Old host was costing too much. Substack actually pays at least a little. Non-comment support comes with Substack. Missing many features, but it works. Hopefully they'll add features as time goes on.
"... the declining inflation rate has been accompanied with strong economic growth and 21 months of below-four percent unemployment."
BLAH BLAH BLAH I CAN'T HEAR YOU I HAVE MY FINGERS IN MY EARS AND NEWSMAX ON MY TV REPUGS ARE BETTER FOR THE ECONOMY EVEN IF IT MEANS WE HAVE TO LIVE IN THE FUCKING HANDMAID'S TALE BLAH BLAH CAN'T HEAR YOU BIDEN IS OLLLLLLLLLLLLLLD
ok my little rant - feel free to skip (i know you will) but if the raise in pay doesn't match the raise in cost of living then the figures are meaningless - because the people who spend the most in the economy are the ones at the bottom, not the billionaires - billionaire money goes overseas, not into the local economy. If the 'average' person can't afford to spend on anything but the most basic essentials your economy is not going to be good - we see it in third world countries all the time, we're seeing it our own economy down here, and you're seeing it in yours. Wages MUST meet or slightly exceed cost of living increases if you want to really grow an economy AND promote social health/growth as a nation
I wouldn't say "meaningless" because if inflation was still going at a rapid clip then it would be far worse for those whose pay isn't going up as fast. It's like plugging a leak in your boat--you still have the trouble of all the water you have to bail out, but at least you're not sinking faster.
High prices are still a problem but wage gains are currently outpacing prices--it may take some time to catch up but the trend is going in the right direction.
I think what always gets overlooked in this inflation discussion is that while the inflation rate has slowed prices are still higher than what people were accustomed to pay ing and the tool of the fed in fighting the inflation in many ways is making the problem worse for people
And well some peoples wages have increased they still haven’t increased enough to offset the inflation of the past three years
Really little is being done about Greedflation. Like windfall profits tax and increase SEC anti monopoly enforcement
And a set-off by wages just makes a raise feel like it didn't happen.
It takes about 3-4 years for a sense of New Normal to settle in and that unfortunately coincides with election cycles.
Joe cannot run on "Things are good" - he has to run on "Things are coming back better than everywhere else because we did it right...and we'll continue that because you deserve it."
Most importantly, he has to run on the fact that people are spending - that, not answers to snipey push polls - is the proof of faith in the future.
IOW, insisting that things are good just pissses people off but reflecting their own feelings and actions to them can help.
Companies like Kellogg's, for example, found they could raise their prices by 75 cents for a box of cereal during that period when all sorts of other products raised their prices despite their ingredient costs being flat. Now people are are stuck paying that extra 75 cents above what the cost used to be a couple of years ago, and they wince every time they buy a box of Frosted Flakes.
Gas is down to $2.67 here. I heard on NPR that's because the Chinese economy has slowed so much they are not buying up all the oil. Sucks for them, but I feel fine.
I agree. "Everything is great" just sounds cruel to people who are waiting for wages to catch up to prices. Instead, take the fact that the trend line is good--wages are growing faster than prices--and paint a picture of hope for the future. That was essentially what Reagan did in 1984, when unemployment and inflation were still high, but dropping, so the idea was "morning was here" and things were going in the right direction. Voters felt it too, and agreed.
The other thing is to run on (1) legislation that has curbed inflation already, which Republicans opposed, and (2) further legislative and executive action you are taking to further bring prices down. Challenge Republicans with it, and point out that they are doing everything possible to fuck up the economy. Make it a choice, not a referendum.
One of reagan's first acts when he took office was to end government contracts and make them unfunded mandates. My job was under a government contract. I went from a prevailing wage job to just over minimum wage during that morning in America. His schtick didn't play well for a lot of us who saw through the bullshit. As always, it was great for the 1%.
Just as a wet-blanket aside, I think Americans in general, but Democrats in particular really need to stop emphasizing legislative achievement given the dynamics of the legislative process deliberately limit its ability to do anything really transformative. It's not the Westminster system where it's two readings, committee, third reading and rubber stamp, all with straight up-or-down votes. The cloture rules combined with the bicameral nature of the US legislature means bills will *at best* be watered-down shadows of their former selves before they even get to the President's desk and people are well aware of the gridlock by now.
It's why all the qualifiers are necessary, but also why they're not working. Yeah, we know the IRA is the "biggest climate bill in history". That's an indictment of the history, not a testament to Biden's commitment to resolving climate change.
they should be running ads that scream at the people who are causing the grid lock - oh you wanted better wages? blame the R's you didn't get them. Oh, you wanted to be able to afford that new (whatever) blame the R's cos they won't let you. Oh you wanted to bodily self determination - blame the R's and their abortion bans. I mean its not like we don't have the receipts for those ads
The problem is that there's been enough stories of "bill watered down to appease Machinema" out there that they may realize it's not just the Republicans in the way.
Exactly. The DNC needs to fire whoever is making their commercials and hire the guys that make F150 commercials. Then run those commercials nonstop in every sports event for the next 20 years or so.
