Just got back from the grocery store where I spent $112 on so few groceries they required a single trip between the house and the car. Getting used to that, and that is not what this blog is about. Before I continue, let me make this PERFECTLY clear: I am not one to empathize/sympathize with the average consumer. Many of them made shitty choices their whole life (school, drugs, priorities) and now are struggling as a result. Not my problem. Work harder.
Anyway, this is about what the cashier told me. She said that MANY people coming through the checkout told her they are rationing groceries, some even eating on odd (or even) days only, breaking packages into thirds and fourths to stretch the budget. Now this I find sad, and hope the rationing/every other day thing does not include children. Granted, many kids get free breakfast, free lunch, and free after school meals, but I know kids can consume a lot, and many are too young to understand “rationing”.
Also, this inflation thingy is starting to have deep affects on people who did everyhting right: went to school, went to college, got a decent job, and are not overspending. It is just that inflation is FAR FAR outpacing wages.
We can all sit around and argue the root cause (although this one is easy), but it needs to get fixed. Not in November. Not in 2024. Now.
The Earth Spins 
Yes…..but!
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But what?
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Not that bad Down Under though I can’t believe the number of Positions Vacant signs in shops that are not attracting new staff.
What are all these young people screaming unemployment doing?
In Far North Queensland where I recently spent some time, and an area which particularly relies on the tourist dollar, many of the retail jobs were being undertaken by people 5 years older than I. I don’t have an issue with mature aged workers, but what are all the young things doing?
There is change in the wind and it’s an ill wind.
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Here in the States the problem is entitlement. These “kids” think they are worth more than they are, and demand pay that small businesses cannot afford. So the “kids” move back into Mom/Dad’s basement and play video games waiting for Bill Gates to call offering them a job where they sit around thinking of new video games, get paid an enormous salary with a company car and no co-pay health insurance. This is a generalization, and not all kids fit the description I just laid out, but enough of them to cause a “WTF” moment.
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Hearing you matey…..
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I’ve never rationed for my son but I do. I never tell him how bad it is but I’m sure he can tell since I’m buying store brands more.
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I hope it ends soon. Washington is living in a bubble right now. Real Americans are felling this more and more.
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My wife and I have been shocked the last few weeks with the cost of groceries. Inflation has its hold on just about everything else as well. It is very bad, as bad as I can recall.
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It is bad, but what is worse is that those entrusted to fix it, aren’t.
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I share your sentiment, but fixing this problem is not going to happen tomorrow. Elections have consequences, and we have elected people who hate us. Why? That is something to think about, but the behavior of our leaders makes it obvious they think we are stupid and fit only for enslavement.
I see only two ways this problem gets fixed any time soon.
1. God decides He wants to fix it.
2. When we vote in November 2022, we elect enough Republicans to impeach Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and to convict both of them of high crimes and misdemeanors. That would make the Republican Speaker of the House our President. Hopefully, that will be someone more Conservative and effective than the current minority leader.
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Many people feel that #1 is the only fix.
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Will #2 happen unless number 1 does? No.
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That is a horrific thing to think people have to ration their food. Although, I could eat Top Ramen for one or two meals a day, so I think I’d be able to afford that.
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Not something I expected to see in this country during my lifetime, but I guess they had to do it during the Depression as well.
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I knew they did that with gas and buying groceries during the depression. I didn’t know it affected eating too.
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Grocery coupons = Federally mandated rationing. For now it seems voluntary, but that could change.
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Like I said, I love Top Ramen! Also, we stocked our freezer with proteins eight or nine months ago. Now we just need the electric to keep working or get a generator.
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Not owning a generator in Florida is as bad as not owning a bathing suit in Hawaii.
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With the monsoons we’ve been having in Arizona, I’m thinking it’s a good idea for us too.
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The kids’ school lunches will soon be even more unhealthy than they currently are, everything will be plant-based and laden with chemicals. Burger King in Austria is already converting and the kids everywhere in the West are already learning that meat is for meanies. The manufactured drought will ensure meat costs continue to soar. Get to know your local farmers, learn to cook from scratch, stop supporting the industrialized food system, get local, quick!
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I agree, but in the end, kids will decide what is good and bad. I see a whole lot of filled up school cafeteria waste cans in the near future.
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Rationing seems a bit extreme to me, yeah this inflation royally sucks and spending over $300 to eat as healthy as possible for two weeks till the next check blows, but my wife and I make do. I so agree that things never seem to be done in the here and now.
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