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US economy going strong under Biden – Americans don’t believe it
(www.theguardian.com)
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this post was submitted on 15 Sep 2023
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politics
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I'll believe the economics are better when I'm not paying markedly more for everything in my life and my salary increases.
The politicians are so wildly out of touch with the citizens.
This idea that the data is "mistrusted" or "unseen" is ridiculous to the point of incredulity. I don't care what the data says, I know what my lived experiences are and everything is getting wildly more expensive except my labor, it seems. Show me any study you want, it won't change that groceries are 30%+ more expensive, my rent keeps going up, restaurants and bars have gotten nearly 50% or more pricier and my wage hasn't grown to match.
I’ll admit I’m a high income earner. I’ve never had to watch watch what I spend but recently even I’ve noticed increases in everything.
Groceries have doubled from what I paid in 2019. I buy almost the same thing every week and I compared.
Dining out has become much more expensive. Places I used to consider a good value are now expensive.
I ordered a basic meal the other day at a local place. A cheeseburger. Fries. Drink and my friend had a salad. It was almost 59 dollars. Six months ago it was around 30 dollars.
So now I have to watch my spending as everything has increased
Dining out is CRAZY now.
My wife and I were out and about last weekend and needed to eat so we hit a Burger King.
Meals for 2, nothing crazy, was $30... at freaking BURGER KING. We don't even have a sales tax here.
$21 was the bill for 4 people to eat fast food for lunch in my part of the USA today.
Y'all are paying too much for fast food, it's not worth that.
Where y’at?
Bumfuck Ohio
I'm just below the median income for my area. Before the pandemic, I was comfortable. I largely didn't have to worry about expenses, I could dine out a few times a month, cook meat more than once a week, buy a few hobby luxuries every few months. Could air travel for vacation once a year.
I drive a newish economy sedan, live in a decent area with one roommate, didn't have all that much but the 401(k) looked good and I had all I wanted.
Now things are tight. Just the other week, went to a bar that sold a damn good burger for $9 with fries. Could have a beer with it and get out under $20. The damn hamburger is $18 now and the beer doubled in price. I try to buy meat twice a month to eat, but my diet is far more bean and lentil based now. Eggs, while doubly more, are still cheap enough to be a frequent protein. My vacations are all at home now. I've taken to enjoying fishing, which is admittedly great, but I used to fly to Europe or other parts of the US once a year.
I do not know how folks on minimum wage get by here. Without forming a support network of other minimum wage workers to pool for rent and groceries, it has to be an insane struggle.
If this is the "improving economy", I don't want any of it.
I eat out often for work and my company picks up the tab. Part of why I didn’t notice for awhile.
I went to buy eggs and they were like 12 dollars. I could have swore eggs were a lot cheaper in the past.
I eat more hamburgers than I should and that’s where I’ve started to notice the crazy pricing. Like you said you could get a burger and beer for under 20. I use to pay 20 with tip and the tip was over 20%.
I can’t do that anymore.
Man some things have really hit the "I mean, it's one banana, Michael. What could it cost? $10?" levels of ridiculousness price wise.
Since I buy almost the same thing. I don’t pay attention to the cost per item. I just watch the total at the end.
My groceries went from about 80 a week to about 150-180 a week.
I have no clue how the average family is handling this. It’s become so insane even I’ve noticed.
I’m a republican but we need to seriously raise the minimum wage. There is no way anyone can survive on it.
It’s almost 14 here and you can’t survive on that.
Uh, you might wanna consider if being a Republican is more important to you than not living in a country full of homeless starving people is before you cast your next vote.
Most of your fellow Republicans believe deep down in the abolishment of the minimum wage, and are adamantly against ever raising it again.
Me and a partner got fish and chips at a bar yesterday, one app, no drinks, cost us fucking $80. Good fish and chips but like not that good... When I first moved here I was making enough to eat out basically every day and not notice it. I've gotten two raises since then but everything is going up in cost so much if I go out twice a week I'm straining my bank account. I'm used to being poor this job was a complete game changer for me but I'm already noticing I'm starting to pick up habits again from when I was making like 1/3 as much as I do now.
Visiting Europe and prices are so freaking cheap for everything it feels like I’m in a different decade.
Someone was telling me they bought 3 carrots for SIX FUCKING PENCE in the UK when they visited a few months ago.
America is so fucked, I don't care what the office of the president says
I spent $500 at Costco last weekend this shit is out of control.
The economy is doing better precisely because regular people’s lives are harder. A “strong” economy means more and more off the backs of everyday laborers. Not to mention intentional raising of unemployment rates to combat inflation. The system is fucked. There’s nothing in it for me and you.
Exactly this. Companies do better when they can exploit their workers for as much value as possible. That’s what a “good economy” looks like and it is the duty of every living human to hurt it.
Food service workers haven't gotten raises in decades. I finally quit when I threw my back out, but when I started in 96, I was making $20,000 a year as a line cook, and later $30,000 as a chef. When I went into management I got a whopping $36,000 as a GM. Meanwhile the prices on the menus have more than doubled. Dollar menus are non existent. It's bullshit. I make more money working for myself a few hours a week growing flower and building computers than I ever would in food service.
Yeah, I see the data every Sunday I go to the grocery store and it sure as fuck isn't making things better.
I can see all my grocery store receipts in my app up to two years ago.
Many things have gotten a lot more expensive, but some things haven't. I would put it at 20%, not 30+%.
Also, my mortgage didn't go up. Renters are getting screwed, that's for sure.
Finally, my wage definitely went up. Although many people did not have had their wages go up and they are getting screwed too
So I'm doing much better than two years ago.
The economy isn't bad for everyone.
But for many people, it's definitely bad.
To say that the numbers are wrong is a stretch though. The numbers just reflect averages.
I too have largely been doing better since the pandemic than before it. But I also bought a condo during the extremely brief price dip in early 2020.
I think a lot of it is living costs. If you were able to lock in a mortgage with low interest rates, and don't have to rent or look for a place to live right now, then you're probably doing a lot better than others and then the President's analysis may make actual sense.
On the other hand, I've gotten a couple raises but it hasn't felt like it. They've basically equaled out to inflation.
This is called “propaganda” say it with me “prop-a-Ganda”