JHTDK !! We went thru the worst depression in 1932, 34,36, 38, 40. Then the War 1942,44,46, and NO ONE thought we needed an Orange Glob of Spray Tanned Goop in a Suit to survive, much less any answers to the problems of the day.
I see around here sometimes people ask "When did the Republicans become idiots about almost every issue?"
You guys are just too young. Sigh. 😞
In 1948, no war, Depression over, looked like a walk in the park Kazansky and the Rs to take everything not nailed down.
So what did the Rs offer? Not a single damn thing for working people or even the boys that won the war! So what did Truman do? Run against Dewey? A nice guy, popular guv of NY?
NOPE! He ran against the "Do Nothing Republicans in Congress"!
And as long as you don't read the Chicago Tribune, HE WON!
I'm fine with 2%-4% annual inflation, as long as it's matched by wage and "fixed income" increases. Mild inflation matched with increases in income helps to balance the purchasing power of earned income as opposed to rent-seeking.
Wages, pensions and Social Security haven't gone up nearly as much as prices have the last 3 years.
So, let's fix that right now. And let's direct Jerome Powell to focus the Federal Reserve far less on bailing out Wall Street from thei irresponsible risk-taking; and a lot more on incentivizing wage hikes and letting some air out of housing prices.
Inflation's slowing is nice. A good round of deflation isn't going to happen, so those who work for a living or live on a fixed income are paying the freight for the ownership. The ownership class doesn't need any more charity from the lower 90%, thanks. Let's fix that, then party.
You don't use disqus anymore ?
Old host was costing too much. Substack actually pays at least a little. Non-comment support comes with Substack. Missing many features, but it works. Hopefully they'll add features as time goes on.
No.
Come on NYT, you can write better headlines than that:
Possible Voters Worry "Sissy Biden Might Lose in Tussle to Cage Fighter Markwayne Mullin"
Biden's Calm in Face of Good Economic News Worries Some
Biden's Ignoring our Cletus Safaris is Bad News for Biden.
So the prices I couldn't afford in September only went up by 3.2% in October?
Stop calling greedy profiteering inflation.
It's a Big Fucking Deal, the kind Biden is on the record as approving.
Our negative economic predictions were spoiled by Biden's policies.
"... the declining inflation rate has been accompanied with strong economic growth and 21 months of below-four percent unemployment."
BLAH BLAH BLAH I CAN'T HEAR YOU I HAVE MY FINGERS IN MY EARS AND NEWSMAX ON MY TV REPUGS ARE BETTER FOR THE ECONOMY EVEN IF IT MEANS WE HAVE TO LIVE IN THE FUCKING HANDMAID'S TALE BLAH BLAH CAN'T HEAR YOU BIDEN IS OLLLLLLLLLLLLLLD
ok my little rant - feel free to skip (i know you will) but if the raise in pay doesn't match the raise in cost of living then the figures are meaningless - because the people who spend the most in the economy are the ones at the bottom, not the billionaires - billionaire money goes overseas, not into the local economy. If the 'average' person can't afford to spend on anything but the most basic essentials your economy is not going to be good - we see it in third world countries all the time, we're seeing it our own economy down here, and you're seeing it in yours. Wages MUST meet or slightly exceed cost of living increases if you want to really grow an economy AND promote social health/growth as a nation
I wouldn't say "meaningless" because if inflation was still going at a rapid clip then it would be far worse for those whose pay isn't going up as fast. It's like plugging a leak in your boat--you still have the trouble of all the water you have to bail out, but at least you're not sinking faster.
High prices are still a problem but wage gains are currently outpacing prices--it may take some time to catch up but the trend is going in the right direction.
THIS.
but he's old tho....
Lower inflation means you can all buy one of those.
"Just a fundamentally unserious vehicle."
https://twitter.com/WinslowDumaine/status/1724465018098332088
Bull market is coming strong!
𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝘁, 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀, 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁? 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧
Not for Ol' Handsome Joe, he's 𝘰𝘭𝘥!!1
That cat tho.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behemoth_(Master_and_Margarita)
https://www.google.com/search?q=%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%82+%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%82&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjQxLH3osSCAxXcJFkFHVwXAvMQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%82+%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%82&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECCMQJzIFCAAQgAQyBAgAEB4yBAgAEB4yBAgAEB4yBAgAEB4yBAgAEB4yBAgAEB4yBAgAEB4yBAgAEB46BwgAEBMQgARQrQdY7QpgrA1oAHAAeACAAcUBiAHZApIBAzIuMZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=8NBTZdCMKdzJ5NoP3K6ImA8&bih=969&biw=1920
I see that in the images, he's occasionally depicted with a German pistol.
A Mauser, at that.
our across the street neighbors' last name was Glock.
leave it to us Germans...
I don't like Bulgakov as much as many other Russians do. But he's funny as fuck.
I think what always gets overlooked in this inflation discussion is that while the inflation rate has slowed prices are still higher than what people were accustomed to pay ing and the tool of the fed in fighting the inflation in many ways is making the problem worse for people
And well some peoples wages have increased they still haven’t increased enough to offset the inflation of the past three years
Really little is being done about Greedflation. Like windfall profits tax and increase SEC anti monopoly enforcement
But prices still feel high.
