Clinton got all the credit but it was really a shared bipartisan result

The definition of inflation is the rate of increase in prices. As long as inflation is greater than zero, prices will be increasing. The numbers show the rate of inflation is decreasing which means the prices are increasing more slowly this year than they did last year or the year before. That is what inflation means.

Coke prices were more than $4 for a 12 pack before COVID. We drink a lot of it and I have been shopping for sales for a long time now. Increasing their margins as a test of what the market will bear? You realize that's the way capitalism works, right?

There may be some slight corrections to prices that have increased too rapidly but overall, we have what we have. I believe this is a good thing since a major decrease in prices, deflation, is a sign of a problem in the economy. But, that discussion is best left to those who have spent much more time studying economics.

You could almost always get a 12 pack of coke or Pepsi for $2.99 pre Covid. This was not the regular price but it was the sale price. They usually went on sale about once a month. Since moving to the Villages, coke is usually buy 2, get 1 free. Pepsi s occasionally buy 2, get 2.

Right now, Pepsi is $9.49 for a 12 pack at Winn Dixie and $9.59 at Publix. At Walmart, a 12 pack is $7.28 or $11.58 for a 24 pack.

See........ this is how people try to justify billionaire corporations being billionaire corporations. Lifted from Publix corporate website:Net earnings for the fiscal year ended Dec. 30, 2023 were $4.3 billion, compared to $2.9 billion in 2022, an increase of 49%.
A savvy accounting firm could create a spreadsheet that showed you Publix was damn near bankrupt!!!:rolleyes:

So, employee-owned Publix is a corrupt corporation?

By "fortunate," if you mean we worked hard, didn't spend frivolously, saved...then yes, I agree, I am fortunate.

It was 1.7% three and a half years ago. So, am I happy with 3.3 ? No !

What makes inflation hard to handle is that it's an everyday phenomena, whereas your annual salary / hourly rate / social security payment increase is only once a year, to catchup to the past. So unless you are in a place to raise your own income faster, then your income is always behind the cost increase curve. . . .

So what's good for investments in corporations (rising prices, increased profits) is not good for consumers, and what's good for consumers (cheap prices, very slowly increasing) , is not good for corporations. . pick your poison. . . and for this reason, some of your assets should be invested in corporations. . .

If corps want to grow profits and price inflation is zero( zero revenue growth) , then the only way they can get their bonuses is to reduce costs. To reduce costs, they can squeeze their material supply chain, or lay off people and replace them with automation .

This is where automation will kill the consumer economy by replacing consumers with automation. . and the only offset is to increase taxes on corporations and reduce taxes / increase support to consumers. . .

be careful what you wish for. .

Taxes on corporations are a bad thing. Guess who pays that bill? The consumer

:a20::1rotfl::1rotfl:

"Budget???" That's funny. Does anyone REALLY understand the meaning of "budget?" A budget is just a plan for the following year (in this case). He had a budget plan of spending for the following year, which did NOT include his being in office. An interesting CATO article:
https://www.cato.org/commentary/no-b...alance-budget#

But, let's stick to the subject, which is "Inflation."

Raising the taxes on businesses adds to their cost of doing business and of course that is added to the prices they charge , the standard of living is determined by how productive the supply chain works, the supply chain is the function of business, competitive pressure is always at work to lower cost because that makes for a higher profit, you go to work to put money in your pocket, businesses exist for the same reason, corps/business do not cause inflation they deal with it

Since some folks live on a fixed income, inflation hurts us more than those that have investments that are dependent on high interest rates. Inflation may go down but prices don't. In order to see the damage inflation does, you have to compare today's prices with yesteryear's prices. In many cases prices do not go down, once raised. Creating a personal budget for the year damaged by high inflation rates for retirees on a fixed income means cutting luxuries in order to pay for necessities. Like someone else said, inflation going down, does not mean costs go down. It just means that increases level off, but they do not go back to pre-inflationary prices. I am happy for those that have investments dependent on the stock market when inflation means interest rates go up, that doesn't help everyone else. Damages caused by inflation hardly ever repairs itself. I don't applaud a 3.3% inflation rate, when the damage from accumulated inflation for the last three years will take years to rebound from.

No but they are obviously marking up prices.

Higher Prices
 

I kind of relate to them as Wegmans up north. They are higher priced, but I don’t feel like traveling a lot for groceries.