https://inflationdata.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Misery-Index2-2-2022.png
https://inflationdata.com/articles/misery-index/
Americans, decide you now have a high, medium or low level of malaise as you put on your Jimmy Carter sweaters when you can’t afford the heating bills.
In my small 2-bdr apartment, my highest winter natural gas bills were in the $60s from 2017 through 2020.
January 2021 jumped to $70.
February 2021 jumped to $85.
January 2022 inched up to $87.
February 2022 jumped up to $124.
My gas bill basically doubled from 2020 to 2022.
Well the solution is simple.
Congress passes a law that everyone will have a job and gets paid a living wage.
If for some reason you don’t have a job temporarily you get a minimum income until the government finds you a job.
So, there it is in a nutshell everyone will have the same level of misery.
I was early in my working life in ‘75 and ‘80, the two highest peaks of the Crybaby Index.
I wasn’t miserable, I was happy and progressing. I saw newspaper articles about the Misery Index but paid no attention, just kept working and investing. I was thrilled with how I was doing throughout that period.
Things are even better this time around.
My son went from a conservative to a Trump hater and even donated to Biden’s campaign. When the misery index soon reaches Carter levels I will pose to him Reagan’s question...”Are you better off?”
I have a small two bedroom cottage. My gas bill has jumped from under $20 to close to $100.