What is affordability; less inflation?

I do little shopping these days because we live in a retirement community, so I'm not up on inflation and "affordability." I noticed the eggs in my refrigerator had a November "do not sell by" stamp, so I bought a dozen and threw out 7. At Aldi's a dozen eggs were $1.25 Sunday. I remember when Democrats were blaming President Trump for egg prices still being $5/doz when he'd only been in office 3 weeks! Gasoline in Columbus is about $2.70 a gallon today--about the same as last year.

Is there really a housing crisis?

Why is everything a crisis? Like the affordability crisis? The age of first home purchase has increased to 38. We were 22 when we bought our first house, a run down duplex. Dual incomes were the exception until 2nd wave feminism in the 70s when women were told to go to work to have value (and to pay more taxes). We were thrilled to have renters pay our mortgage! It needed a lot of sweat equity and a loan from my dad.

 
Young people today want much more. They marry later and have huge college loans--even their parents are still paying off loans! They want nice cars--and need 2 or 3. We didn't take trips, buy nice cars, go out to eat, or dress well. For a long time we were "house poor." I get this uneasy feeling that when the government steps in to "fix" housing, things get worse, like 2007-2008 subprime crisis, or building "affordable" neighborhoods (that aren't). We had run away consumerism and inflation--keeping up with the Jones. In America, you really can have it all--just not all at the same time.

This complex https://www.apartments.com/fox-and-hounds-columbus-oh/cvfs42e/ is about 50 years old. Based on inflation since 1967, it's less than the 2 bdrm 1 bath unit we rented in 1967 after we sold our house in Illinois and moved to Columbus . What is affordability? We had one income (because a wife's income wasn't factored in the housing costs in those days). The dollar had an average inflation rate of 4.00% per year between 1967 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 869.99%, or our $140 rent would be like $1360 in 2025.

Why did so many women vote for Trump?

Although I haven't read it yet, First Things has an article "How Trump won over women voters."  How Trump Won Over Women Voters | Rachel Bovard | First Things I'll give my own opinion and read it later--usually you can read that excellent religion and culture journal free for one or two times.

 
My take. Although highly paid and over-educated women as a group do lean to the left and are easily led because they are too busy with career and kids to carefully research the issues of the day, most women care about their budget, their children's education, their neighborhood, the safety of their families and community, and they love being women. They may love men, but don't want to compete with them for restroom facilities or athletic scholarships. Also, they don't like wimpy, childish men. Really.

 
That would sum up a Trump voter, or at least a voter who realized Harris didn't align with their values no matter who was running against her. Women voters knew, because Harris said so, that she was the last person in the room when Joe signed off on the Afghanistan bug out, when he showed the world how weak and feckless he was throwing us into 2 wars with no vote from Congress, and how she went along with the country lock down mandates, how the churches closed without a whimper from fear, and how children were unnecessarily forced to get the jab or be locked out of their schools and athletic events. Women voters saw other women being cancelled for speaking out or deciding not to run for school board or city council out of fear of retaliation. Women voters saw their own grocery bills and housing costs soar while illegals were being housed and fed in hotels. https://nypost.com/.../nyc-now-using-14-hotels-to-house.../

"In the real world, where the vast majority of American women actually live, this shift was inevitable. Most American women are turning to the right because the elite left has turned against most American women.

According to exit polls, women voters’ top concerns in 2024 were the economy and “threats to our democracy.” By contrast, Democrats’ top campaign messages were “abortion-on-demand” and “Orange Man Bad.” 

Maybe their marching song instead of "I am woman hear me roar" (1972) became "I am woman respect my body and my vote" (2024).

Are you voting Progressive in 2024?

