Watch out for price gouging....

[Sstashmoo]

Just an observation I've made lately. Many area businesses are increasing their prices significantly. As if they are trying to recoup the losses of their shrinking customer base on what is left. Some have almost doubled their prices on certain items. Has anyone else noticed this trend?

[Bobl]

Not yet. I just purchased a gallon of milk and a box of generic "Cheerios" with a five dollar bill, and received change.
But wait. When the inevitable inflation and likely devaluation of the dollar kicks in soon, those will cost more than ten dollars, as they did during the inflationary period that followed the Vietnam absurdity, back when the silly "W.I.N. [[Whip Inflation Now) campaign was started.

[Detroitej72]

Gas is starting its annual summer driving season rate hike. And I'm sure it wont be long before some storm causes fruit prices to drastically increase.

I expect anything that is packaged in petroleum based products to continue rising to the stratosphere as well.

[Ray1936]

Well, anything to help increase the lousy .65 percent my savings acount is currently accruing. [[That's POINT 65, not 65%. I wish)

[Bigb23]

I only shop advertised food specials now, and everything else is out of consideration because of hefty price increases over the past few years. Thank god they keep some food basics cheap to get you in the store. But of course, thats killing the small farmers . I just wish I had an Aldi's closer to me. And restaurants are just out of the question until regular, full time work is available.

[ccbatson]

Bobl..you have your head in the sand. Oil prices, interest rates, more government spending must produce inflation over time [[months).

[Bobl]

Bobl..you have your head in the sand. Oil prices, interest rates, more government spending must produce inflation over time [[months).

Bats, Bats, please reread the post. This is one rare instance where there is some agreement between us. The whole point of the post was that the inflation was certainly on the way, and any price increases that might have already been noticed are small compared to the future.

"...But wait. When the inevitable inflation and likely devaluation of the dollar kicks in soon, those will cost more than ten dollars, as they did during the inflationary period that followed the Vietnam absurdity..."

[ccbatson]

My error, then we do have some common ground. Some other liberals on Dyes have been denying the core economic principles that lead to the conclusion of inevitable inflation resulting from Obama's policies/spending...I mistook you for one of those liberals.

[Bobl]

Well, anything to help increase the lousy .65 percent my savings acount is currently accruing. [[That's POINT 65, not 65%. I wish)

Count your blessings, Ray. That .65% is much better than my return. I have been spending down my savings for a negative return for months now, while looking for work!

When a job is found, though, I would like to buy you, Bigb23 and tponetom a Marcus Burger!

[Lorax]

Yes, I too, have seen this trend. Businesses especially the hardest hit industries, mom & pop's, etc, have raised their prices in order to make up, [[or so they think) the difference in what they would have made in better times.

Journeymen, tradesfolks, etc, are the ones I've noticed raising prices, and getting work done faster as well. However, I think this is a double edged sword- it can have the opposite effect too.

[ccbatson]

It [[inflation) begins this way folks.

[Bobl]

My error, then we do have some common ground. Some other liberals on Dyes have been denying the core economic principles that lead to the conclusion of inevitable inflation resulting from Obama's policies/spending...I mistook you for one of those liberals.

Actually, I go back to the Power To The People days. It took five seconds to decide whether I was going to be part of the problem, or part of the solution. Kick Out The Jams!
...And the spending was started by Bush, when he started the ridiculous war in Iraq while literally kissing the Saudi Prince [[now King) after 16 Saudis attacked us.

[ccbatson]

Yes, GWB spent too much...Obama, however, has gone absolutely insane on spending, to the point that the whole economy may not be able to sustain it.

[Lorax]

Bush left Obama no choices in the matter. He started the final push down the hill, and with the government being the investor of last resort, and as history has proven, you need to spend your way out of a depression, and it's the only way.

Obama's choices were bad, and worse.

Obama's mistake in all of this was not allowing Wall Street to go bankrupt as he should. The banks needed to be washed out and rebuilt from the ground up with dense regulation.

Nationalizing new banks would have bee the best thing for America, with public utilities, airlines, oil companies, pharmaceutical companies, and the like added to the list of nationalized industries.

Capitalism destroyed itself, and us in the process, and now it's time for the people to take back control of their government.
Removing any and all politicians who allow themselves to be bought and paid for would be a start.

Public financing of elections should be carved in stone.

Hugo Chavez has the right idea. Don't even tell me he's any more aggregious an individual that George Bush and Dick Cheney were. If Bush/Cheney had been able to, they would have further consolidated power more that they did, and we would have ended up with a first class autocracy, one run by corporatists, not liberals who would have done the people's business first.

You Rethugnicans crapped in your own nests, and now all of us have to pay the price.

[Ray1936]

When a job is found, though, I would like to buy you, Bigb23 and tponetom a Marcus Burger!

Oooooo.....get that job! Being a burger junkie, I'll gladly accept!

[mjs]

Bush left Obama no choices in the matter. He started the final push down the hill, and with the government being the investor of last resort, and as history has proven, you need to spend your way out of a depression, and it's the only way.

Bush and Obama are both to blame, but additional programs like universal health care weren't there before Bush so Obama has to take responsibility for his unprecedented programs. When have the Feds ever successfully spent our way out of a depression or even out of a recession? Like the myth on carrots and eye sight, its just propaganda that lived on beyond its original intent.

[Sstashmoo]

Quote: "Removing any and all politicians who allow themselves to be bought and paid for would be a start."

Good luck with that. I think that would mean replacing the entire government. Lobbying/bribery should have been ceased a long time ago. Sounds as though Obama is taking on the insurance Lobby. Hopefully, they have realized that it is time to do something. McCain Feingold addressed that very issue. Unfortunately that's about the only good idea he's had, that I'm aware of.

