband and I fought about this more than once. I wanted to go full blast on getting stuff done for the collapse. I’m talking about big, expensive, time consuming stuff. My husband’s health has been declining and he just doesn’t have the energy (mental and physical) for it. He has a serious health problem and that impacts him in a another way. It’s hard to explain cause we’re on the same wavelength but it manifests in different ways. He’s tying up loose ends with papers, accounts and people he knows. I’m doing other things.
Anyway my point still stands–I applaud anyone who headed the warnings and got their butts in gear.
My butt has been in high gear and I’m exhausted but I keep hacking away at it every day never losing sight at what we are all about to go through. This time, the country may not recover in spite of the evil politicians.
Retired Magistrate here: If you own a home do not remodel it. If things work, live with them. I have some friends who are remodeling perfectly good bathrooms just because they are out of style. In my opinion, very foolish. Get some new towels, rugs, etc. or paint but other than that, live with it.
If you have leaky windows, use FrogTape and tape around the windows to keep out drafts. Change your furnace filters. Use coupons, buy sale items, especially food now, whether you need the items now or not. Keep your freezer filled. Think about what trips you need to make; i.e., to store, bank, etc. and do everything in one trip to save gas. Check estate sales for used clothes or look on e bay; some nice clothes cheap with free shipping.
If you have old appliances and they work, keep them. Do everything you can to maintain the status quo with regard to your living quarters, car, etc. Get your oil changed and if you need new tires probably want to buy them now before they get even more expensive and you can’t get them at all.
With prayer and common sense, which most on this site have, we will get through this.
Very simply…make do and mend.
Excellent advise as always Marcia.
I know a great USA company where you can get superb quality towels for a very reasonable promo-code price. ☺️
Thank God I’ve got a lot of experience at being poor. It takes practice deciding the difference between wanting and needing.
Me too. I am forever grateful for that experience because I can stretch a dollar and make do without it upsetting me.
When I do what you are doing in that regard, I feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction. And of course there is always some unplanned for something that never fails to show up. In which case, those previous savings are put to do use.
New experience but learned a lot from my folks who made their way through the Depression. The lessons stuck. One thing I noticed is people disappeared. If one doesn’t have money, the grifters scatter to the wind. Love it 🙂
“Honey. I shrunk the Carters!”
And
”Honey. I shrunk the economy!”
B-Movie
The Incredible Shrinking Presidency
The best way for the criminals running the country to demand contraction is to insist upon getting the jab, in their shallow minds.. Smart folks think sending all foreign nationalist home to their own countries and stop passing them off as everything but the invasion of people here illegally that they are..
My license plate number ends in an odd number. No gas for me today. Yes, I remember those days. Of course I was driving a moped back then, so my two gallon tank would last a while.
ropala: I remember the even/odd fill-up days, the long lines, and the general malaise.
We swapped our cars for bicycles and hoarded gas in between. Helped that one of the crew worked at a gas station. 😉
Got used to 28 cent gas and then all of a sudden it was 50 cents, well 49.9 cents. Heh.
Have ya’ll noticed the very coordinated push / rollout of our betters idea of ‘ alternative food ‘ ?
Mystery meat, beyond meat , lab grown or plant based meat & food. Subway chain was found to have ” other ” animal proteins in their tuna subs. Taco Bell was enhancing their beef for tacos with a silica extender. Silica powder is used in bulk food production to prevent caking and machine jams. Its not food but FDA allows it if less than 2% of the total product. Then several years back was Chinese putting melamaine / gypsum in foods …… The ” club ” has been experimenting on this a log time.
Soylent Green was set in the year – 2022
” You’ll eat bugs , and be happy ” — World Economic Forum
“You’ll eat bugs, and be hoppy. ”
-Tweety Bird
Do NOT buy into that BS!
Don’t eat out!
Cook at home and use the basic ingredients.
Buy real beef, poultry, pork, veal, lamb, and fish/seafood from the USA waters…no China shrimp…
You can find good, healthy, chemical free food at reasonable prices but you must put forth the effort.
We eat bugs all of the time without knowing. It is the knowing that is creepy, and they can’t be ignored when they approach 100% of the content.
It’s true about the ham surplus. I just bought a $25 ham for $5. The butcher was strolling around giving away $20 off coupons.
Sooooo question for any in the meat biz , was there a large kill off of hogs causing an oversupply ?
Feed price jumps so they sell the animals sooner ?
Maybe. Topping hogs is tricky. They reach a point where every $1 of corn does not generate $1 more of pork to sell. You play this game where if corn goes up just before your hogs top out, you hold them for a few more pounds but the corn does not go down. You cut losses an sell. Since corn and pork are both national commodities and all of the corn in the country is harvested in a short period of time, it can create these hold/sell surges. If corn stays cheap, you just take them to market when the top out. So yes, corn inflation can create a selloff on hogs.
