Groceries!

What's Going On Here?

Let’s talk about groceries.

And, McDonald’s.

Well, ok, not McDonald’s, but ‘fast food’.

Stuff we eat.

It’s said by those who’s business it is to know, that over 50% of inflation since Covid has gone directly to corporate profits. Even now, they’re still reaping record-breaking profits and raising prices wile hoarding it all in stock buybacks and executive compensation.

They can’t always hold us hostage for everything. Goods are still competitive. Elective services are by demand. Even utilities face some price regulation.

So, where do we feel it the most?

Groceries.

60% of our grocery industry is held by five companies. They all now offer largely identical products, packaging and prices. Discount and bulk savings items are being discontinued. Portions are reduced even as prices rise. When prices are low, packages are too large for many to buy at once. E.g.- pork chops, normally $6.99 lb. or more on sale for $2.99 lb., but only in 5-7 lb. packages.

For many people, those with limited freezer space or kitchenettes, that’s too big to store, even if they cook a few first. Secondly, and more importantly, now they have to shell out about $17.

If it’s a special, there may not even be smaller packages, but if there are, you can bet they’re not on sale. Faced with spending $17 anyway, Pork chops is out for tonight. So, where do you go?

Off to fast food.

Where they now want around $17 with tax for the average adult-size meal.

As a simple, particular example, we’ll cite something seemingly innocuous- chicken nuggets. Before Covid, Burger King sold ten nuggets for $1. After Covid, this went up to $1.50, then to only 8 nuggets, then to $2, and now sits at $3 for 8. Now, what could possibly cause chicken nuggets to be 220% more expensive to make?

Folks, the powers that be have decided what our lives are worth and it’s about $17 a pop.

There are still butcher shops, of course, and there are still butcher counters in many grocery stores, but either the price is higher or the selection limited or both. All in all, the majority of meat and produce is still purchased in chain grocery stores, and people generally buy most everything at the store that most fits their budget and their palette.

And there are those wonderful farmer’s markets. And roadside stands. And, still, some of it has to come from a store owned by Kroger somewhere along the line.

This is current gouging target- food.

And, it’s an intentionally tricky trap. What can we boycott? Fast food? Grocery prices will rise. Stores? That’s a laugh.

Now, who is really doing this?

Well, it’s the same mega-billionaire mega-MAGA donors that support Republicans, who flatly refuse to do anything about controlling corporate pricing.

And, Republicans are not above, well, anything, really, especially if it gives them ammunition to fire at Democrats. In this case, they’re elated that grocers are raising prices.

It masks the successes of President Biden’s policies by causing a direct pain on the consumer, one that allows Republicans to falsely claim the US economy is a disaster when it is, in fact, the strongest one in the world at present.

So, they say that Democrats are causing inflation with their Marxist ways.

I know.

Republicans are completely okay with allowing this sinister extortion to continue.

And it is.

Sinister.

To know that you’re going to cause someone harm, and do it anyways, that’s sinister.

To want the law to guarantee the right to do that harm with impunity is downright Machiavellian.

And, to plot to protect that by subverting a democratic government into a Christian nationalist dictatorship is absolutely diabolical.

Trump and these Republicans, backed by a .01% gestalt in gouging and stock manipulation, are collectively straining our chains anyways, but this concerted gouge in food is intentional.

By rights, with the increased GDP and jobs performances, and the incredible rise in productivity and massive profit margins, there should actually be ‘deflation’- lowering of prices to compete for the improved wages/GDP.

But, more jobs, higher wages, just means the money pile is bigger. We have more to extort.

What we’re fighting is a mindset. An evil, sinister, cruel, mean and abusive mindset, but nonetheless…

Because it’s one thing to want to be rich. Or to want to have money. It’s quite another thing to be insanely rich already and still want to take more money from people simply because they may have more money to take.

The major corporate honchos are stacking profit margins. A 3% rise in margin is well worth charging us all an extra 10% for canned goods.

Since they don’t live in the real world, they don’t know or care about the impact of anything they do.

Can they even be stopped?

So, it turns out, just this one time, the only way to stop any of this is to- I gotta say it- you won’t necessarily like it- and I’m not saying it’s a universal truth or anything or that there’s never been a bad one or whatever, or that you’ll always have to do it, but, this time, I swear, the only way to stop this is by voting for Democrats.

The proverbial ‘three reasons’;

1. They won’t shred the Constitution or need immunity for anything.

2. They will propose things that help people and improve government services to achieve better outcomes.

3. They will adopt regulations to control price gouging, stock manipulation through buybacks and to guarantee wage and safety protections.

I can safely say this because it’s what they’ve always done since FDR. They have been given the mantel, nee, the burden and responsibility of maintaining the constitutional order. They have routinely lowered the deficit where Republicans have constantly blown it up. They have regularly stimulated employment and GDP growth where as Republicans have stagnated them.

And, as it is now, ironically, the stock market- the money bin for the people backing Trump- always does better with Democrats in charge.

Things will get better for the rich anyway whenever they get better for everybody. Democrats foster that. They don’t mind the rich doing better, as long as it’s because we’re all doing better.

But when Republicans are in charge, only the rich do better. (And not as well, at that?!?!)

But, this was always the point of ‘tinkle on’, I mean trickle down, I mean, Milton Friedman, I mean, Reaganomics, I mean, Robber Baron Gilded Age economics. That’s what we’re really talking about. They’re all the same thing- vulture capitalism. Manipulating to maximize extortion. Cut services to give bigger tax breaks, contracts and subsidies. Limit social spending to increase, yes, same things. Increase taxes on middle and lower classes to give- you guessed it.

Everything about Republicans motives is about the grift- the corruption of the government to divert as much money and power as possible to them and their backers.

Now, in contrast, even if everything Democrats are doing and saying is a completely self-serving action to remain in office by ‘pandering to the public’, or, ‘just giving them what they want so they’ll vote for us’, I’m okay with that.

Because they aren’t saying or doing crazy, fascist shit. They’re just boringly addressing the issues that we face as a nation and as individuals. We don’t have to lionize them to admit they’re not being assholes right now. That they’re trying to do their job.

Could they be lulling us all into submission so they can take everything? Hardly. No one will put up with Democrats behaving that way.

But, Trump has literally done this, convincing his followers that only he can stop the destruction of life as he tells them they know it, and all the while he grifts millions from them.

And, if Trump wins, ‘tinkle on’ will only get worse. The economy really will be trashed. Project 2025 calls for myriad reductions in wages, benefits, social spending and union protections.

The alternative?

All of the things that President Biden has begun will be seen through to fruition if VP Harris is elected to continue his work. More importantly, with a Democratic Congress, things like budgets and NDAAs get done on time with less strife.

Voting blue now also gives Republicans a cause to reflect, to dump Trump and autocracy and once again be the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Eisenhower.

Until then, prices will rise and the Dems will be blamed.

“ Yea, a Big Mac, and large fries. What? $19???”

Post Election Update;

It worked. Amidst all of the nonsense and chicanery, all the crimes and gaffes, voters re-elected Trump anyway, and the only plausible explanations are racism/sexism against Kamala, which is likely, but lesser than the larger reality- and price gouging that has successfully convinced that majority that the current best economy in the world is absolute trash and Democrats caused it.

And how did they pull it off?

Groceries.

C.2024 Cousin B