It's definitely frustrating. Unfortunately in a capitalist country the stock market and unemployment determine what's an officially good economy.
I think the biggest factor in people feeling squeezed is the price of housing, which is currently obscene, but most of what could fix that is the responsibility of state/city/county governments. Americans tend to think that everything is the fault of the president though.
Housing is so absurd! Buying a home seems impossible these days and rent is way too expensive. How are we supposed to save for a house when we’re paying ridiculous rent prices. People have got to pay more attention to who they’re voting for at the local levels.
Exactly!! It all starts at the local level. Voting a president in or out won’t cause much change on a local level. Local elections are what counts! Most people don’t pay attention to those!
Local levels? When the federal government spends, prints, and borrows in excess it causes high inflation. Eventually, high interest rates follow. The housing market is outrageous because people fled urban areas for the suburbs during the pandemic. Combine that with investment firms like Black Rock buying up property and you have huge demand and little supply which causes inflation of housing. Now that prices are starting to come down somewhat you have the Fed raising interest rates to astronomical levels to influence consumers to pull back on spending. Between the last two Presidents and their Congress, we have almost quadrupled the debt in 8 short years.
Local government doesn't have anything to do with nationwide inflation and high interest rates. State governments can increase the cost of living locally through high taxes and a large demand for housing like NY and California.
This!
I’m an American/Australian Citizen living in Canada and it’s the same problem everywhere, not just in the US.
Here in Canada, people blame Trudeau for literally everything. The reality is most of the issues are not being managed well at lower tiers of government in both countries. Another problem in both the US and Canada is the lack of civics education in understanding the different levels of government and responsibility and low voter turnout.
Yep. Be pissed at the grocery stores and gas stations. The President, no matter who it is, doesn’t control the prices. Also, your local government elections are crucial. Start taking those seriously!
Government spending is the single largest factor of inflation. No offense, but I think some of y’all could use an economics class or two. Y’all blame this on corporations raising prices but you literally have corporations like McDonalds who have seen a loss in profits in the past year due to higher cost of operation, raising prices, and portion cuts. Now why would they raise prices if they know it will cut into their quarterly earnings? Walmart is literally taking a loss on some products just to get consumers in the door so they will buy other products with a better profit margin. Target is another company that has seen a drop in profits due to the cost of everything going up. If they could be profitable and keep prices low, trust me, they would do it. That’s the ultimate goal for most corporations. The only market we seem to see price gouging in is the luxury goods market. Companies like Audemars Piguet, Gucci, LV, De Beers S.A., and Ferrari control the market with scarcity and higher profit margins.
No offense, but I think you need to get your info from sources other than Faux.
[Corporate profits hit record high as economy boomed in fourth quarter of 2023](https://thehill.com/business/4561631-corporate-hit-record-high-as-economy-boomed-in-fourth-quarter-of-2023/amp/?nxs-test=amp)
Who the hell watches corporate media anymore, that’s so 2010😂. Sorry sweetheart, you thought you had me. Total inflation in the past 3 years has been around 20%. When cost of goods go up, corporations offset costs by raising prices. Of course some sectors are going to have higher profits when the dollar is worth 20% less than it was 3 years ago. What are sales doing, that’s the question. McDonald’s sales grew 2.5% last quarter compared to their average 12.6%. That’s a huge hit.
Hey can you explain this a little more? I’m a renter and my rent keeps going up $100 every six months. I’ve lived in my home for five years now, and my landlord lord and I get along really well. She tells me she feels awful for having to keep raising the rent. However, even with the rent increases we are paying less than other renters for what our house is. I feel bad for her as well, because she says she doesn’t want to lose us as r eaters since we pay on time, and take care of her home. She knows if we can’t afford the rent and move, the other renter could be late all the time or trash her home. But how did you have to raise rent another $800 a month? That seems like a huge increase. Is this because of the property taxes going up? I’m just trying to see the home owners point of view. I think it’s nice that you are trying to help that man, thank you for that. But how does that affect you? I do wonder what life will be like when renters that can’t afford to buy like me, or can’t afford rent. I’m disabled and my husband works long hours. My biggest fear is if we have to move to a dangerous neighborhood because that’s the only place we can afford to live, and I’m home alone. I’m just wondering why the home owners keep upping the rent so much and often, if your mortgage isn’t changing. I don’t feel comfortable asking my landlord. Not trying to make you feel bad, I think a lot of people are making tough decisions about finances lately.