Thanks.
Let me restate that more clearly. If you are the process of feeding hogs to top out and corn goes up, you can sell early and not get the pounds, or you can hold hoping to ride out the corn increase. Once you get to zero return, you have to sell as you are not getting $1 of added gain for each $1 of food. With corn on the rise instead of the weight of hogs on the rise, that break even point happens for across the range of hog sizes at once and hogs not ideally topped out hit the market. A question about those extra hams. Are they smaller than usual? If so, framers may be unloading hogs before they top out due to corn being more expensive than added weight. If so, there will be an initial glut and then a shortage as the hogs that were to be sold in following months are already in the supply chain.
If green hams are cheap, it may be a good time to learn how to cure hams the way the pioneers did. They will keep for two or more years without refrigeration. Or, you can just buy cured hams for way too much.
Anna: Interesting. I noticed very large, uncut “half-sides” of pork at the grocery store in LA today.
My cat thanks you for encouraging me to stock up on essentials: wet cat food and treats.
Luckily my cats don’t like treats of any sort except catnip – which is easy to grow.
Otherwise known as essentials😊
All they need to complete the real insurrection is to succeed at killing the filibuster which will ensure passage of HR1/S1 (permanent election steal), expand the Supreme Court, and pass BBB. We will then be Amerizuela, eating out of trash cans while the elites rob us blind. America First deplorables will be sent to “education” camps for Dr. Fauci to conduct his vaccine experiments on. Somebody better do something soon.
Bidenzuela. FIFY
Love the analogy to the scale of the participants in the Carter/Biden pic.
The Bidens looks like they are practicing their ventriloquism act.
That picture had to be photoshopped…the proportions are so far out of whack that even a fish-eye lens wouldn’t explain them.
I’d you can fake a presidency, faking a photo is easy peasy.
Amateur job? Or intentional.
Between incompetence and IC Psyops or potentially other reasons I cannot determine exactly why without a bit more information.
“The U.S. is a service driven economy?“
The Air Force does not bomb installations – They “service targets”.
In cattle world terminology, the bull “services” the cows.
I think I’m catching on to uni-party vernacular…
That’s a word used as in “We are proud that we SERVICE our cusomers” that makes me wince. I’m glad to see I’m not alone in detesting that complete misapplication. It conjures up some appalling images.
producer price index is more than CPI. snowball coming. trillions sloshing around and velocity of money is 1.115.
I think we should use some of their approaches regarding vaccine passports, etc. We require anyone that supports the green new deal and FJB policies to wear a green unicorn symbol on their arm and a similar sticker on their car. When they gas up, they pay a $2.00 a gallon stupidity tax. For any residence that installs an electric vehicle charger, there is a $100 per KWh surcharge on their electric bills. Oh, and if they designate a preference for green energy (which they can here in the people’s republic of Austin), their power is the first shut off when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining.
When will the first month be when all this really started? Septemberish? If it was September or so, as Sundance noted, the inflation rate for September 2021 to 2022 might be “smaller” prices. Not back to where they were, but inflation might be 2-3% year on year. The prior year was 8-9% and now its 2-3%. See we are doing good. But the idiots will think the occupant is doing great right before election. Media will be more than glad to assist.
And of course for prices to get back to what they were would technically require deflation and all will cry foul over anyone wanting that.
And this is why all the Democrats up for election or re election in the mid terms are trying to distance themselves from Biden. DO NOT LET THEM! Biden did nothing that they wouldn’t have done and he was supposed to be their moderate. Every last Democrat is as guilty as hell and so is a big chunk of the GOP, while we’re at it.
A return to the ‘Good Times’ under President Carter?
The report is that inflation is at 7%. We’ve all seen that the things we buy are up by more than 7%, so what is it that has deflated in cost so as to pull down the average?
Shadowstats has the real inflation numbers using 1970s criteria. The criteria today doesn’t include housing, energy, or food IIRC. Hence the “low” numbers.
Bottom line: inflation rate jumped from 1.4% when President Trump left office to 7% less than a year later.
It doesn’t impact Democrat voters because they are dead, imaginary, on welfare, wealthy, work for the government or affluent white collar suburbanites.
Inflation will need to get a lot high before any of these groups even notice.
That’s actually part of the strategy.
When “open season” starts on these bastards in charge, I hope there isn’t a quota.
I pay $4.09 a gallon for premium in Lower Bucks County, PA…and I don’t even get kissed after.
Jimah, Jimah ! Yes, Rosalynn. Are these the people that got us removed from the No. 1 spot on the list of worst presidents? Why, yes they are Rosalynn. I’m ecstatic Jimah, praise be !