I heard this on a podcast and cannot take credit for it.
A friend of yours has been gaining weight consistently over the past several years. They approached you in January of 2023 and asked you to help the be accountable as they want to get healthy. Here are the basic numbers. They’ve gained 25 pounds each of the prior three years. They started at 175 and in January of 23 they weighed 250 pounds.
You check in with them semi-regularly through 2023 and they seem upbeat about the progress they are making. At the end of 2023 they report that are healthier, that their weight is under control. Actually they specifically state that their weight gain is down. They’ve cut the weight gain by 50% in one year.
You’re astounded as you realize that they now weigh 267.5 pounds!
This is the way the government and financial press talk about inflation. Thank goodness they got their “weight-gain” under control. Inflation is down. What about prices?
I recently went to McDonald’s for the first time in forever. I was inspired to do so because I watched a clip of a similar shopping trip in Moscow. For $7 (in rubles) the video host purchased two cheeseburgers, large fries, large cola, and a piece of cake. For that same $7, I purchased a McGriddle (yum!) and an extra small soda. In Columbus…
Whether it is this administration or the prior one or the next, we need to take back real definitions. A decline in the rate of inflation means prices are continuing to rise ON TOP of the increases we’ve experienced over the last several years. Our friend may need an intervention.