And a set-off by wages just makes a raise feel like it didn't happen.
It takes about 3-4 years for a sense of New Normal to settle in and that unfortunately coincides with election cycles.
Joe cannot run on "Things are good" - he has to run on "Things are coming back better than everywhere else because we did it right...and we'll continue that because you deserve it."
Most importantly, he has to run on the fact that people are spending - that, not answers to snipey push polls - is the proof of faith in the future.
IOW, insisting that things are good just pissses people off but reflecting their own feelings and actions to them can help.
Companies like Kellogg's, for example, found they could raise their prices by 75 cents for a box of cereal during that period when all sorts of other products raised their prices despite their ingredient costs being flat. Now people are are stuck paying that extra 75 cents above what the cost used to be a couple of years ago, and they wince every time they buy a box of Frosted Flakes.
Gas is down to $2.67 here. I heard on NPR that's because the Chinese economy has slowed so much they are not buying up all the oil. Sucks for them, but I feel fine.
i don't think he's trying to run an 'everything is good' message tho - he's not that naive
I agree. "Everything is great" just sounds cruel to people who are waiting for wages to catch up to prices. Instead, take the fact that the trend line is good--wages are growing faster than prices--and paint a picture of hope for the future. That was essentially what Reagan did in 1984, when unemployment and inflation were still high, but dropping, so the idea was "morning was here" and things were going in the right direction. Voters felt it too, and agreed.
The other thing is to run on (1) legislation that has curbed inflation already, which Republicans opposed, and (2) further legislative and executive action you are taking to further bring prices down. Challenge Republicans with it, and point out that they are doing everything possible to fuck up the economy. Make it a choice, not a referendum.
One of reagan's first acts when he took office was to end government contracts and make them unfunded mandates. My job was under a government contract. I went from a prevailing wage job to just over minimum wage during that morning in America. His schtick didn't play well for a lot of us who saw through the bullshit. As always, it was great for the 1%.
He can also point to the major legislation that passed that is rebuilding things, providing jobs and making everyday life better.
Just as a wet-blanket aside, I think Americans in general, but Democrats in particular really need to stop emphasizing legislative achievement given the dynamics of the legislative process deliberately limit its ability to do anything really transformative. It's not the Westminster system where it's two readings, committee, third reading and rubber stamp, all with straight up-or-down votes. The cloture rules combined with the bicameral nature of the US legislature means bills will *at best* be watered-down shadows of their former selves before they even get to the President's desk and people are well aware of the gridlock by now.
It's why all the qualifiers are necessary, but also why they're not working. Yeah, we know the IRA is the "biggest climate bill in history". That's an indictment of the history, not a testament to Biden's commitment to resolving climate change.
they should be running ads that scream at the people who are causing the grid lock - oh you wanted better wages? blame the R's you didn't get them. Oh, you wanted to be able to afford that new (whatever) blame the R's cos they won't let you. Oh you wanted to bodily self determination - blame the R's and their abortion bans. I mean its not like we don't have the receipts for those ads
WFM is just a bitter, argumentative Canadian. Don't waste the pixels on him.
The problem is that there's been enough stories of "bill watered down to appease Machinema" out there that they may realize it's not just the Republicans in the way.
There is no excuse for not already running ads in which real people talk about great changes in their own lives from these.
Exactly. The DNC needs to fire whoever is making their commercials and hire the guys that make F150 commercials. Then run those commercials nonstop in every sports event for the next 20 years or so.
Rant and Rave for the day.
JHTDK !! We went thru the worst depression in 1932, 34,36, 38, 40. Then the War 1942,44,46, and NO ONE thought we needed an Orange Glob of Spray Tanned Goop in a Suit to survive, much less any answers to the problems of the day.
I see around here sometimes people ask "When did the Republicans become idiots about almost every issue?"
You guys are just too young. Sigh. 😞
In 1948, no war, Depression over, looked like a walk in the park Kazansky and the Rs to take everything not nailed down.
So what did the Rs offer? Not a single damn thing for working people or even the boys that won the war! So what did Truman do? Run against Dewey? A nice guy, popular guv of NY?
NOPE! He ran against the "Do Nothing Republicans in Congress"!
And as long as you don't read the Chicago Tribune, HE WON!
R. B. Bennett on line 1.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._B._Bennett
Thanks.
I'm fine with 2%-4% annual inflation, as long as it's matched by wage and "fixed income" increases. Mild inflation matched with increases in income helps to balance the purchasing power of earned income as opposed to rent-seeking.
Wages, pensions and Social Security haven't gone up nearly as much as prices have the last 3 years.
So, let's fix that right now. And let's direct Jerome Powell to focus the Federal Reserve far less on bailing out Wall Street from thei irresponsible risk-taking; and a lot more on incentivizing wage hikes and letting some air out of housing prices.
Inflation's slowing is nice. A good round of deflation isn't going to happen, so those who work for a living or live on a fixed income are paying the freight for the ownership. The ownership class doesn't need any more charity from the lower 90%, thanks. Let's fix that, then party.
Yep