OK, this is getting a little outrageous...

[mlc0908]

This may belong in the what irks me thread but I believe this is way more of a burden than and annoyance. Either way, Im sick of it and I know Im not alone on this one. The steady rising cost of, well...just about everything is getting to be a bit much to handle and Im wondering if there's any relief in sight. I realize there are other contributing factors besides the astronomical price of crude, but if the GOP would at least do something to get those prices down, we would see a great deal of much needed relief.

So today I go to WaWa and this is what happened...I purchased an italian hoagie, a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread, a bag of blue chips, the $.99 bag of mini ritz, 2/$1 cookies for the neighbors kids and a $3 jerky for my dog. I paid with a $50 bill and got back a $20 and a few coins. I must have looked confused or upset or something and my pain must have been showing because the clerk said "welcome to WaWa". Yeah that was kind of funny but not $30 worth of funny. Is it me or is this a little on the outrageous side? I mean, Im not a cheap person but I know there's a major difference in what I used to pay and what I spent today. Feedback please?

[Curious1]

Yeah...due to our large family size..i do the bulk of our major food/other shopping at SuperWalmarts to Cosco's to Sam's to IKEA stores..and even there..the prices have changed...I thought I was on crack a few months ago when I noticed that the price of 1gallon of Mayfield milk was going for $ 7.99/gal...not 2 jugs for 7.99...but 1 jug of that ish for 7.99....

They have since lowered it back to 5.99/gal..but even that is some highway robbery mess...

When I've asked I've gotten the same response...that due to the price of gas..the cost to ship intrastate to interstate commerce is biting these stores in the ***...and even the cost to buy say rubber products and metal products has gotten costly as these are coming from China and other foreign places imported here...they have issues with the value of our dollar and the prices are off the chain...

so we, the consumers, feel the crunch..and have to pay for these increases...

We are just at the tip of the iceberg with this...I think we are going to see a horribile..recession....with a taste of an economic depression for some real people...

[mlc0908]

On some real ish, I can vibe with you because you always seem to know exactly where I'm coming from even when I dont actually say it. Another sad chapter to this saga is just how many people think just because they dont drive theyre not affected by the rising cost of gas. Not ever stopping to think of how many different products are made by using a barrel of crude from textiles, fabric for carpet, detergent, heart valves, crayons, even bubble gum. Coinciding with the points you made, the rising costs of production and manufacturing goods in the U.S., the fact that our country accounts for 25% of the world's oil consumption while our production of oil is only 10% and declining, free trade policies that allow boat loads of imports to flood our shelves in stores while exports meerly trickle out, the plumeting value of the USD...I mean, is going on here and when will this dumb SOB wanna be POTUS handle his business. If he approached this situation with vigor like he did in Iraq.....Lets see some shock and awe now MOFO, to hell with this little pansy a** economic stimulus package which will barely serve as a band aid when we need full body cast and traction.

Ok, please excuse my language but I cant help it when it comes to the topic at hand. I'll close here and come back later with chapter 2. I hope you and your family enjoy your Sunday. Peace and blessings.

[charliekilothree]

Yes, the price of diesel fuel is higher than any grade of gasoline. Trucks powered by diesel engines transport most of the products we buy. It can cost more than $2000 to fill both fuel tanks on a truck tractor with dual 300 gallon tanks. The shipper charges the stores more for delivering the goods so they pass the costs on to the consumers in price increases. There's really not much we can do about it unless we grow our own food and go back to the old way of living. When my Mother was growing up on a farm, they were pretty much self sufficient as far as food goes.

[JamieC]

I'm finding myself shopping at a few of the local grocery outlets now because this ish is getting out of hand. I'm only buying what we need as far as food goes and I'm making sure it's going to be eaten during that particular week because if it just sits in the frig and not touched, then I've wasted money for NOTHIN!! My hubby and I used to carpool from Oceanside to San Diego on a weekly basis to get to work but with the price of gas being $4.02 a gallon here we decided to fill the tank up every week and park it at the train station in the mornings then take the train and shuttle.

The oil companies know what their doing because the more people complain or try to protest the issue, the higher the prices are going to go up. It used to cost us $30.00 to fill the tank up in our truck but now it's $56.00 and that's way out of hand. It's gonna get worst before it gets better.

[The Dragon]

I feel ya'lls pain. Today I brought to pairs and the total came to $1.48!! Amazing! Rising food costs is hitting people hard in the pockets. It's time for us to seriously consider growing our own food.