You are voting progressive in 2024. These are the issues you wish to impose on me.

socialism
intersectionality
The national religion of woke
gender surgery for minors
abortion into the 9th month
freedom of speech restricted
religious rights restricted
2nd amendment destroyed
larger and more powerful government at all levels
inflationary income tax increases
taxes on unrealized gains
lawfare--weaponization of the law
laws and regulations based on skin color and ethnicity
males stealing athletic scholarships from females
sexually explicit books required for young readers
drag queen parades, shows and story hours
no national borders
destruction of democratic process for election of officials
packing Supreme Court
dismantling the electoral college so only largest metro areas vote

And now we have a collapsed bridge at an important port

 

Inflation 1973-2023 in my recipe box

Today I was looking through my recipe box (sort of a historical archive now since I rarely bake) for something cobbler like/lite and found a recipe for cheesecake that serves 12 by my cousin Judy who lives in Winnebago, IL and grew up in Byron. It was dated August, 1973, so I have no idea why we were exchanging recipes. Our big family reunion was 20 years later and for that she contributed some from her mother, Aunt Gladys (d. 1976). Anyway, I'm not going to make a cheesecake, but on the back of the card I noted the prices. Things have changed a bit in 50 years. Pie filling (for topping) .59; Dream Whip .26; graham crackers .23; cream cheese .55. It seems I didn't count the sugar, eggs, and butter because I probably had that on hand (called homemaker math). It's in my handwriting, so I probably copied it to fit in this tiny box for 3 x 5 cards.

Some on FB are old enough to remember the nightmare of stagflation of the 1970s--high inflation, high unemployment, and low growth. In 1973 the average rate of inflation for food prices was over 13%. In August 1973 when I noted the prices, the food inflation rate was 18.2%! That may be why I noted the costs on the card. Compare that to 2023 food prices which was 5.8% for the year. The killer rate we all remember (and blame Biden for) was about 10% for 2022. I blame this primarily on the lockdown which really messed up all levels of the economy as well as health.

Data are from https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/food-inflation-in-the-united-states/? 

Are apartments more expensive than 1967?

I've been watching the real estate values. Right now mortgage rates are really high, although nothing like the 80s. Then I saw a chart that showed renting is cheaper than buying right now. Although I'm math challenged, I did a bit of real estate snooping.

If you want to live in Lancaster, OH or Marion, OH you can find a fixer upper under $50,000, although one had no walls or plumbing fixtures. Nice property near Springfield, OH on 8 acres with several barns, quiet road, and a 4 bedroom house that didn't look too bad for $400,000.

Then I did an inflation calculation and looked at townhomes in our first Upper Arlington neighborhood. In 1967 I think we paid $150 a month for 2 bdrms, 1 bath, living room, dining room, kitchen, basement unfinished, and 1 car garage. Using inflation calculator that's $1,366 in 2023. I poked around the rental listings for this month and found one almost the same (nice) neighborhood near shopping and schools and park for $1,395. But it had a finished room in the basement, a dishwasher, and breakfast bar and the kitchen was updated with granite tops (appeared to be older cabinets). No garage. So essentially, the same, trading a room in the basement for garage for the 1967 model.

 
Of course, in 1967 I had the advantage of living on the same street as Arlene, but we didn't find that out until about 6 years ago (Lakeside neighbor).

Home buyers are much older today than in 1962 when we did it

What would the media do without a constant stream of crises? Home buyers are getting older! Sure, we were first time buyers at 22 with a baby in tow, but that was an important value for my generation. Today? Hey, at 22 they are still hanging out in college or back packing in Europe, waiting for Joe to pay their college loans. Even at 35, a lot of young adults prefer granite countertops, a gym and a swimming pool they can get with their pricey rental. Our first home was a duplex with a dirt floor basement and no garage. You only make money in real estate if someone else is paying the mortgage.

"Repeat buyers were a median age of 58 in 2023, while first-time buyers were 35, per National Association of Realtors annual data released this week."

America's first-time and repeat homeowners are getting older (axios.com)

                                    First home on White St. , 40+ years later--many changes.

The cost of food--still grateful

 Sometimes I need to remind myself that we in the U.S. still have plentiful, and inexpensive food, despite what Joe Biden is trying to do to the economy in the name of climate change.  I just spent $25.05 at Aldi's.  I buy a lot of fresh things there (and a few bakery items), and it's only a mile from my home. Ohio doesn't tax food, and recently removed tax on disposable diapers. 

