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Inflation has created a dark cloud over how everyday Americans view the economy (www.cnbc.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/news@lemmy.world
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[–] -2 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

Inflation happens because the government puts more money into circulation.

No. The government is constantly putting more.money into circulation without inflationary effects. We literally had suboptimal inflation for almost a decade.

Inflation is a measurement of price increases over time. Inflation happened this time due to COVID causing pent up demand, a glut of credit and cash on hand, and supply chain issues across the board.

Companies making more profits is hardly surprising given that people wanted to go buy a ton of shit because they finally could.

If you’re asserting that companies have not been raising prices beyond inflationary rate

Again this is literally impossible because whatever they raise prices to is where we derive the inflation rate from

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Nobody is surprised about it companies wanting more money. We're just angry about it (the whole dark cloud thing the article is about). Nobody is out here complaining that a Lamborghini costs $20k more. It's about housing and groceries. The record profits aren't from introducing a new kind of egg or lowering the cost of production and distribution. The profits are from raising the prices on the same goods because people got stimulus money

    Yes, you have the technical economist definition of inflation correct. But, my dude, people are out here saying "our basic necessities like staple groceries are still more expensive even though inflation has gone down and we see that the companies producing those goods have reported their highest profits in 70 years" and you're telling them "no, no, they're not being greedy, it's your fault for being willing to spend so much money on basic survival goods and that's causing inflation". There was no negotiating the cost of eggs and milk at the grocery store. The price was just set higher and consumers had to either pay it or starve.

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  • [–] -3 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    Housing costs arent even companies being greedy, but homeowners.

    I honestly think people don't even know what they're mad at they're just mad. This is why the real problems struggle to get fixed.

    I'm not being pedantic here - if you don't understand the problem, you're part of the problem, by definition. Fixing housing requires changing local zoning laws and depowering current homeowners from the ability to pull the ladder up after them to protect their investment. They will never back that en masse on their own, because they benefit.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Housing costs arent even companies being greedy, but homeowners.

    Investment firms buying and holding homes are, by definition, homeowners, making them part of the problem. People who are trying to buy a home are having to get into bidding wars with investors, who are buying 1/4 homes sold in the last ~9 months.

    I honestly think people don't even know what they're mad at they're just mad

    Renters looking to buy a home are mad at investors who can buy up inventory with cash (which in this context I'm including individuals buying up single-family houses to rent out, not just companies), and afford to leave the property vacant rather than accepting less profit by lowering the rent on it.

    People trying to buy groceries are mad that wages increased 4-5% in 2022 while Tyson chicken prices went up 20% in 2021, and then in 2022 agreed to pay over $220M for price fixing while reporting $6.5B in profit that year.

    This is why the real problems struggle to get fixed.

    When you have unlimited corporate dark money going into politics, you get a government that seeks to obfuscate the issues to keep the population blaming the wrong things, to keep the money flowing into their "campaign funds."

    Fixing housing requires changing local zoning laws and depowering current homeowners from the ability to pull the ladder up after them to protect their investment. They will never back that en masse on their own, because they benefit.

    I don't disagree with that. And I'm in the minority of homeowners who do try and vote for making things more accessible knowing it will increase my own tax burden to pay for it, because I will benefit from having a more stable society around me even if my house doesn't appreciate another $100k.

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  • [–] -2 points 2 years ago

    People who are trying to buy a home are having to get into bidding wars with investors, who are buying 1/4 homes sold in the last ~9 months.

    This only happens because we already have such a shortage that there is guaranteed ROI.

    And I’m in the minority of homeowners who do try and vote for making things more accessible knowing it will increase my own tax burden to pay for it, because I will benefit from having a more stable society around me even if my house doesn’t appreciate another $100k.

    Same dude! We just gotta keep trying to change more minds.

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