The Middle Class Is Buckling Under Almost Five Years of Persistent Inflation

After nearly five years of high prices, many middle-class earners thought life would be more affordable by now. Costs for goods and services are 25% above where they were in 2020. Even though the inflation rate is below its recent 2022 high, certain essentials like coffee, ground beef and car repairs are up markedly this year.

“Life felt more doable a year and a half ago,” said Holly Frew, a college communications director with a household income around $135,000 living in Atlanta. “I need to know where the light is at the end of the tunnel.”

The American middle class encompasses a broad cross section of workers that includes white-collar office employees, nurses and plumbers, although there is no universally accepted definition.

Pew Research Center defines the middle class broadly as having a household income between about $66,666 and $200,000, depending on where they live. Perpetual sticker shock is making many within the group feel worse about both their own finances and the future of the country. They are hunting for bargains and spending more carefully.

Cost-of-living issues also pushed voters this month toward candidates who promised to address what many now see as an affordability crisis. Similar issues dogged Joe Biden’s re-election campaign last year and have recently weighed on President Trump’s approval ratings.

The frugality of the middle-class customer figures as a recurring theme in recent corporate earnings reports. Fast-food restaurant Wingstop said this month that middle-income diners have now joined lower-income ones in dialing back purchases. Target reported slumping sales and said customers are spending cautiously...

Inflation is caused by one thing and one thing only: gov’t printing money to accommodate gov’t spending.

Either we kill the 80%+, $3+ trillion unconstitutional portion of this federal totalitarian beast or it will kill us.

NUKE IT NOW!!!!

The Biden years were a disaster.

In round numbers average wages stayed flat while the cost of stuff went up 25% or so (some stuff more, some less).

Now it has been a good year.

Round numbers—wages up 4%, costs up 2%.

Here is the problem.

That still means that over the last five years wages went up 4% and costs went up 27%.

We did well this year—but note that it would still take another ten good years for the average consumer just to break even.

That is the uphill climb Republicans face in 2026 congressional elections.

Inflation is caused by excess demand in relation to supply. Bumping the US population by 15 to 30,000,000 over a four year period creates immediate excessive demand for housing medical food and more.

The affordability issue needs to be blamed on people who are illegally here and not producing and those obstructionists who allowed them here and defend them here

Oh, and having to pay for these bastards that affects affordability too it’s called taxes

The problem is clear, inflation has taken a huge portion of disposable income off the table for low and middle class.

The gaslighting by the media has prevented people from grasping why there is inflation. The inflation wasn’t caused by Tariffs, or Donald Trump. The inflation is secondary to the Deficit spending of the last 4 years. That spending, especially on illegals and migrants, drove up prices for everyone and has yet to cease.

Why do I believe there is a disconnect between understood cause and effect? The answer is simple, people still want open borders in NYC, illegals everywhere, but complain that they can’t get affordable housing or apartments while they are competing with the Federal reserve in a bidding war for shelter.

People want affordable housing and goods, then we need to Tariff to support manufacturing. Get people off the ‘dole’ and contributing to society. BALANCE THE FEDERAL BUDGET. Get rid of the illegals. Then young people have a chance.

Voting for socialists who promise free things while they support the underlying problems is stupid.

Oh now your suddenly worried about Inflation WSJ? Where were you for the 4 years of the Biden regime?

Oh but that right, to the swamp things it is Trumps fault for not fixing 4 years of economic damage by the Democrats in 1 year

Well, I had an interesting experience yesterday. I was moving all my data to an external drive to load up on my new computer and came by all my old dash cam videos from my FRS. One of them passed by a local gas station.

Currently, the price of gas at that station is $2.69. But back in 2015 it was, wait for it, $2.69!

For what it’s worth, I’ve been telling people for a couple of decades that the reason their money doesn’t seem to go as far is not really price inflation. It’s the increases in taxes. Put simply, the governmnet is taking more of our money.

Supply and/or demand does not cause inflation because neither one inflates the money supply. Only gov’t printing presses inflate the money supply.

Inflation is caused by gov’t spending over the GDP (gross domestic product).

Our biggest enemy BY FAR is the 80%+, $3+ trillion unconstitutional portion of this federal totalitarian beast.

The elderly on fixed incomes, those on Social Security have had about 35% of their buying power looted by this government sponsored inflation. Totally eliminated! They got economically gang raped.

Try to survive after that!

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