Dozen mini muffins blueberry         3.45

10 gourmet choc chunk cookies      2.19

Cantaloupe chunks 16 oz                 3.29

Pineapple spears 16 oz                     3.49

Butternut squash 2.03 lb                   1.81

Sweet onions 2 lb.                            1.89

Yellow potatoes, small                      3.49

Bananas,  1.55 lb   .41/lb                    .64 

1/2 gal. whole milk                            1.61

Orange juice  1.6 qt                          3.19

According to move.org (a moving company) "The average cost of groceries in America in 2023 is $415.53 a month per person1. [Ohio is $392.59 per person a month.] However, this number can vary greatly depending on factors like age and personal eating habits. Location is another important—though potentially surprising—factor in determining food costs. Groceries cost more in some US cities and states than others." How Much Does Food Cost in the US? | Move.org

Nerd Wallet says:  "Have food prices been rising? Absolutely. Thanks to a combination of inflation, pandemic-related supply-chain disruptions and tariffs on certain foreign imports, food prices have steadily risen since 2020.

But inflation has been slowing in the past year and the latest data shows the cost of groceries aren’t rising as fast as they once were.

Food prices rose 3.7% between September 2022 and September 2023, according to the most recent consumer price index (CPI) report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By comparison, at the same time in 2022 prices rose 11.2% over a one-year period." The Cost of Groceries: Are Food Prices Going Up? - NerdWallet

Biden's inflation, April report

 Broken down more specifically, here's which indexes continue to show the greatest inflation in the 12 months that ended in April: 

• financial services - 8.4 percent
• apparel services - 9.2 percent
• delivery services - 7.4 percent
• fees for lessons or instructions - 12.1 percent
• veterinarian services - 10.2 percent
• motor vehicle insurance - 15.5 percent
• motor vehicle repair - 20.2 percent
• transportation services - 11.0 percent
• rent of primary residence - 8.8 percent 
• stationary and gift wrap - 9.7 percent
• pet food - 14.6 percent
• medical equipment and supplies - 9.9 percent
• motor oil - 13.1 percent
• household paper products - 11.9 percent
• outdoor equipment and supplies - 12.1 percent
• electricity - 8.4 percent
• food at elementary and secondary schools - 296.0 percent
• spices, condiments, and sauces - 10.3 percent
• salad dressing - 14.8 percent
• margarine - 23.8 percent
• carbonated drinks - 11.9 percent
• eggs - 21.4 percent
• crackers and bread - 13.1 percent
• cereal - 11.3 percent

296% for food in schools?
Latest Inflation Report Is More Bad News for Biden (townhall.com)

Schools struggle to provide meals for kids as inflation sends food costs soaring - CBS News

No change in how awful Joe Biden is.

Boston Herald Editorial, September 19, 2021 Opinion by Peter Lucas

Joe Biden could have been a good president. All he had to do was leave things alone. Instead, he blundered into the office and wrecked the country

He is like the guy on a Boeing 747 high over the Atlantic Ocean who breaks into the cockpit and says, "I can fly this thing" "You don't have to, Joe," the pilot says, "It's on autopilot. It flies itself. You know, computers." Undeterred, Joe presses buttons and flips switches. The plane goes into a nosedive.
Which is where we are today. You don't put a guy like this in control.

He is President Doom Everything he touches goes bad. And nothing is his fault. He took an energy-independent country and turned it into a nation begging Saudi Arabia and Venezuela for oil. Gasoline prices hit the roof and inflation soared. But it is not his fault.

He forgot how he preened on Day One of his presidency, launching his war on domestic produced energy in favor of his Green Dream of a fossil fuel free world. Biden, John Kerry, his climate change czar, and the progressives would have you believe that the world will come to an end unless their anti-fossil fuel agenda adopted.