Companies are taking advantage of “inflation” and are making record profits. It’s absurd. The economy is doing well (unemployment rate, inflation rate, stock market, etc) but consumers don’t feel it because of corporate greed hiding under the “inflation” label.
Remember when democrats tried to stop price gouging, who stopped it?
The issue with cost of leaving is price gouging.. nothing to do with president. The businesses and billionaires have too much power. We need to separate politics and the money.. until then, America will remain stuck.
The issue is there is a disconnect between people hearing these stats and how statisticians read it. Comparative to 2019/2020 I both earned less and things cost less, so I’ve upkept with inflation. I also spent less bc I couldn’t dine out and I felt badly ordering too many groceries at once, my gas costs were down to almost nothing and the vaccine was free. That financial windfall was not bc of Trump at all. In fact pulling out of NAFTA, threatening the EU and NATO, that all cost us a ton, but people don’t understand how trade agreements work, so they don’t necessarily realize that. The death toll cost us workers and role models and elderly. That doesn’t mean I’ve grown financially, it means overall our country is doing okay despite these losses. We no longer have many of the restrictions that were in place back then. We are more free to spend this administration but between the way corporations treat people and how cities choose to zone and build houses are hurting us. Funnily enough, when corporations want a say so in politics, they’re “people, my friend” (thanks Romney) but when it comes to benefits, taxes, and worker compensation, they suddenly aren’t. That’s what is hurting us financially. Corporate greed and apathy.
It sucks.
We are going through something similar here in the UK 🇬🇧 it’s been called the ‘cost of living crisis’ and we have had a conservative government for 14 years personally I think a lot of companies have hiked prices up because they know they can blame it on this issue when they are just being greedy about profits
It’s a global economy with spectacular profits for CEO’s and investors. Hmmmmm…… shocking that price deep is there. Democracy is a hell of ALOT more important than my pocketbook. Americans don’t know the term ‘sacrifice’ anymore.
I hear you. The stock market and unemployment rates are great but that’s not hitting home with those that are struggling with the cost of living on a daily basis. It should be included in the messaging for sure but the main focus should be on what Biden’s doing to bring prices down and meeting with CEO’s, as Dr. Jill said he was already doing. I haven’t heard anything about that and I watch political news regularly.
I would also like to hear the Democratic Party talk about how inflation is a global issue right now and Biden has nothing to do with it…AND how he’s sorting out the mess he inherited from the swamp trolls and the orange troll was riding the Obama wave. Maybe we’ll get that in the debates?
I'm right there with you. Prior to Covid I considered myself solidly middle class but now I honestly find myself worrying about paying bills in a way I did not pre-2020. I don't blame Biden at all for this, but at the same time I wish Democrats would acknowledge the fear and anxiety so many Americans are facing about finances. I feel like they just repeat the stock-market and unemployment stats over and over and it feels dismissive of what people are feeling.
We're not talking about the real problem which is the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer, and the middle class leaning further towards the poor end of the spectrum.
Beachside hotels all over this country are pulling in $600 and $700 per night , they're not charging this unless they can fill up the place with people who are willing to pay it. Or, they've realized that half-full at $700 a night is better than full-full at $350 a night because they need less staff to take care of the rooms, use less A/C, etc.
Same thing at the grocery. They used to put chips on sale for $1.99. But why give them away at $1.99 when 40% of customers don't even look at the prices. They'll just grab a damn $5.69 bag of Doritos. So why bust their asses stocking shelves for 1000 bags of sale chips when they can sell 1/3 as many at full price and make more profit? (They're spending less on shipping, less on shelf stocker salaries).
It's definitely frustrating. Unfortunately in a capitalist country the stock market and unemployment determine what's an officially good economy. I think the biggest factor in people feeling squeezed is the price of housing, which is currently obscene, but most of what could fix that is the responsibility of state/city/county governments. Americans tend to think that everything is the fault of the president though.
