I just started playing a sort of instant citizen poll at stores. It began a week or so ago at Sams’ Club:
I was in one of THOSE lines and ended up chatting with a well dressed middle aged woman with a cart half full of grocery items.
I made mention of the fact that while I didn’t normally make the hike to Sams’ that with prices going up I figured I had to make the effort.
She exploded: Prices are sky high, she’s feeding three kids, eating store brands and sale items but can’t afford to stock up, on and on.
Then the lady in front of HER piped in: if prices keep going up she doesn’t know what she’ll do, their budget is already at the breaking point, trying to keep a daughter in college, off she goes.
Then a man in the next line over heard them and HE jumped in: this is ridiculous, Washington is killing us, economy broken, he’s off to the races.
I thought maybe this was just a coincidence, so I’ve started the same conversation in store lines twice more in the past week and it’s exactly the same: people are frightened and EVERYONE wants to talk about it out loud.
The interesting thing to me is that everyone used to be very reluctant to speak out in public against Obama. You were always afraid some leftie whackjob would hear you and tear into you. You know what I mean.
But now the gloves are off, people are freaking out and Obama can raise FIVE billion dollars for his campaign and organize until the cows come home and call everyone in the country a racist until he turns blue but it’s not going to convince anyone that they’re not paying an arm and a leg for half a cart worth of food.
There is no more basic thing to people, and it’s off the hook.
Related – No inflation unless you eat, drink, drive or fly (h/t Rockyt)
Gas prices were high in 2008, they’re high in 2011 and they’ll be high 5 years from now. It doesn’t matter who is in the White House it’s supply and demand. For the global economy to keep up with IMF projections we’re going to need another 17mbd or roughly two new Saudi Arabias. It’s not going to happen. Time to change the equation.
Forward to all the hopey-changey people who seem to be lining up behind the NDP.
Ye gods.
Bunch of whiny bastards.
I’ve noticed it. I get my meat from a butcher so it’s roots and berries at the grocery. What used to be 30 dollars is now closer to 40 and I buy more sale items (salads) rather than my usual choices.
The wolf isn’t at the door but it is hanging around the neighbourhood.
So let me see if I have this correct. You vote for a lefty who imposes a leftist agenda, food for fuel, reducing arable land to protect fish, massive social programs, out of control spending, trillions in annual deficit, owing 100% of your economy in massive foreign debt. As we used to say back in the Forces, “Syph, Crap and Corruption everywhere and you want to whine about the cost of food?
Anyone even thinking of voting for Jack Layton should look south and thank the Good Lord we have PM Harper.
Canadian retail prices are still way above US, so this post is fairly ironic on a Canadian blog.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/apr/28/feds-sting-amish-farmer-selling-raw-milk-locally/
While supply issues are definitely having an effect on the price of oil, that does not explain why the prices of metals such as gold, silver, platinum and commodities like grains and meat are also rising in tandem with oil. Just talk to someone who has attended a recent farm auction. Are we experiencing a sudden shortage of combines too?
The main culprits here are central banks which are desperately trying to create capital out of thin air by lowering interest rates to absurd levels. Anyone with any capital is trying to preserve it by buying commodities which are a traditional hedge against inflation. If you are an average wage earner, you will find that your wages will in no way keep pace with cost increases for basic goods.
Air cleaner for 1 of my machines, $36 early 09, $68 Apr 011. Right on Mark, wait till Jack extracts 70 billion out of Harper to shut down Albertas oil business, the only sector holding this transfer payments country together. As the medias stiffy for Jack the Whack plays out just remember people, the Americans voted in a feel good court jester. Housing that was 350thou in 06 is now 140,000 in Ar CA NV, worked out good for them letting media whores like Winfrey and Couric make their decisions didn’t it. NO!
“Anyone even thinking of voting for Jack Layton should look south and thank the Good Lord we have PM Harper.”
The people who vote for Jack Layton don’t think,they “feel”, and they don’t thank the good Lord because they don’t believe in Him,just Mother Gaia.
It’s sad,we’re about to have either a far-Left coalition or Official Opposition,and the Press is celebrating.