Yes, the world may come to an end. But the chances are the end will come sooner from the unleashing of nuclear weapons then it will come from the use of fossil fuels. But you do not hear politicians like Biden or Kerry talk much about doing away with nuclear weapons. On the contrary. Biden is reopening nuclear negotiations with Iran which will eventually lead to the Iranians having a nuclear bomb. This is the country where its religious fanatics have promised to use its first nuclear weapon on Israel and the second on the United States. If I were to bet, I would wager on the world ending in a nuclear bang before closing out in a fossil fuel whimper. Meanwhile, the rest of the world keeps pumping away, and the American people suffer. But it is not Biden's fault. It is Vladimir Putin and his war in Ukraine who is to blame, not Joe Biden.

Joe Biden took a working and strict border policy left to him by Donald Trump and turned it into a humanitarian disaster. Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from countries around the world are pouring into the United States and nobody is stopping them. And many of them are dying along the way. Bidens's decision to do away with border enforcement has also greatly facilitated the smuggling tons of drugs into the county, including deadly fentanyl from China that is killing many unsuspecting Americans. But that is not his fault either. It was Trump's racist border policy that caused all the problems. Besides, he assigned Kamala Harris to get to the root of the problem.

Biden also authored the ill-conceived and humiliating pullout from Afghanistan, causing the unnecessary death of 13 Americans at the chaotic Kabul airport, leaving hundreds of Americans, abandoning thousands of Afghan allies, and throwing he country into the chaotic hands of the Taliban. Naturally, he blamed Trump, which nobody bought The next thing you know Joe Biden will be blaming Putin for the Supreme Court's decision to send the abortion issue back to the states. Putin somehow must have gotten Trump to appoint three conservatives to the court in order to roil the country.

According to Biden, the "one thing" that has destabilized the country under his leadership has not been soaring gasoline prices, inflation, the open border, the shameful retreat in Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine, the frightening rising crime rate or the pandemic, but "the outrageous behavior" of the Supreme Court on the abortion issue.

The court did not destabilize the country. Joe Biden did. This man does not belong in the cockpit.

Peter Lucas is a veteran Massachusetts political reporter and columnist.

Speaking of inflation

Tonight, I was sorting through old bills--really old--like over 60 year old invoices and cancelled checks. Fuel oil, lumber, paint, furniture, taxes, insurance. Then I came across a cancelled check for a restaurant dated Sept. 11, 1961, our first anniversary. I remember it well. I was 8.5 months pregnant and could barely sit close enough to the table to eat. I was wearing my one nice outfit, a light brown 2 piece with a white fluffy blouse. But the check was for $7.00. I thought that couldn't be right, so I ran it through an inflation calculator (Federal Reserve). $7.00 in 1961 came to $70.04 in 2023, for 900.4% inflation. To double check I used a U.S. CPI inflation calculator, but it wouldn't do March 2023, so I had to use December 2022, which was $69.25.  Close enough.

California dreaming

Why are eggs so expensive in California? Over regulation for animal rights drives out egg farms.

Why are there so many homeless people in California? Over regulation of housing to meet green goals so only the rich live in neighborhoods that meet those requirements.

Why are there so many fires in California? Over regulation of forests to protect the environment. 

Why is gasoline so costly in California? Higher gas taxes to feed a hungry bureaucracy.

California's economy is larger than Germany's. Why are there so many poor people? Democrats.

Bidenflation--now costing about $7,000 per household

Biden's bungling of the economy (shutting down fossil fuel sources, screwing up trade deals, flooding the borders with job seekers, sex workers, and criminals, making us dependent on foreigners who hate us) has cost the average family $7,000 a year. Now he's bragging that inflation is leveling off. Lies, lies.

https://www.dailysignal.com/2022/12/13/average-american-family-has-effectively-lost-7100-biden-economist-says/

Biden’s six favorite lies about inflation and the economy | The Hill

Biden claims inflation 'averaged 2%' after data shows 8.2% (nypost.com)

The Full List Of Every Lie Biden Has Told As President: 139 And Counting (thefederalist.com)

Words, words, words.

