The Inflation Thread 2021-22

[Ceetar]

Cars aren't really a great example anyway, it's the gas going into cars, tightly controlled by collaboration and collusion. And these people use money to buy power to do things like manipulate the prices in order to gouge customers, as well as political clout (i.e. money) to fight against alternative fuels.

Look at baby formula. monopolistic policies to exclude foreign formula, as well as _literally_ limit poor people's options to 1. And then one goes bad and ...oopsies, babies die. That's pure capitalism. Monopolies ARE the end goal. Look how hard Apple (and others) fought against even allowing you to fix your iPhone yourself. Look at roughly every cable provider. If you're lucky you might have a second one now in Fios or Satellite, but not always. Same for internet.

[kcmets]

I have UAW stories of what was going on at the GM plant in Tarrytown
that are flat out crazy in the late 80's. It's amazing cars got built.

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, while prices of hard goods make for good economic forecasting and indicating, prices of consumables is where the inflation rubber hits the road, for lack of a better metaphor.

I've got a crack in the windshield of my 10-year-old Mazda that was 12 inches long 18 months ago and is now closer to 36 inches and I'm in no hurry to replace it. But I can't stretch the lifetime of milk and bread so much.

[Frayed Knot]

Cable TV, in many areas, is ABSOLUTELY an anti-competitive monopoly specifically because it has (usually local) govt support. A free(r) market in TV/Internet would be MUCH better for consumers.

[Lefty Specialist]

Chicken wings are now cheaper than before the pandemic. Thanks, Joe Biden.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna43601

[whippoorwill]

$2.39 for a six pack of store brand eggs

[kcmets]

Eggs are one of the things that have stayed crazy here. We only eat eggs
on Sunday so it's no big thing. I bought some hot dogs, onions in sauce and
some pickles yesterday and it was over $20 hahaha. Thanks, Aaron Boone.

[whippoorwill]

Yeah we don’t eat many eggs either (we probably throw out more than we eat) but when you think about needing them for meatballs, meatloaf, etc, you have to buy them

The place we get wings from doubled their price since last summer, and also their pizza, which we don’t understand

[Lefty Specialist]

Anyone who's doubled their price for anything should be called out for it. Maybe it's time to find a new pizza place. A big part of the inflation problem is people taking advantage of it to jack up prices. Voting with your feet can stop that- that's the marketplace working.

[whippoorwill]

Yes this place has the best pizza…but even when things reopened you could hardly ever catch them open
The price gouging is just icing on the cake

My favorite taco salad is now $17.

[kcmets]

Got a heating oil delivery today. Expected sticker shock per gallon but it was pretty reasonable compared to the increasing gasoline nonsense going
on here.

Same thing. I got a heating oil delivery @ $3.09 per gallon, which surprised me that it was less than the $3.45 - $3.49 local price for regular gas.

Got our first taste of the heating-season fun. $4.69/gallon. Fucking Mattingly...

[MFS62]

Got our first taste of the heating-season fun. $4.69/gallon. Fucking Mattingly...

Pete Rose bet the over.
Later

[kcmets]

What's Pete's over/under on Boar's Head pastrami?

[Lefty Specialist]

Well just in time for the election, the Saudis are cutting oil production by 2 million barrels a day, a nice little gift to Republicans.

When gas prices go up, and they will, don't blame Joe Biden. Don't let anybody else do it either.

[Frayed Knot]

I agree with all that but it's not like Dems weren't basically saying that Bush & Cheney were personally and unilaterally setting gas prices back during the post Katrina and BP days.

[Ceetar]

I agree with all that but it's not like Dems weren't basically saying that Bush & Cheney were personally and unilaterally setting gas prices back during the post Katrina and BP days.

the war criminals that literally started a war for oil? those guys didn't have any control over prices?

[Lefty Specialist]

A gas station near me literally raised its prices 10 cents while we were having lunch. There was no fuel delivery, they just raised it because they could.

[whippoorwill]

Cripes

[batmagadanleadoff]

A gas station near me literally raised its prices 10 cents while we were having lunch. There was no fuel delivery, they just raised it because they could.

I'm OK with that. If they gotta raise prices, they gotta raise prices. Makes no difference to me whether the price hike goes into effect at four in the morning or at noon. Now if they raised prices while I was in line to get gas, that'd be something else.

[Ceetar]

it's not the gas station's gouging us (most times) it's the oil companies before them. they're just the messenger.

[Lefty Specialist]

Yeah, I know it'a not the gas jockey raising the price, it's the ExxonMobil corporate suits sitting in the dormant volcano that are really pulling the strings. And they're yanking.

Paul Krugman calls it 'rocket and feather' pricing. When the slightest thing happens, gas prices rocket up. When the crude price plunges, prices at the pump fall, too, but veeeeeerrrrrrrryyyyy slowly, like a feather falling. It's not true supply and demand at work.

[Frayed Knot]

Were the conrnhole bags inflated?

[Edgy MD]

Escobar chasing is not keeping the grind going.

[Edgy MD]

That's two chasing up.

[Lefty Specialist]

This is inflationary how?