“Canadian retail prices are still way above US, so this post is fairly ironic on a Canadian blog.”
I only find that to be true on grocery items like meat and cheese. Fresh produceis always higher and packaged goods about the same (at least compared to prices in Saskatoon).
We’re going to make an earnest effort to grow some of our own food this year.
Can anyone here tell me when I can plant a cow?
Overheard on a US blog-
Those that voted for Obama in 2008 to prove they weren’t racists better vote for someone else in 2012 to prove they aren’t idiots.
Lick, cows must be planted deep and quick, or else most of them will plant you, if you attempt it. Go to Jack Laytons growing a public teat garden to see how to plant for ultimate abundance.
Kate is right on this one. I made a couple trips to Montana over the past 6 months. The price on packaged goods (ie: potato chips, boxes of cereal, dry goods) were about the same as up here in Alberta.
The butter and cheese however, were about 1/3 the price!!! Nothing like quotas to drive prices up to absurd levels.
So before heading home, I loaded up with both of those items, and grabbed a couple flats of beer!
Go to Jack Laytons growing a public teat garden to see how to plant for ultimate abundance.
Somehow I cannot imagine Mr Layton growing anything — it’s too much like work. Why make when one can take?
I’ll have to do more research on my cow project, though. I have to say that I was profoundly disappointed in last year’s efforts with bird seed. Damn things never came up!
Ah, but just wait until Layton implements cap and trade and slams those evil corps. That’ll show ’em.
As I said to a NDP-leaning acquaintance the other day, it is foolish to think the consumer won’t end up paying for Layton’s grandiose plans. Stupid would be a more accurate word, but you have to remain civil. 🙂
This one fits right in here.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/26/news/economy/thebuzz/index.htm
Headline is ‘No inflation unless you eat, drink, drive or fly’.
And the cheaper the US dollero goes, the higher the costs will go since they are a big importing nation.
Its getting mighty thin between the rock and the hard place.
Lick, Jacko can grow a great pornstar stache and smug, lots and lots of smug. Too bad there is no market for the latter as the dippers have flooded the market.
Also, the bird thing? You need to have a good cock and poulet.
I had a cow once.
It jumped over the moon.
🙁
Most of the people who will vote for Jack don’t care that prices are going up. They get raises to counter infation and cost of living. These are the same people who think we should send billions overseas to help people and open the immigration floodgates to help people. It doesn’t effect them.
If per chance you point out to any of them that it effects you negatively there response is that you are a racist neanderthal who is too stupid to grasp the big picture.
It’s 2 years ago this weekend that I left Victoria and came to Albuquerque. In just that relatively short time the number of shops around town that I’ve seen close up is astounding, and this town usually just suffers ripples when others ride waves.
I sure hope Canadians really think before they vote – you all would be making a huge mistake if you let Whacky Jack anywhere near some real power.
I got a troubling phone call this AM.
Seems a buddy has a real hard on to buy this almost new, repossessed excavator….
I sez okay…as long as there isn’t some hidden lein on it….
Even if it is lien free….a bargain price may make it sound like a deal but the circumstances that made it available could continue and make it worthless…..sometimes you really can buy something you can’t sell.
A while back it was the big road tractors onn front lawns with for sale signs….now the diggers?
I grew up hearing the storys of the Great Depression…it was not just the low prices…there were NO BUYERS.
I am hearing too many things that seem like echoes of those dark times…..
The notion that we now understand what occurred and can avoid it?….if we are so damn smart…howcum OBAMA?
I have observed the 80/20 in my life and it’s pretty solid for understanding what’s what.
80% of the population is mindless, stupid, ignorant, unaware, naive … whatever.
20% is anywhere from very bright to just plain smart. They try to understand what’s what and do the right things. They plan ahead and stay out of trouble for the most part.
If anything good happens it’s because enough of the 80% inadvertently did the right thing to bolster the 20% and things then will be more or less okay.
When enough of the 80% gets (easily) duped by tyrants like Obama or Jack Layton, things don’t go well and we all suffer.
I fear the idiots of the 80 are going to take what’s left of our economy down. Harper is trying run a government and an economy. Jack is trying run a show and a confectionery stand to provide the munchie treats. The 80 are more into show business than politics … so don’t be too surprised.