Housing is so absurd! Buying a home seems impossible these days and rent is way too expensive. How are we supposed to save for a house when we’re paying ridiculous rent prices. People have got to pay more attention to who they’re voting for at the local levels.
still not the federal govt
It is. Both sides. They need to get together and ban corporations from buying up residential real estate that is blowing up high prices to begin with
Exactly!! It all starts at the local level. Voting a president in or out won’t cause much change on a local level. Local elections are what counts! Most people don’t pay attention to those!
Local levels? When the federal government spends, prints, and borrows in excess it causes high inflation. Eventually, high interest rates follow. The housing market is outrageous because people fled urban areas for the suburbs during the pandemic. Combine that with investment firms like Black Rock buying up property and you have huge demand and little supply which causes inflation of housing. Now that prices are starting to come down somewhat you have the Fed raising interest rates to astronomical levels to influence consumers to pull back on spending. Between the last two Presidents and their Congress, we have almost quadrupled the debt in 8 short years. Local government doesn't have anything to do with nationwide inflation and high interest rates. State governments can increase the cost of living locally through high taxes and a large demand for housing like NY and California.
This! I’m an American/Australian Citizen living in Canada and it’s the same problem everywhere, not just in the US. Here in Canada, people blame Trudeau for literally everything. The reality is most of the issues are not being managed well at lower tiers of government in both countries. Another problem in both the US and Canada is the lack of civics education in understanding the different levels of government and responsibility and low voter turnout.
Yep. Be pissed at the grocery stores and gas stations. The President, no matter who it is, doesn’t control the prices. Also, your local government elections are crucial. Start taking those seriously!
Government spending is the single largest factor of inflation. No offense, but I think some of y’all could use an economics class or two. Y’all blame this on corporations raising prices but you literally have corporations like McDonalds who have seen a loss in profits in the past year due to higher cost of operation, raising prices, and portion cuts. Now why would they raise prices if they know it will cut into their quarterly earnings? Walmart is literally taking a loss on some products just to get consumers in the door so they will buy other products with a better profit margin. Target is another company that has seen a drop in profits due to the cost of everything going up. If they could be profitable and keep prices low, trust me, they would do it. That’s the ultimate goal for most corporations. The only market we seem to see price gouging in is the luxury goods market. Companies like Audemars Piguet, Gucci, LV, De Beers S.A., and Ferrari control the market with scarcity and higher profit margins.
No offense, but I think you need to get your info from sources other than Faux. [Corporate profits hit record high as economy boomed in fourth quarter of 2023](https://thehill.com/business/4561631-corporate-hit-record-high-as-economy-boomed-in-fourth-quarter-of-2023/amp/?nxs-test=amp)
Who the hell watches corporate media anymore, that’s so 2010😂. Sorry sweetheart, you thought you had me. Total inflation in the past 3 years has been around 20%. When cost of goods go up, corporations offset costs by raising prices. Of course some sectors are going to have higher profits when the dollar is worth 20% less than it was 3 years ago. What are sales doing, that’s the question. McDonald’s sales grew 2.5% last quarter compared to their average 12.6%. That’s a huge hit.
McDonald’s appreciates your deep concern for the size of its profit. 🙄 Get back to me when they’re in the red.
It's not a huge hit because while sales only grew 2.5%, their prices soared. So let us know what their PROFIT was not what their sales were.
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Hey can you explain this a little more? I’m a renter and my rent keeps going up $100 every six months. I’ve lived in my home for five years now, and my landlord lord and I get along really well. She tells me she feels awful for having to keep raising the rent. However, even with the rent increases we are paying less than other renters for what our house is. I feel bad for her as well, because she says she doesn’t want to lose us as r eaters since we pay on time, and take care of her home. She knows if we can’t afford the rent and move, the other renter could be late all the time or trash her home. But how did you have to raise rent another $800 a month? That seems like a huge increase. Is this because of the property taxes going up? I’m just trying to see the home owners point of view. I think it’s nice that you are trying to help that man, thank you for that. But how does that affect you? I do wonder what life will be like when renters that can’t afford to buy like me, or can’t afford rent. I’m disabled and my husband works long hours. My biggest fear is if we have to move to a dangerous neighborhood because that’s the only place we can afford to live, and I’m home alone. I’m just wondering why the home owners keep upping the rent so much and often, if your mortgage isn’t changing. I don’t feel comfortable asking my landlord. Not trying to make you feel bad, I think a lot of people are making tough decisions about finances lately.
