My wife’s company just did another round of lay offs. This is the third in a years time. We were on vacation last week so we don’t know if this affected us. We are nervous. The unemployment rate in the U.S. is steady at about 10%. The unemployment rate in the building and construction business is at 30%. We have reason to be nervous.
We went to the grocery store today and prices shot up again. One of our favorite products went from $10.49 / pound last week to a whopping $11.99 / pound. The price of food continues to defy the consumer price index. I don’t understand the economics, but both Congress and the Senate raised food subsidies in 2008 at the alarm of the free world. These subsidies allow food prices to be set artificially high. In good economic times, this good for our economy. In current times, it just pisses the hell out of me.
I am surprised no one else is outraged. This past summer, I did a project in the mid west and people were living high. You would never know we were in the middle of a recession. “Good thing food prices are high”, my host exclaimed, “Farmers are doing really well.” I smiled, but could feel the bile in my throat. In this uncertain time of political upheaval, I hope someone is paying attention.