Once the curtain goes back with Jack … you find that it’s a Wes Craven production, the free coke is flat, the free popcorn is stale and there is no butter and salt on it.
The Avaaz crew, the vote mobbers, and all the other looters can hardly wait until May 2 when their leader comes riding in on a white horse. Then they will help their leader jack off the horse and get to work emptying the milch cow that is the Canuckistani economy.
Hope and change and looting. You gotta love it.
So the CPC war room leaked their polling data to the Star and it looks like shit. Anyone who’s hopeful or whatever better wake the hell right up and go help out their candidate. If you don’t like Jack you better do something about it.
If Iggy has more seats than Jack we’re screwed, blued, and tattooed, because Iggy being Liberal will do anything to be PM. If Jack has more seats than Iggy, may be not. Iggy will have a conflict of interest and so will his Liberal lickspittles. It’s one thing to sell your arsehole to be in power (the Liberal thing), quite another to give it away to someone else, so they can be in power. Another question is whether Booby Rae was a Liberal plant in the NDP, or is an NDP plant in the Liberals. Important if he’s Liberal leader after the election.
You will be in for a rude awakening when this god-knows-who from god-knows-where will be re-elected.
How he is STILL a president is beyond me. If he is, America is lost. It is the best proof that they don’t need either of 1st, 2nd etc. amendments if he is STILL the president.
Totally OT:
[DELETED – ED]
I can see the flight of capital from my house.
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/bwt-taf/menu-eng.html
This little story encapsulates what I’ve been saying since last year. You hear people say stuff like this in stores, at car shows, at the gas station. ALL THE TIME. Big gnarly tattooed Mexicans are talking to me about fuel economy and the US national debt in broken English while looking at a low rider on cruise night in Scottsdale. I tell them how it is in Canada, their eyes get really big.
Prices in Phoenix for fuel this week were $3.69/gallon for gas, $4.12/gallon for diesel and people are freaking the hell out. Here at home in the Demented Dominion (Ontariostan province) its $1.39/l gas, $1.26/l diesel. Litre equals quart, so $5.56/gallon, and the entire two buck difference is TAX. If anything our fuel is a little cheaper in material cost, it doesn’t have the wacky formulations some US states require.
Food/consumables were cheaper across the board in Phoenix, national brands maybe 5% to 10%. (Plus the US dollar is -lower- now.) Difference on a full load of groceries added up to about $50-$100 depending what was bought. Difference, inevitably, is tax.
Again, people in the stores were picking up items, checking the price, saying “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!” out loud and putting said item back on the shelf. Then they turn to me, Mr. Complete Stranger Guy and exclaim “Can you believe that?” Then I laugh and tell them how it is in Canada. Jaws drop.
We Canadians should have been burning cars in the streets ten years ago. But no, the NDPee are “surging” in the polls this week. Baaaaa, baaaaaaa.
We are a bunch of stupid frickin’ sheep here. “Shear me, I’m Canadiaaaaaaan.”
Mr. Harper sir, barring a Lib/Dipper putsch post election I better see some g*dd@mn tax cuts this year. CPC lurkers take note dudes, your base ain’t happy. Y’all are going to get one (1) shot at this.
A lot of parts are far cheaper in the US, things like rams for machines are less than half of here in Calgary,and with this dollar you get cheaper parts and a nice holiday. This is because of the world view of Canada, our dollar is around 1.05 because investors look at the ADULT business like administration running Canada and in turn park their Money, in Canada. Just imagine how fast our dollar will fall next week if our MSM gets their wish to GET Harper, think of your pension plans people. This childish joker of a sleaze-bag Jack Layton knows nothing of running even a lemonade stand, why are we allowing Avazz and these university twit targeters, to determine the direction of this great country. Grow up people, don’t listen to the purveyors of failure, the polsters and the MSM.