[mjs]

Are you sure he's hurting the insurance industry? They give him $2.2 million. Hospitals gave him $3.2 million and Health Professionals gave him $11.5 million. http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/in...&cid=N00009638

How many people have you heard were expected to drop their private insurance to get his government insurance? When are people going to understand that insurance is just a pass through and nothing more? A ten percent raise on them is just a ten percent raise on their policy holders and a ten percent savings to them is a ten percent savings to their policy holders. They make a fair profit because its fairly low risk. They know they'll always make a profit since the best statiticians in the world work for them and insurance is all about the odds. They are the house.

[oladub]

McCain-Feingold = the encumbents' protection act

Businesses, labor unions, and other interests get what they pay for. This, in turn, makes prices climb. Opensecrests.org does a good job of listing candidate donors. Anyone who wants to find out who owns a candidate can just look up his/her top twenty donors on Opensecrets. No legisation required.

Congressional list. Go to 'donors" tab.
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicia...php?congno=111

[Sstashmoo]

Quote: "McCain-Feingold = the encumbents' protection act"

Good one and now it makes sense, thanks.

[Lorax]

Bush and Obama are both to blame, but additional programs like universal health care weren't there before Bush so Obama has to take responsibility for his unprecedented programs. When have the Feds ever successfully spent our way out of a depression or even out of a recession? Like the myth on carrots and eye sight, its just propaganda that lived on beyond its original intent.

No, Bush is to blame.

I love how so many think blame is magically evenly spread around. It's not.

For your information, the Feds successfully spent us out of the Great Depression. Roosevelt's WPA and the CCC did more to galvanize people behind the idea of a mutually shared future than anything else.

As for universal health care, the funds are there to pay for it. Let the Bush tax cuts expire, pare back military spending on unnecessary materiel, end the Iraq occupation, and you'll have more than enough.

[firstandten]

Great points as usual Lorax

Bush left Obama no choices in the matter. He started the final push down the hill, and with the government being the investor of last resort, and as history has proven, you need to spend your way out of a depression, and it's the only way.

Stimulus bills are the SOP for countries wanting to jumpstart their economy. Just Google and your will find numerous countries and their stimulus packages namely China. If Obama is to be faulted its because he didn't spend enough.

Obama's mistake in all of this was not allowing Wall Street to go bankrupt as he should. The banks needed to be washed out and rebuilt from the ground up with dense regulation.

I believe the reason he didn't is because of the interconnected nature of the AIG's of the world would have caused a world wide financial crash. We are not just talking about us but countries that deal with us on a financial basis would have been burned also. Its not like a regular bank where it could go bankrupt on Friday and the Fed would take it over and it would be open under a different name on Monday and the depositors money would be safe. With a world wide crash this recession most definitely would turn into a depression

[Lorax]

Great points as usual Lorax



Stimulus bills are the SOP for countries wanting to jumpstart their economy. Just Google and your will find numerous countries and their stimulus packages namely China. If Obama is to be faulted its because he didn't spend enough.



I believe the reason he didn't is because of the interconnected nature of the AIG's of the world would have caused a world wide financial crash. We are not just talking about us but countries that deal with us on a financial basis would have been burned also. Its not like a regular bank where it could go bankrupt on Friday and the Fed would take it over and it would be open under a different name on Monday and the depositors money would be safe. With a world wide crash this recession most definitely would turn into a depression

I'd say you're probably right, so perhaps Obama could have just nationalized the existing banks that were in need of TARP funding, and that would have been a better result than "business as usual" which is what's happening now.

Today it was announced on CNN among others, that Citibank is paying 50 million in bonuses to it's executives out of the funding we, the taxpayers gave them. This is just another example of the tone-deaf, and frankly, fascist tactics of a disconnected Wall Street.

This should not be allowed. Citibank is one of the banks that should have been nationalized.

I know more people shedding their investments in, and deposits with Citibank due to issues like bogus withdrawls, overcharges to credit cards, unannounced loan shark rate hikes, etc.

This is just another example of why no one should put trust in our current banking system.

[oladub]

No, Bush is to blame.

I love how so many think blame is magically evenly spread around. It's not.

For your information, the Feds successfully spent us out of the Great Depression. Roosevelt's WPA and the CCC did more to galvanize people behind the idea of a mutually shared future than anything else.

As for universal health care, the funds are there to pay for it. Let the Bush tax cuts expire, pare back military spending on unnecessary materiel, end the Iraq occupation, and you'll have more than enough.

Bush is largely to blame. However, if Democrats had not voted for the Wall Street bailout in even larger numbers than Republicans, allowed the president to go to war in adequate numbers, and funded the war to keep it going, the Bush legacy would not be what it is. It was a bi-partisan effort that screwed up the economy although Bush earned more of the blame for his leadership. President Obama has about another year to turn the ship around or it becomes the Bush/Obama recession.

Roosevelt did not spend us out of the depression for the fiftieth time. Unemployment was still 17% in 1938. Putting 12M guys in uniform for WWII helped though. Add the expansion into Iran and adding 92,000 troops to the payroll to your health care equation. The government is bankrupt. Extra available funds would have to be borrowed from China, our kids, or elsewhere.

Let Citibank die. Its assets will then be picked up by more efficient banks. For what its worth, Citicorp donated $675,268 to the Obama campaign and $320,251 to the McCain campaign.

firstandten, Unlike the US, China is sitting on top of as pile of dollars it has to get rid of before they become worth less.. It is building its infrastructure, importing commodities, and buying natural resources all over the world.

Roosevelt did create the TVA, Hoover Dam, Grand Coulee Dam that are still paying back the taxpayers of his day - many times over. This is sort of what Chna is doing with its money. Only about 18-23% of Porkulus is designated for similar infrastructure improvements.

[rb336]

Bush and the blue dogs, then