Words have always been political. No language has more words than English/American. But with today's deconstruction and destabilization of the 19th century Marxist thinkers, you particularly have to be careful about words. Take no words home to meet your parents until you know what they mean to your grandchildren (my proverb I just made up).

"Gender affirming care" is actually legalized child abuse which includes toxic hormones for children, and amputation of body parts. Pay no attention to those "medical" associations that approve it. There are virtually zero/zip clinical or long term studies, only hunches and hopes, what these zombized lab specimens will be when they are 80.

"Respect for marriage act" is exactly the opposite. It intends to enshrine same sex or any sex or any number of genders or any species into formal, cultural recognition of a relationship which will criminalize you if you don't agree. The most primitive of societies in the most far reaching regions and religions always had a way to formalize a marriage between men and women. They weren't confused. They knew concubines, mistresses, male temple prostitutes and adolescent boys who were sex toys of older men were not marriage partners. They were sex objects. Marriage was for the creation of a family, for procreation, even if that culture had no knowledge of Christ, Moses or Mohammed or a named Hindu God or gods. There are some things pre-history people knew that we're trying to legislate away today in order to destabilize society.

"Inflation Reduction Act" is exactly the opposite. Only governments create inflation, and only governments increase inflation by expanding the supply of money. Both the Trump and Biden administrations threw unreasonable amounts of money at the pandemic on the advice of people who claimed to know how to stop a virus. They then burdened the people who make the money and give it to the government in taxes with lockdowns. Even churches took money to stay closed--the very people we trusted with our souls and our first amendment.

"Climate change" is one of those, of course it does, phrases. But the political meaning is very different than the words. It actually means there is a huge cloud of power hungry bureaucrats who have enlisted science, entertainment, information giants and massive corporations to convince you the tax payer to believe puny, insignificant people, can control the universe. These are the same people who can't define a woman or properly fund the police or can use an attack on Paul Pelosi while police were in house to accuse Trump supporters.

So that's my word story for today. Now a few words from a career librarian: to the victor belong the archives. If you have to go to the victor (Biden administration, Bush, Obama, Clinton, JFK, LBJ, FDR, etc.) to get your information (data, knowledge, news reports, archives), you better have your eye on a deeper understanding of TRUTH before you start your journey.

-------------comment

"Gender affirming care" is probably the biggest lie, biggest inversion of language I can imagine. It's as fake as the penis that is inverted to create a vulva and then call the male victim an actual girl. You don't need a class or lecture in medical ethics to know that the doctors, nurses, and "counselors" are creating, not treating, Frankensteins. To call this abuse "bottom surgery" is absurd. If they actually told the truth of what they are doing, eyes would pop. And if you say "follow the money" and it enriches a huge chain of medical and support staff and leads back to the pharmaceutical companies who will then have a patient--or thousands of patients--for life with bad bones, bad kidneys, bad hearts from hormone blockers--the perps will pull out all those obfuscating terms for compassion and kindness and accuse you of being hateful, of being "transphobic." Would a ethical doctor amputate a leg if a patient demanded it? Why are they amputating breasts of young, under age girls?

And btw, why do lesbians and homosexuals want these goons and abusers in their camp? Haven't they spent decades claiming they are not pedophiles, and now they take the T and the Q into their acronym?

White suburban women move to the right 27 percentage points

So white liberal suburban women are turning away from the Democrats. Good for them. It would seem that these women can be mama bears after all. Perhaps pushing boys onto girls' athletic teams and into their locker rooms is not such a great draw when momma had hopes her little girl could get a college athletic scholarship or place in the Olympics. Women who were always pro-choice perhaps figured out there was something different than expelling a 6 week old fetus with 2 pills than chopping up a 9 month unborn baby ready to take her place in life. Or maybe she knows some kids dead from fentanyl grown in China and brought through the loosey-goosey Biden border by Mexican drug cartels. Locking their kids out of school and forcing them to wear masks when all the "science" showed it was not only bad for the kids, it was a huge money maker for Big Pharma, and a peek at the sort of power grabs the Democrat Party has in store for the future. And never forget, even the upper middle class mom goes to the grocery store and gas station. They went to college. They know it is government policy that creates inflation.