I’m no Jack! lover and indeed if you look at his working class resume, it is embarrassingly thin. Jack! doesn’t have a welders ticket, he’s not a plumber, never did any roofing, didn’t drive cab or truck, wasn’t a farmer or small businessman. Jack!’s proletariat roots consist of being a professional student and politician. Jack! is a champagne socialist who never had a dirty fingernail in his life. His “platform” is the usual NDP pie in the sky populism and in the normal course of events would prove to be unelectable under scrutiny. Yet he has been able to position himself as the big winner regardless of how things crunch out on Monday. It’s a cruel reflection on the abilities of the Harper and Ignatieff teams that a self promoting phoney could do as well as he has. Kinda reminds me of Obama.
Some time back I heard that Jack and Olivia were supposed to be iving in “subsidized” housing, and wouldn’t move out. Is there any truth to that? If so, Jack will have come full circle when he moves into Stornoway.
I think when this is all over people will look back on this campaign and realise how comparable it was to John McCain’s. Harper even says “friends” repeatedly in his stump speeches. Don’t get me wrong here folks I’m working on a local CPC campaign even ok so I’m committed here but still I think some serious mistakes were made.
There is no inflation overall. Each month I lose a thousand or so on my house, and that makes up for higher food and gas prices. I don’t know why you guys don’t get it.
That is how you make the stock prices go up these days. You print a bunch of money and make the dollar worth less. Then to buy the same stock you have to spend more money. This works for Gold too, what a great system. Then the sheep think they are getting ahead.
I read somewhere yesterday that if you include energy and food the CPI is about 10% this year over last. Back in the days of Jimmy Carter these things used to be used in the calculation of the CPI. We are heading for a malaise, part two, and Obama will be in the conversation for worst POTUS ever. The effects of the stimulus and QE 1 and 2 are coming on strong.
After I filled up my son’s gas tank and was standing in line, a gal was complaining about how fast the prices were going up.
I reminded her that the latest I heard, the oil companies were making about 5 cents a litre profit and governments were making 30 cents a litre.
Since taxes are a percentage, I’m sure the government’s take is even higher now.
Want it to go up another 10 cents a litre? Vote for Jack.
I’ve noticed prices rising and people publically talking about them in stores too.
Most people don’t know why or who to blame, though.
“Most people don’t know why or who to blame, though.”
Tell them to look in the mirror!
Well, this morning our dollar is over 1.05 American. I can see no end to this with the policies in the Obama administration. I think we could get to 1.10 by the end of the year. I live 2 miles [ 3 km’s] from the US border so for me to take advantage of buying my gas for 20% less etc is worth it.With QE2 etc the Democrats are driving the USA down the drain. And people here want to elect an NDP government? I guess you can fool a lot of the people a lot of the time.
Cross posting from “Take Me Obama”. It seems to fit better here.
I’m awestruck at the Progressive’s and their collective belief that they can literally combat the world’s ills with song.
I don’t blame Barak Obama for the displeasure of the liberal Left. If Jack wins the PMO he too would quickly have to abandon many of his ‘pie in the sky’ positions. Like I said last week, “Jack Layton is Barak Obama”. We’re just lucky he’s not handsome, hip and black.
I believe that Barak Obama will win the 2012 election. We’ve seen how retarded the voters in Canada appear to be, and I now expect less from the Americans. That said, I’d be very weary of gas and oil prices were I the One. He is very vulnerable on the energy policy front. People have all but discounted Sarah Palin at this point; but, energy policy is her strong suit. I’m not sure if she’s got her eye on the White House, but she would be a very strong VP candidate, and could have a large influence in American energy policy. This would be good for the United States, and good for Canada(or the Republic of Western Canada depending on Monday).
Well, I can dream can’t I?
Well, I can dream can’t I?
~Indiana Homez
Yes, and do your best to realize your dreams.
Sometimes it’s all we’ve got.
Be of good cheer, don’t despair.
“Y’all are going to get one (1) shot at this.”
Agreed Phantom. The trick for PMSH if he gets his majority is the repeat. He’s going to have a difficult time satisfying his western base staying “moderate” by Canadian standards. Much of the base have long awaited the coveted majority and will have unrealistic expectations of PMSH.
