Last weekend I took my sons and my oldest grandson to Penn Station for lunch. It was our second choice as our favorite pizza joint was working on their pizza ovens.
We each ordered a sandwich (a total of 4 sandwiches), three small fries and 4 small drinks.
When I got to the cashier, she said, ‘that’ll be $51.”
My reply was “$51? For what?”
“For what you ordered” came the reply.
Still astonished, I asked to see a detailed copy of my receipt, which she was glad to print out for me.
After perusing the detailed receipt, the restaurant was correct. $51.
The next day, my wife commented she was not going to cook so we ordered in for the three of us, and $41 was the total.
This is not news. Everyone is experiencing it as this time. We’re told on the news this is due to a food shortage, which was a subset of the supply chain problems the country is experiencing.
It isn’t. That’s fake news.
I googled the following headlines while writing this want. These are from April 2020.
“USDA let millions of pounds of food rot while food-bank…” – Politico
“A disastrous situation: Mountains of food wasted.” – The Guardian
“Food rotting in the fields but shortages in the stores” – Mishtalk
“American farmers ordered to kill livestock and destroy crops” – Easton Spectator
“Who is telling our farmers to kill their … cattle and spill their milk?” – Investment Watchdog
What I’m attempting to demonstrate is the food shortage has been created by the same entity that created our current inflationary times.
Government.
As Ronald Reagan used to say – Government is the problem, not the solution.
When government spends more money than it takes in, they make up the difference by printing more paper money than the tangible, limited supply of rare commodities of gold and silver.
You may argue the USA has not had a gold standard since 1971 and you’d be correct. The inflation rate, since we’ve gotten off the gold standard is 582%.
Let’s look at it this way.
I own a 1988 Toyota Supra. Hagerty Insurance values it at $8,000.
So I want to borrow $8,000 to buy another affordable classic – an old Corvette. I give the bank the title to the Supra in order to get the Corvette.
Without the bank’s knowledge, I copied the title 9 times and borrowed money from you, my friend Randal, another friend John, and a few other acquaintances. Now I have $80,000 and the bank has the Supra title and 9 other individuals BELIEVE they have a Supra title as collateral for loaning me money.
When you all catch up to me, I may go to prison for fraud. At the very least, I must make restitution to those I intended to defraud and I haven’t done any favors for myself, financially or ethically.
But when it comes to the government and they do the same thing daily, to the point of borrowing $7 billion A DAY since the beginning of the pandemic, we shrug it off and say, “Well, we owe it to ourselves” or “I’m glad I won’t be alive when the bill for all this debt comes due…”
Inflation is a wonderful tool used to take strong, free societies and turn them into a socialist society, much like the Weimar Republic evolved into Nazi Germany over a period of 15 years. America is marching to the same tune, almost to the same lock-step tempo.
Can we stop this march? SURE.
How do you thrive and provide for yourself and your family in such circumstances? SIMPLE.
My upcoming book, available through TedLeithart.com will reveal all. Sign up to my email list and you’ll be the first ones to know when the book is available.
