Someone Explain Higher Food Prices

Anyone that keeps an eye on the economy has written something about the cost of food these days….I know I have….

There are many explanations from the absurd to the sublime…..from it is all Biden’s fault to the price gouging of some (most all) food distributors…..all the words written have done little to curb the upper trajectory of prices…..some groups will give lip service to make us all feel better but little action comes.

I read another article that tries to explain this thorn in the consumers ass….

This piece is in Food & Wine…..

Back in 1993, political activist Jimmy McMillan coined the phrase, “The Rent is Too Damn High” while running for mayor of New York, and later, governor of the Empire State. Three decades later, consumers across the country are saying the same thing about rising grocery prices.

Federal statistics bear that out. Since the pandemic began, the Federal Reserve says grocery prices have risen 25%, leaving consumers — and even President Biden — fuming over food costs. And supermarkets and big box stores are scrambling to reverse that perception. 

In February, Walmart implied that consumers should expect to see lower prices. Doug McMillon, its president and chief executive, contended that certain items were lower than in 2023 — including eggs, apples, and deli snacks, although he acknowledged they remained higher for some products such as asparagus and blackberries. 

Meanwhile, global home furnishings and food giant Ikea says it is cutting prices on hundreds of items. In a December email, it told consumers to look for signs reading “New Lower Price,” which have begun appearing in stores. It’s also offering weekday dining specials to members of the Ikea Family program, with meatball dinners for $3 on Mondays, and 50% off entrées on Fridays. But, effective Feb. 1, Ikea eliminated the program’s 5% across-the-board discount, meaning members were paying more for some items.

https://www.foodandwine.com/usa-inflation-food-costs-8622334

Did this piece explain it for you?

Not so much for me….I still believe that instead of lip service from Biden and the Dems the president could do something besides talk….after all he is the president but that means little these days….he is president that owes lots of favors to special interests and agribusiness is one of this entities.

Prices will remain high and continue to go up as long as there is no backbone to change this thing in DC.

Sorry guys but I cannot eat politician’s words….I wish we could literal get them to eat their words.

Side Note:  A couple of days ago I wrote about the egg shortage in Europe and I asked how long will it take before we are told the same thing….apparently not long at all for this is the report I read today….

The largest producer of fresh eggs in the US said Tuesday it had temporarily halted production at a Texas plant after bird flu was found in chickens, and officials said the virus had also been detected at a poultry facility in Michigan, the AP reports. Cal-Maine Foods, based in Ridgeland, Mississippi, said in a statement that approximately 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 pullets, about 3.6% of its total flock, were destroyed after the infection, avian influenza, was found at a facility in Parmer County, Texas.

“The Company continues to work closely with federal, state and local government officials and focused industry groups to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks and effectively manage the response,” the statement said. “Cal-Maine Foods is working to secure production from other facilities to minimize disruption to its customers.” Cal-Maine said it sells most of its eggs in the Southwestern, Southeastern, Midwestern, and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The company said there is no known bird flu risk associated with eggs that are currently in the market and no eggs have been recalled.

Here we go once again!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

A Billionaire To The Rescue

The big story for a few weeks now has been Trump (of course) and the judgment against him…..will he be able to come up with the bond money….many people thought he could squirm out of this predicament one way or the other.

And as accurate as always Trump managed to find a benefactor to put up the cash and save his assets from being grabbed.

So who was the knight in shining armor for Trump?

Don Hankey, the chairman and majority shareholder of Knight Specialty Insurance, told CNN on Tuesday that the deal to underwrite former President Donald Trump’s $175 million bond in New York came together quickly and that Trump posted all cash as collateral.

“It’s what we do. I’m happy to do it. We would have done it for anybody else,” Hankey said in a phone interview. “It was an easy transaction. It was put together very quickly.”

Based in California, Knight Specialty Insurance is known for providing subprime auto loans to car buyers with weaker credit scores.

Hankey, who has supported Trump’s presidential campaigns, said initially he reached out to the Trump Organization last month when the former president was having trouble putting together a bond of $464 million. Hankey has amassed a fortune that Forbes values at $7.4 billion.

(cnn.com)

Now ask what did he have to promise this obscenely wealthy leech to get his money?

But one billionaire is not the problem for this country….it is a mass of billionaires that are bankrolling the shyster Trump.

Donald Trump’s allies have put together a sprawling political operation that continually collects money from major donors, many of whom have interests before the Trump administration.

Six groups funded by dozens of ultra-wealthy donors have raised more than $50 million to support President Donald Trump and his agenda since his inauguration, a sharp reversal from his three-year-old pledge to be independent from moneyed interests, a Public Citizen analysis (PDF) has found.

It’s a sharp contrast with Trump’s first run for office, which was famously dysfunctional. Our analysis of Federal Election Commission data found that since the start of 2017, the six pro-Trump groups had raised $54.4 million from 136 megacontributors who donated at least $100,000 each, with an average contribution of nearly $400,000.

The money has been used to promote Trump’s agenda through ads and support Republican candidates.

These six groups, including America First Action and Trump Victory, are fueled with contributions from corporate CEOs, largely from the gambling, finance, real estate and energy sectors, as well as from dark money groups that do not disclose their donors.

The Super-Rich People Backing the Trump Agenda

All this mundane stuff just to get to the meat of this post….sorry about that….

Did you know that behind every authoritarian person stands at least one billionaire?

The problem is not just the far right, but the fact that there is an alliance between the super-rich and the far right… It’s true. Behind every fascist movement, there is a billionaire who discreetly supports it. The far-right scapegoats minorities: public anger is not directed where it should be, at the very rich who are destroying our means of survival.

George Monbiot: “Behind Every Fascist Movement There Is a Billionaire”

While article is mostly commenting on the environment his words could be translated into stopping the billionaires and Trump.

We can beat this marriage of far right and billionaires but that would mean that the people need to take voting seriously or lose everything in the aftermath.

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”