Prices for key foods rising sharply

[SpiralHawk]

You can thank the republicon Homelanders and their so-called "conservative" politics for this fine mess, as well as for the really ugly stuff now gaining momentum in the mortgage, credit and banking arenas.

The only thing republicons are good at is lying.

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Prices for key foods are rising sharply
By Kevin G. Hall | McClatchy Newspapers

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/18902.html

Posted on Tue, August 14, 2007

MIDLAND, Va. ˜ The Labor Department‚s most recent inflation data showed that
U.S. food prices rose by 4.1 percent for the 12 months ending in June, but a
deeper look at the numbers reveals that the price of milk, eggs and other
essentials in the American diet are actually rising by double digits.

Already stung by a two-year rise in gasoline prices, American consumers now
face sharply higher prices for foods they can't do without.

This little-known fact may go a long way to explaining why, despite healthy job
statistics, Americans remain glum about the economy.

(snip)

[Selatius]

1. It's stagflation. Only oil shocks could cause stagflation.

I don't buy the government's reporting of inflation (they underplay it), and I don't buy the government's reporting of unemployment numbers (again, they underplay it). Looking at the numbers seem to indicate it's much worse.

We're in a situation where unemployment and inflation are on the rise. Usually, they tend to move in opposite directions, but when they move in unison, that's stagflation.

[rfranklin]

2. The job statistics are terrible...

Just like they ignore the inflation in the "volatile" food and fuel sectors, they ignore the fact that they just aren't evaluating the quality of the jobs that people are forced to take out of desperation and the millions upon millions that have dropped off the radar screen and are not even recognized in the labor statistics.

[Cobalt Violet]

3. I live just fine without eggs and milk. n/t

[SpiralHawk]

5. How doubleplusgood for you

Believe it or not, most folks out there still eat eggs and milk in one form or another.

How doubleplusungood for us.

[Cobalt Violet]

6. I just take issue with them being called "essentials in the American diet "

Because I'm living proof that they aren't essential. Indeed, good for me.

[Captain Hilts]

11. Okay I'll say it. They're "essentials in all diets except Asia." nt

[Cobalt Violet]

15. I must have die of malnutrition decades ago then. n/t

[MissB]

29. How about "standard diet".

:)

[capi888]

16. Lets see eggs and milk are a staple of....

Ice Cream, pancakes, cake, noodles of all kinds, breads (some) puddings, rolls, coating for fried foods, and tons of other foods, to numerous to mention. Since they have taken home Economics, out of schools, and we eat prepared foods mixes, and McDonalds (which adds to overweight,heart, and all sorts of (health problems, people don't realize WHAT they are eating...

I am back to freezing fresh veggies from the garden, making my own bread and desserts going back to the good ol' days!! IN MY KITCHEN!

[RebelOne]

7. I'm another one who survives without eggs and milk.

I rarely eat eggs. Usually, if I have breakfast out (which is not very often), I will order an omelette. And I drink soy milk at home. It tastes much better than milk and is better for you.

[SpiralHawk]

8. The point is: most people do

Just because some people are exceptions is of small consequence.

Most people do use eggs and milk in one form or another, so these price increases hurt lots of people.

I think it is just fine that you are exceptions.

But your individual dietary choices make no difference whatsoever to the average American.

You can argue that we should all give up milk and eggs. But then -- as that other foods get more and more expensive -- why not give up wheat, rice, oats, fruit, vegetables, soy, meat, chicken, fish and corn?

Thanks to the republicon mindset, we will always have "mutant facsimile chemo food-product facsimile" to enjoy.

[H2O Man]

9. Right.

The OP is clearly focusing on the economic issues involved here, rather than dietary preferences.

[hootinholler]

21. Not only that stuff, but eggs are one of the cheapest protein sources there is. n/t

[laruemtt]

23. good ol' rice and beans, guys.

the cheapest, most filling source of usable protein around.

[MissB]

26. Unless you raise your own chickens.

In which case the virtually free eggs are probably cheaper.

What with McDonalds, I think the rest of the world has forgotten about rice and beans. They'll probably become very favorable again.

[spinbaby]

12. Great

And how has the price of soy milk been?

[MissB]

25. I don't have a dog in this fight, but

the price of a case of organic soymilk at Costco has been stable for at least the last 2-3 years. I pay $10.99. Consistently.

(disclaimer: I do have one member of my household that drinks milk and all of us consume eggs. Fortunately for us, the eggs are cheap - I just go out to my henhouse and collect several a day.)

[izzie]

4. I wish one could find what they use for the COLA easy.

If I am wrong correct me. Was gas taking out of this figure a while back? Next they will take out food and health care. To this day I can not figure out why SS give a percent raise on COLA and not a flat fee. After all it cost me just as much to buy eggs as it does some one making twice what I do. Why does this seem like the wrong way to do it? I know things have gone up as I live on a retirement budget. I gave up most meat back in the 90's. I can not give up fruit and veggies. Fish has turned out to be a real special meal to me. and I love fish. Oh well money is only there to do with as we wish. I will just stop wishing to eat any more. I am almost old enough to give it up any how.