[warrior]

Am I the only one to see the value of panhandling in this economic disaster? Let's face it people, these are desperate times and as long as there seem to be plenty of generous do gooders out there, I am not above asking them for a little help. I take my children out almost every day with bags and we pace in front of the Piggly Wiggly asking for kindness because our daddy lost his job, or is in jail or what ever...we go home with groceries enough to stock the cupboards for weeks at a time and don't spend a dam nickel. And we ain't steeling it either so I don't want to hear no accusations! I'm just saying, if it gets too expensive to feed your babies, then let them white folks with all the money pitch in a little. they always seem like they feel better for it too so everybody wins!

[Curious1]

Naw....I'm not judging you..but the cost of food and living is high and all..but we have been blessed as a whole..Hubs works, I can work and the kids do what they can, babysit if needed...We have "things" and shelter, food, rides..etc..etc...so aside from USA unconrtrollable food/gas prices..we'll get by...and I will just keep budgeting and pinchin pennies..like the way our old school "villages" did...at this point...so far....we would be frauds if i put myself and our kids out like that "panhandlin" under false pretense....lol..like that....then came home to the neighborhood where we live...naw, I have to be my kids role model..plus I have a vegge garden in my backyard...that helps...

But get your panhandlin on...to each his own...knock gonna knock your hustle..Do your kids like doing that...saying their dad is a deadbeat to strangers for a handout...kids do learn some lessons often not intended...

Good luck to ya...

[Istlota]

Originally Posted by warrior

Am I the only one to see the value of panhandling in this economic disaster? Let's face it people, these are desperate times and as long as there seem to be plenty of generous do gooders out there, I am not above asking them for a little help. I take my children out almost every day with bags and we pace in front of the Piggly Wiggly asking for kindness because our daddy lost his job, or is in jail or what ever...we go home with groceries enough to stock the cupboards for weeks at a time and don't spend a dam nickel.

Assuming you are serious --- and are not just one of the white-racists-pretending--to-be-a-black-sterotype we get here from time to time -- consider the lessons you are teaching your kids:

1. It is okay to lie to get what you want in this world.
2. It is okay to say disrespectful things about your father to complete strangers.
3. It is okay to voluntarily suffer verbal abuse from 9 out of 10 strangers in order to get a handout from the 1 out of 10 people who will feel sorry for you and toss a few coins your way.

[Istlota]

There are several factors contributing to the current worldwide economic depression:

1. The value of USD ain't what it used to be. Hence, even in the US, we are paying more USD for the same goods.
2. At the same time that the value of USD has dropped, wages have also dropped. Tens of thousands of people who had good paying jobs a year ago are now either unemployed or working on a new job for a lot less take home pay.
3. It is erroneous to say that we have an oil shortage when we are able to pump tens of millions of barrels of oil out of the ground every _day_. If we adopted reasonable fuel conservation measures, the world would have more than enough oil for many generations to come. But, that just ain't in our collective cultural DNA. We are using more oil than ever before and the worst oil consumers in the world, we spoiled bullies here in the US, have no intention of changing our ways until the house burns down with us in it. No matter how much oil we can get our hands on, we will find ways to consume more. Our three choices for POTUS 2008 --- Obama, Hillary, and McCain --- all have energy plans which focus on developing _more_ sources of energy for us to waste. Hence, the oil will eventually run out -- not because it is in short supply now, but because the _demand_ is so great. And, per the law of supply and demand, since demand will continue to skyrocket, price will continue to skyrocket as well. Where is all that extra money coming from? You and me. Where is it going? Into the already deep pockets of the oil barons.
4. But, the Law of Supply and Demand assumes "Perfect Competition", which is not 100% true with the oil barons. There are a lot of oil barons, in a lot of nations around the world, which ought to make it a free enterprise. But, their greed enables them to function as one monopoly. Hence, to maximize profits, they all raise prices at the same time, which suggests more of a pseudo-monopoly than a Perfect Competition. The end result is that you and I end up paying for oil as if it where in short supply, which is not true --- yet.
5. The worldwide depression is even affecting rich folks, although obviously not as critically as it hits the rest of us, Unfortunately, rich people tend to be the greediest, most selfish, sonsabeaches on the planet. Hence, they have no moral reservations about raising the prices of the goods and services their companies sell in an attempt to push profits back to pre-W levels. They are literally passing their minor financial problems onto the backs of the people least able to handle the load -- the poor and middle classes.
6. There is no free ride in this world. All those hundreds of billions of dollars that America sunk into wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia had to come from somewhere. Most of it was created out of thin air by the Federal Reserve. That hit the rest of us doubly hard. One, it caused inflation by lowering the value of USD, Two, it increased the interest that our government pays on all that pretend money -- interest which gets paid from your and my taxes.

What I hope I have made clear is that all this _MUST_ lead to the economic collapse of the American empire -- assuming we do not first commit hari-kiri by attacking Iran.