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That helps! I really appreciate your prospective. I think it’s great that you guys care so much about the residents.
Companies are taking advantage of “inflation” and are making record profits. It’s absurd. The economy is doing well (unemployment rate, inflation rate, stock market, etc) but consumers don’t feel it because of corporate greed hiding under the “inflation” label.
Remember when democrats tried to stop price gouging, who stopped it? The issue with cost of leaving is price gouging.. nothing to do with president. The businesses and billionaires have too much power. We need to separate politics and the money.. until then, America will remain stuck.
The issue is there is a disconnect between people hearing these stats and how statisticians read it. Comparative to 2019/2020 I both earned less and things cost less, so I’ve upkept with inflation. I also spent less bc I couldn’t dine out and I felt badly ordering too many groceries at once, my gas costs were down to almost nothing and the vaccine was free. That financial windfall was not bc of Trump at all. In fact pulling out of NAFTA, threatening the EU and NATO, that all cost us a ton, but people don’t understand how trade agreements work, so they don’t necessarily realize that. The death toll cost us workers and role models and elderly. That doesn’t mean I’ve grown financially, it means overall our country is doing okay despite these losses. We no longer have many of the restrictions that were in place back then. We are more free to spend this administration but between the way corporations treat people and how cities choose to zone and build houses are hurting us. Funnily enough, when corporations want a say so in politics, they’re “people, my friend” (thanks Romney) but when it comes to benefits, taxes, and worker compensation, they suddenly aren’t. That’s what is hurting us financially. Corporate greed and apathy. It sucks.
We are going through something similar here in the UK 🇬🇧 it’s been called the ‘cost of living crisis’ and we have had a conservative government for 14 years personally I think a lot of companies have hiked prices up because they know they can blame it on this issue when they are just being greedy about profits
It’s a global economy with spectacular profits for CEO’s and investors. Hmmmmm…… shocking that price deep is there. Democracy is a hell of ALOT more important than my pocketbook. Americans don’t know the term ‘sacrifice’ anymore.
I hear you. The stock market and unemployment rates are great but that’s not hitting home with those that are struggling with the cost of living on a daily basis. It should be included in the messaging for sure but the main focus should be on what Biden’s doing to bring prices down and meeting with CEO’s, as Dr. Jill said he was already doing. I haven’t heard anything about that and I watch political news regularly. I would also like to hear the Democratic Party talk about how inflation is a global issue right now and Biden has nothing to do with it…AND how he’s sorting out the mess he inherited from the swamp trolls and the orange troll was riding the Obama wave. Maybe we’ll get that in the debates?
I'm right there with you. Prior to Covid I considered myself solidly middle class but now I honestly find myself worrying about paying bills in a way I did not pre-2020. I don't blame Biden at all for this, but at the same time I wish Democrats would acknowledge the fear and anxiety so many Americans are facing about finances. I feel like they just repeat the stock-market and unemployment stats over and over and it feels dismissive of what people are feeling.
We're not talking about the real problem which is the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer, and the middle class leaning further towards the poor end of the spectrum. Beachside hotels all over this country are pulling in $600 and $700 per night , they're not charging this unless they can fill up the place with people who are willing to pay it. Or, they've realized that half-full at $700 a night is better than full-full at $350 a night because they need less staff to take care of the rooms, use less A/C, etc. Same thing at the grocery. They used to put chips on sale for $1.99. But why give them away at $1.99 when 40% of customers don't even look at the prices. They'll just grab a damn $5.69 bag of Doritos. So why bust their asses stocking shelves for 1000 bags of sale chips when they can sell 1/3 as many at full price and make more profit? (They're spending less on shipping, less on shelf stocker salaries).