[Selatius]

10. Cost of living excludes gas and the cost of housing.

Gas was removed in the 1980s under Reagan, I believe. I dunno when with housing. When they talk about "core inflation" on the corporate news outlets, they mean inflation minus housing and gas. The consumer price index was further modified under Clinton to reduce inflation on paper.

The official CPI lists inflation as being roughly 2.5 percent higher than it was at the same point last year:

http://www.shadowstats.com/cgi-bin/sgs?

However, if we calculate the CPI according to 1980 methodology, inflation is running at 10 percent a year:

[izzie]

17. What was the point of taking gas off? I do not recall the reason.

It counts for me and I have cut down shopping to once every two weeks. Course being retired I can do that but most people can not. I just will not put more than 10 to 15 a month into that car in gas. I used to figure 40 a month but when I retired, driving which I hate, was off the books. Now taking of rent or house pay ments seems sort of foolish also. Every one has to live some place and pay for it unless it is under a bridge and at the rate we care for our things in this country that is not to safe a place for even the homeless to bunk. I was always taught this was the way to look at money. If to day you work longer hours for a loaf of bread and a pair of shoes than you did last year you are going down etc. My father was a man who believed money had no set value and it was the only way to look at things with some reason he said. He was trained to be a CPA but never worked at it. His hobby was the stock market so money was in a special place for him. I tend to get caught up in the thinking I learned at the kitchen table. It was not a college subject that interested me at all. I had to read stock market quotes for the WSJ to my father every day. I found it very dull.

[Selatius]

19. Cynically, it was to bring down inflation on paper.

I don't know the institutionalized reason for doing it, and I'm not bothered to dig out something that strikes me as a load of crap, but if you exclude gas price volatility in calculating the CPI, inflation looks a whole lot better for politicians than it does if it were left in.

[izzie]

20. It is sort of like the army is making its numbers, Right?

Cook the figures is just what I always thought it was.

[AndyA]

13. The only thing republicons are good at is lying.

I think you could also add:

- cheating
- stealing
- death
- destruction
- hypocrisy
- cronyism
- war
- spinning reality

They do all of that pretty well, and of course all of those are accompanied by lying to make it work.

(Just wanted to be sure to give them proper credit for their accomplishments. :eyes: )

[SoCalDem]

14. Corn & fuel

Most of our food has corn in it , or is related to corn, and it all has to be trucked, flown, shipped with $3+ fuel..

and farmers who can suddenly make more by selling to ADM/ConAgra/etc will sell to them instead of kelloggs, Purina etc.

There aren't many grass-fed cows these days, and chickens eat grain..

Ethanol is using grain that used to be for food..and farmers are now growing corn, instead of the crops they used to..

It's all about the money..

[Blackhatjack]

18. Anyone who actually shops in a grocery store knows about the prices going up...

In our local grocery store, the price tags are for the most part brand new --they are changing them every day or so.

Gasoline prices are affecting the transportation of canned foods, dry goods and produce. However, other staples are going up just as fast.

And don't forget that manufacturers have been shrinking the size of packages and charging the same per unit prices. THat is a price increase right there even if you paid the same amount of the item last month.

[lpbk2713]

22. Don't ever forget the rethuglicans *owned* all three branches of govt for six years.

There's no reason why we shouldn't be living in a paradise by now.

Instead, they fugged up our country with their greed, corruption and incompetence.

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. My god they FINALLY noticed?

My pocket book noticed a while ago

[MissB]

28. Yep.

I shop mostly the outer aisles of the grocery store, but even then I do buy a few prepared foods. Some weeks I'm lazy and don't want to make pita bread from scratch so I'll buy a loaf of whole wheat bread. I look for the type that doesn't have preservatives or high fructose corn syrup, and that type has gone up from $1.50 a loaf to $3.00 a loaf.

Whole wheat pita is a helluva lot cheaper to make.

[Bluebear]

27. Then, when people have to feed their kids pasta to fill them up folks will bitch that they are fat

Healthy food is not cheap food.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. Pasta is not that bad

as long as you prepare it carefully

I am far more concerned about ding dongs or pre packaged noodle soups

[JFN1]

31. Its pretty crazy

I buy cottage cheese about once a month. For the last year or so a 16 ounce tub was $1.82. I was going to buy some yesterday, as I had a hankering for some and it had been a few months, and lo and behold it is now $3.94.

Another story - my wife and I went to Dairy Queen with her parents the other night - we almost never go to DQ - we don't like all the fat in ice cream. But we decided to go enjoy the nice evening with her folks, and buy a cone. Four small vanilla ice cream cones cost me almost $6 - I couldn't freakin' believe it. I'm not sure how much it was the last time we had cones there - but i know it wasn't that expensive - not even close.