White Suburban Women voters are shifting to Republicans in 2022  – USA Herald

WSJ Poll: White Suburban Women Shift 15 Points In Favor Of Republicans In Congress | The Daily Wire

News of the day

" Criminals discovered that 2011 to 2021 Kias and 2015 to 2021 Hyundais equipped with ignitions that use a physical key, rather than a wireless key fob and push-button, could be started by using the tip of a USB cable, and the technique was posted online last year. Tens of thousands of the cars have been stolen since, some of them by teens not even old enough to have a driver's license." Fox News

And speaking of keys and stealing, I've been locked out of my Facebook account. A friend asked if it was a hack to steal my information, but I suspect that because I've been a member for over 10 years, the old timers never gave away as much as the newer enrollees. Now it wants a cell number so it can check to see if it's really me signing in. Hmmm. Sounds like a way to harvest phone numbers and sell them. My friend Connie (I have her e-mail address) told me it has happened to her, but she is able to use her cell phone to log-in, so maybe I'll try that. Other friends (Justine, Bev, and Dena) say they've not had that message.

And speaking of hacks, don't ever try that one to silence the beep on your microwave. It really works, and now how to get it back! You never know how important they are until you lose them.

Mike Huckabee suggests the government's motives for taking Mike Lindell's cellphone and what's happening with inflation. Morning Edition - September 22 - Latest News - Mike Huckabee As a retiree on a fixed income we do worry about inflation. And as an American, I am concerned about how the Biden administration is punishing anyone who questioned the 2020 election--although not all the Democrats like Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, or Stacy Abrams who questioned elections they didn't win before 2020.

"A federal watchdog on Thursday found that fraudsters may have stolen $45.6 billion from the nation’s unemployment insurance program during the pandemic, using the Social Security numbers of dead people and other tactics to deceive and bilk the U.S. government." Washington Post.  Am I shocked?  Nope. There was so much graft, greed and corruption in the Covid pandemic it's just crazy. 

Elizabeth Truss, new Prime Minister UK

My friend Bill (from high school) says: "UK voters have to be thrilled! Their newly elected Prime minister, Elizabeth Truss, announced today massive changes for the UK. The UK is now suffering from 14% inflation and high energy cost we can not even understand. She is cutting income taxes as well as adjusting the income tax scheduled levels which will further reduce income taxes on citizens of the UK. In addition she is opening up fracking immediately to address the energy situation the population faces. There are other changes as well to address the problems the UK faces. You will not get any news in the USA on these changes as it is a total embarrassment to the present administration in the USA. Can the UK take over the world leadership ,position that the USA continues to destroy ? As we move into a second class country lead by the current administration we continue on our down ward direction and in many ways based upon our supply situation moving to a third class country. I don't know if the UK can supply enough energy to fill the void from Russia as the USA could have ,but it is very interesting. Prime Minister Truss immediately takes over a positive imagine in the image of Margaret Thatcher as well as being compared to Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump in terms of positive change employed in a speedy fashion."

What do you think? Why aren't we in a position to supply energy? That's a trick question. We all know it is Biden.

Don't be distracted

 

The misnamed Inflation Reduction Act

It's no shock to me that this Inflation Reduction Act is the opposite of the words, but a tax grab--exactly the intention of the Democrats. It's the government that got us into this mess by throwing money at anything that moved from 2019-2022, and that includes the Trump years.

"Using the Tax Foundation’s General Equilibrium Model, we estimate that the Inflation Reduction Act would reduce long-run economic output by about 0.1 percent and eliminate about 30,000 full-time equivalent jobs in the United States. It would also reduce average after-tax incomes for taxpayers across every income quintile over the long run.

By reducing long-run economic growth, this bill may actually worsen inflation by constraining the productive capacity of the economy." https://taxfoundation.org/inflation-reduction-act/