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The US Misery Index, Christmas Edition! Americans Experienced 20% Higher Food Prices, 19% Higher Rents And 61% Higher Gasoline Prices Under Bidenomics, Yet Misery Index Is Almost Back To “Normal”
Confounded Interest ^ | 12/24/2023 | Anthony B. Sanders

Posted on 12/24/2023 9:59:14 AM PST by Kaiser8408a

Have a holly, jolly Christmas! Despite it being far more expensive under Bidenomics.

The ‘Misery Index’ is near its lowest level since pre-COVID, but Misery Index masks the true horrors of Bidennomics: 20% higher food prices, 19% higher rents and 61% higher gasoline prices under Bidenomics.

Americans should be in a better financial position heading into the holidays, according to a famous formula developed in the 1960s under President Lyndon Johnson.

The sum of U.S. unemployment and inflation – known as the “misery index” – fell to 6.8% in November from 7.5% the previous month. That’s the lowest since the summer and fast approaching pre-Covid levels.

The misery index is calculated by adding up the current unemployment rate (3.7%) and the inflation rate (3.1%). The formula provides a simple way to gauge whether the well-being of Americans is improving or not.

Misery peaked in April 2020 when the index spiked to 15%, the highest since 1982. Conditions have improved since the early onset of Covid, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing.

A separate sentiment survey from LSEG/Ipsos paints an even less enthusiastic picture of the average consumer.

The December primary consumer sentiment index—which measures Americans’ attitudes toward jobs, investments, the economy, and personal finances—declined from November and was only up slightly compared to 12 months earlier.

According to the survey, attitudes toward the current situation, investments, and jobs “showed significant declines this month.”

So, while the Misery Index indicates that the inflation RATE has slowed, it masks the fact that Americans are far worse off under Bidenomics.

(Excerpt) Read more at confoundedinterest.net ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Food; Government; Politics
KEYWORDS: biden; bidenlegacy; economy; food; gasoline; inflation; miseryindex

1 posted on 12/24/2023 9:59:14 AM PST by Kaiser8408a
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To: Kaiser8408a

But their cell phones work. That is what matters.


2 posted on 12/24/2023 10:02:26 AM PST by brownsfan (It's going to take real, serious, hard times to wake the American public.)
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To: Kaiser8408a

It just means that, being in misery is now normal.


3 posted on 12/24/2023 10:03:47 AM PST by adorno (CCH)
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To: Kaiser8408a
(The US Misery Index, Christmas Edition! Americans Experienced 20% Higher Food Prices, 19% Higher Rents And 61% Higher Gasoline Prices Under Bidenomics)






4 posted on 12/24/2023 10:26:47 AM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: adorno

The rats removed food and energy from the inflation calculation and MSM let them.


5 posted on 12/24/2023 10:27:37 AM PST by gibsonguy
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To: Kaiser8408a

6 posted on 12/24/2023 10:29:49 AM PST by \/\/ayne (I regret that I have but one subscription cancellation notice to give to my local newspaper)
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To: gibsonguy

I think groceries have increased a lot more that 20%.


7 posted on 12/24/2023 10:30:04 AM PST by oldasrocks
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To: Kaiser8408a
It is easy to enumerate the problems in this country but nobody has any solutions.

Illegal invasion

Soaring national debt

Every soaring national deficit

Ever present drug abuse

A failed education system

A failed medical system that touts to be the best in the world but is only the most expensive

Bankrupt Social Security, or soon to be bankrupt

Bankrupt or soon to be so Medicare and Medicade

Absolutely crumbling roads and bridges

Untreated mental disease

A crumbling military nearly destroyed by WOKE and DEI

Perversion at just about every corner

Crumbling churches, crumbling family units

Lack of meaningful jobs making things

Human trafficking and abuse

Loss of prestige globally because of our fecklessness and weakness

Never mind the worthlessness of the dollar and inflation

Crime doesn't just continue, it gets worse

Lawfare has made a mockery of our political system

The deepening fraud and massive expense of all that is climate change

There is more but what's the point? I've made it and blunted it. We have not hit rock bottom yet but noting is happening to slow, stop or reverse the fall.

I continue my challenge; name one thing gooberment has done to make anything better or less expensive. Forty years ago Reagan asked the same thing and still has not gotten an answer either.

8 posted on 12/24/2023 11:16:47 AM PST by Sequoyah101 (Procrastination is just a form of defiance)
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To: Kaiser8408a

This is without question the worst point for me personally economically.

Keep tellling me how great it is. Sure don’t see it


9 posted on 12/24/2023 11:20:08 AM PST by HamiltonJay
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To: adorno

“It just means that, being in misery is now normal.”

That and it used to be called “tightening the belt.”

wy69


10 posted on 12/24/2023 11:58:01 AM PST by whitney69 (yption tunnels)
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To: Kaiser8408a

It should be rent. Not rents. You don’t say the rents is due.


11 posted on 12/24/2023 12:27:03 PM PST by ealgeone
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To: Kaiser8408a

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics.

Unemployment numbers they cite don’t account for millions of slackers who aren’t looking for jobs because welfare pays better.

Inflation number is distorted as mentioned above.


12 posted on 12/24/2023 12:29:39 PM PST by Chad C. Mulligan
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To: Kaiser8408a

In WA state, our gas prices were around 4.99 just a few months ago. At the same stations, they are now at 3.69. IDK what happened, but I suspect that the State quit charging the $.50 a gallon, for carbon tax. They did this, because of signature gatherers, who worked their butts off, and got tax initiatives, including the carbon climate tax on the ballot for a vote. They back off, to make it easier to sell that it is saving the planet, and LOOK, the price per gallon isn’t even affected, they prices came down.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the devious nature of the Communists.


13 posted on 12/24/2023 1:22:30 PM PST by Glad2bnuts (“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: We should have set up ambushes...paraphrased)
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To: Glad2bnuts

I was feeling good about buying gasoline today for $2.73 a gallon. Then I remembered in 2019 it was below $2.00 a gallon.

Apparently, something happened in 2020 to cause gas prices to rise.


14 posted on 12/24/2023 1:26:16 PM PST by gitmo (If your theology doesn't match your biography, what good is it?)
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