Were I PMSH I’d be working on an 8 year plan and would not be looking to make any socially conservative moves until the second term. Goal one for Conservatives must be putting enough butts in the Senate and the Supreme Court to restrain the eventual Left leaning government that will replace them.JMO
Thanks Oz,
Prices aren’t going up if you have REAL MONEY (Silver & Gold). Right now, gasoline is $1.31/liter in Canadian dollars.
If you have a Canadian quarter minted on or before 1967, it’s worth CDN$6.82 MELTED DOWN according to COINFLATION.com (at the exchange rate of 1.056 US dollars to a Canadian dollar)
So, you can, right now, get 5.21 liters of gas for a Canadian quarter, or 20.82 liters for a silver dollar.
That means gasoline is $0.048/liter when you price it money that’s not destroyed by government inflation.
GAS HAS NEVER BEEN THIS CHEAP!
No really, think about it. It’s “just a quarter”
Prices ARE *NOT* going *UP*.
The dollar is going *DOWN*.
big Big BIG difference
SJB ~SGTreport.com
SJB:
You are certainly correct that it’s more a case of dollar destruction than price inflation. Oil back in the 60’s was $3.50/bbl and gold was $35/oz. Now, oil is $115/bbl, and gold is $1550, so oil has gone down in golden terms.
However, you didn’t mention one factor that I think is most responsible for food inflation: ethanol. The US used to be the world’s biggest exporter of corn; now much of that crop is being diverted into the ethanol black hole. This has two disastrous effects – farmers, sensibly, are planting more corn, and less beans, wheat, etc., and the US is exporting much less corn, which is raising food prices at the margin across Mexico, parts of South and Central America, and MENA. And with less acreage devoted to wheat/beans/etc., those prices are going up as well. Eventually, the price hikes work their way into meat and dairy.
All because of the ridiculous green agenda, and the even more ridiculous tariff on cheap ethanol from Brazil.
But don’t worry – Jack and his magic beans will make it all better!
I heard from a Margaret Thatcher reject that came to Canada when she took over and made good! Needless to say the the limey a$$Hole is still a reject and wont vote for my man Harper. Ignorance is bliss for some! Eh
Kevin,
I’ll admit that Jack is a Marxist, if you admit that Harper is a Socialist. Look, I’m apolitical, and I don’t vote, because it makes ZERO difference. We have socialists, socialists, marxists, and greener marxists, and french marxists in quebec, to choose from. Why pretend it matters one iota which radical lefty we pick while NO PARTY is adressing the fraud that is fiat paper money?
I don’t give a shit about ethanol. If we had sound money, we wouldn’t have these corn subsidies, or ethanol investments… The free market would decide who wants to grow corn, and what it’s worth. Sound money is the linchpin to conservative politics, and NONE OF THE FIVE PARTIES address this.
So I will stay home on election day as every party is diametrically to what I would be willing to vote for.
That’s wrong, actually. I vote at the bank, not the ballot box. I’m betting against the dollar, and so far it’s paying off remarkably nicely.
You can not return to conservative values without returning to sound money. We should celebrate the collapse of paper fiat currency. I hope that gas hits $100,000/liter in hyperinflation. I hope paper money becomes worthless. Kill it.
Then we can go back to silver and gold, and have real money, real liberty, and real politics… and real poverty, but it’s not my fault 6 billion people think paper is gold, and so they don’t see what’s coming.
SJB ~SGTreport.com
Strange how the people who sell the gold and silver let you buy it with paper “fiat money”.
Why do you suppose they would part with their precious “real money” for somebody else’s “fiat money”?
Oz,
Please take some time to look into the precious metals price manipulation over the last 30 years.
Google is your friend. Search for “Silver Manipulation”
or go to http://www.gata.org/
Why did Texas University just take PHYSICAL DELIVERLY of $1 BILLION worth of gold? THEY SAID FLAT OUT that they did it because they fear a default to deliver on the COMEX.
http://sgtreport.com/2011/04/alert-texas-university-took-delivery-of-1-billion-gold-due-to-risk-of-comex-default-and-shortages/
wake up, buddy…. paper is buying less and less gold every day.
This isn’t 1980. It’s never going to turn around.
http://sgtreport.com/2011/04/this-is-not-your-grandfather%e2%80%99s-depression/
wake up.