When did I say anything about the government determining anything? I realize this is in a thread about wage regulation, but I was off on a specific tangent and have never said or implied that government should mandate, or should even have the power to mandate, cost of living increases. My point is that as both an employer and an employee, and I have been both, as well as solitary self-employed, I expect pay to stay level in terms of buying power, not numbers. And yes, I’ve been in places that didn’t pay fairly and vote with my feet is what I did. You seem to have somehow got this idea I was in favor of government regulation even though I never said so. Shoot, I don’t even agree with the concept of a minimum wage, but neither do I approve of companies who aspire to pay their employees less every year through attrition of dollar value. That was my point, the right and wrong of how to be employers and employees, not arguing for regulation. There, I hope I’ve said that enough times.