[A.A. Cunningham]

while inflation is about 17%.

Hommel isn't bright enough to be either a shill or an economist.

[coloradan]

The government can and does make inflation anything they want it to be, by excluding things like food, fuel, housing, medical insurance and energy. I mean, whose cost of living includes those expenses? Real inflation might not be as high as 17%, but it's certainly more than 4%. Maybe 9-12%. What is the rate of money supply growth (M3) - one of the purest indications of "inflation"? Oh yeah, that's right, the government recently stopped reporting that number.