Economic Collapse?

Even if inflation has dropped 2.5%, it's still unacceptably high. It was 1.8% when Biden swore in. 9.8% was the high figure a year ago. Thus a 2.5% drop puts it at 7.3%, which is still at least 5% too high. Printing more money and deficit spending were the primary causes of Joe Biden's inflationary fiscal policies. The Fed had to step in to put the brakes on inflation.

Biden himself has had nothing to do with the drop. The Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates to reverse inflation. But raising interest rates makes mortgages more expensive for home buyers. Raising interest rates stifles business investment because loans are more expensive.

Joe Biden's spending on feel-good energy investments that produce extremely low yields, and his spending on social programs that have done nothing to help the needy but have increased violent crime are also causes of our current inflation. Joe Biden's DAs and Judges have further exacerbated the problems. Criminals who are not arrested, not prosecuted, not incarcerated, and thus free to commit more crimes are driving taxpayers who are fear for their lives out of the big cities which further reduces the tax base in those cities and thus accelerates their demise.

Joe Biden is an idiot who has never balanced a budget in his life. He thinks that money is magic. He thinks that the Government can just continue to print money, flood the markets, and distribute it to those he deems deserving of reparations won't have consequences. We're seeing the consequences right now: inflation, wasteful spending, diminished military capabilities, weak borders, and increased violent crime. Way to go Joe.

Well, everybody has a right to an opinion whether it’s based on “the sky is falling“ or government statistics or the price of eggs. Problem is, as I see it that some of the rhetoric is causing a bit of a panic. A panic will create adverse circumstances for everyone.

I paid $4.20 for diesel yesterday. Not too long ago it was $5.29. Eggs are a little bit cheaper this week than they were a month ago and 9 mm ammo is almost down to where it was 10 years ago. I agree that a lot of things are more expensive. Dining out is a financial adventure these days. If the two of us go to a nice restaurant, and God forbid my wife orders a glass of wine, you’ve pretty much shot a $100 bill.

My gut is the banking crisis in California, was caused by incompetent management, combined with regulations being removed that would favor the big business over the little guy. I don’t know the answer to all of us, it’s above my pay grade, but I think, stirring things up to a panic level is counterproductive. It’s sort of like calling each other Einstein and flinging insults personally because you don’t like someone’s opinion.

My suspicion is that we all will survive, even though the world looks like it’s in unprecedented turmoil.

Well Core CPI leaves OUT fuel and food, so I find that measure almost meaningless.

When I decide if I can go to the range or not during the week, the cost of the fuel to get there is certainly a factor.
When deciding if I want a cool gun, or new wheels for a bike, or whatever, I weigh that against eating ramen noodles for a week - as the cost of food is a factor that makes it harder to save up for anything else.

Prices fluctuate - that's what they do in the short term. But, on balance, in the longer term, are they up or down, compared to before the current administration or regime? Before changes in policies or certain events occurred? Gas prices now are less than they were a few weeks ago by 5-10 cents in my area. They are about what they were this time last year. But gas prices now and then, are still far higher than before Mr. Biden took office and declared he was going to 'end' fossil fuels and proposed a 'whole government' approach to 'climate change', mandates destabilized the workforce, and inflation began to grow.

Slight drops in some prices are nice, but they do not undo the balance of the damage, generally speaking things are more expensive than before Biden was president and the world went nuts with strange central planning policies that had - surprise - deleterious economic impacts (of which Biden admin. is but a part). I personally don't know ANYONE who is better off now than before governments decided they wanted a 'new normal'.

Try looking at the cost of building even a modest house. Not the loans or the rates or like that - just the raw cost of materials. Egads! It's insane.
If I ever find the right tract of sufficient land, I may be living in a yurt.