Tag Archives: Inflation

What’s behind America’s “vibecession”?

It’s the biggest political head-scratcher of the season: President Biden has gotten a lot of questions right on traditional economic tests, but voters refuse to give him passing marks. By all conventional measures, the economy under Biden has thrived. Since Biden took office, 15 million jobs have been created. Unemployment has been below 4% for two and a half years – the longest stretch in over fifty years. Inflation … Continue reading What’s behind America’s “vibecession”? »

You’re Not Imagining It

No, you’re not going crazy: your favorite snacks and household products really are diminishing in both size and quality. The new phenomena of “shrinkflation” and “skimpflation” are very real, and they are becoming huge problems for millions of working Americans. Although inflation has cooled considerably since its peak in 2021 and 2022, prices are still ticking up at a faster rate than they were before the COVID … Continue reading You’re Not Imagining It »

‘Tis the Season for Sticker Shock

‘Tis the season for holiday sticker shock! As Americans finish the last bits of their holiday shopping, they are feeling the heat of higher prices. Thankfully, inflation has certainly cooled down since last year: the Consumer Price Index rose 3.1% over the year ending in November 2023, compared to a 7.1% rise over the year before. But unfortunately, while prices for groceries, gas, rent, and other essentials aren’t rising … Continue reading ‘Tis the Season for Sticker Shock »

Giving Thanks and the Fights Ahead

Like many of you, the Patriotic Millionaires will be sitting down with our friends and family in the days ahead to give thanks for the blessings of the previous year, celebrate our achievements, and commiserate with our communities. By most objective measures, there is much to which we can toast: from the recent successes of organized labor to declining inflation and a strong job market, … Continue reading Giving Thanks and the Fights Ahead »

Back to School for The New York Times

For huge swaths of the country, it’s Back to School week. But as schools open their doors and welcome students back, massive labor shortages are making it difficult to put teachers in classrooms, or even get students to school in the first place. And it’s no secret why: low pay has made it notoriously difficult for administrators to find educators and bus drivers. So it’s baffling that The New York … Continue reading Back to School for The New York Times »

There’s still work to do with wages

Workers in America have made some strides over the last few years, but unfortunately the road to real and lasting economic security remains long. With a debt ceiling crisis poised to potentially crash the global economy, and the Federal Reserve willing to push millions of Americans out of work to combat inflation, there’s a lot of work to be done to ensure that the gains of the last … Continue reading There’s still work to do with wages »

Corporate Greed is the Villain This Holiday Season Closer Look

As you finish your last-minute holiday shopping, you may notice that prices for, well, everything are higher than they were this time last year. Inflation has thankfully cooled a bit in recent months, but it’s still running hot enough to cause a tremendous amount of sticker shock this holiday season. Our current bout of inflation is driven by a complicated confluence of factors – the war in … Continue reading Corporate Greed is the Villain This Holiday Season Closer Look »

Reframing the Inflation Debate

The federal government is making a huge mistake in its fight against inflation. We’ve talked a lot about inflation recently, and how important it is for the government to help working people provide for themselves and their families as prices continue to rise. But we haven’t talked much about the one thing the federal government is actually doing to fight inflation – raising interest rates … Continue reading Reframing the Inflation Debate »

Democrats need to get real with voters about inflation

Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that consumer prices rose 8.2% over the past year through September. Inflation has cooled a bit since its peak in the summer, but not as much as most experts hoped. Prices are still rising at levels not seen since the 1980s. As prices for everyday essentials like food, gas, and rent continue to spiral out of control in America, … Continue reading Democrats need to get real with voters about inflation »

Taxing the rich is really, really popular…everywhere

We normally use this space to talk about taxes, wages, and other issues from a purely American perspective, but this week we’re going to look across the pond to the UK, where Prime Minister Liz Truss’s disastrous tax cut proposal ended up being perhaps the biggest financial news in the world over the last week. Just 11 days ago, Kwasi Kwarteng, the Chancellor of the … Continue reading Taxing the rich is really, really popular…everywhere »

The IRA – Fact vs. Fiction

It’s been just over 48 hours since President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law, and Republican pundits and lawmakers are already making it Target #1 in their efforts to take back Congress this November. Despite the fact that the IRA is a fantastic piece of legislation that makes our climate, healthcare system, and tax code better, conservatives want the American people to … Continue reading The IRA – Fact vs. Fiction »

Joe Manchin is Lying about Inflation

Last Thursday, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin put what appears to be the final nail in the coffin of Congressional Democrats’ tax agenda by announcing that he would not support a new reconciliation package that includes climate spending and tax increases on the rich. His opposition comes after months of negotiations (focused on tax reform at Manchin’s own request) in an effort to get some of President … Continue reading Joe Manchin is Lying about Inflation »

The Economy is Bad. Congress Needs to Fix It

It’s been a big week for economic news. From drama in Congress over the Build Back Better negotiations to continued economic strife affecting working Americans to new tax benefits offered to the rich, our economy is steadily moving in further favor of the wealthy, and the federal government appears ill-equipped to rise to the occasion. This week, we’ll look into how our current economy, policies, … Continue reading The Economy is Bad. Congress Needs to Fix It »

Biden’s inflation strategy? Tax the rich

Yesterday, President Joe Biden penned an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal that outlines his three-part plan to fight inflation. We encourage you all to read it here if you haven’t already. For today’s Closer Look, we would like to highlight one of the three parts of Biden’s plan that rarely gets the attention it deserves when policymakers are talking about solutions for inflation: taxing the rich. … Continue reading Biden’s inflation strategy? Tax the rich »

Want to keep workers around? Pay them more

In case you missed it, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its April jobs report last week. For today’s Closer Look, we’d like to highlight both the good news and the bad news from the report and offer our take as to what can be done about the bad news. The good news is that the economy continues to rebound from the pandemic. Last month, no … Continue reading Want to keep workers around? Pay them more »

Corporations are bragging about inflation price-gouging

Rising inflation continues to dominate headlines at home and around the world. There is simply no getting around the fact that prices for rent, groceries, gas, and other everyday essentials continue to rise and break records. As our wallets feel the squeeze at the grocery store and the gas pump, it’s easy to be misled by pundits providing convenient scapegoats like a “red-hot labor market” and … Continue reading Corporations are bragging about inflation price-gouging »

Facing Inflation, Congress Must Raise the Minimum Wage

Nearly everyone is feeling the effects of inflation these days. With an 8.5% inflation rate over the last year, prices are rising in almost every sector of our economy, and millions of American families are having a harder time affording the essentials. While this is a widespread crisis, it’s one that is particularly devastating for our nation’s low-wage workers. The federal minimum wage currently sits … Continue reading Facing Inflation, Congress Must Raise the Minimum Wage »

The White House needs to get serious about corporate greed

Rising inflation continues to dominate headlines in the US and around the world. There is simply no getting around the fact that prices for rent, groceries, gas, and other everyday items are rising quickly. This has put most American households at a financial loss, especially since their wages have not risen fast enough to keep up. President Biden will undoubtedly discuss the inflation situation in his … Continue reading The White House needs to get serious about corporate greed »

We can’t talk about inflation without corporate greed

Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that inflation over the last year reached a 40-year high. The Consumer Price Index, a key measure for inflation, rose 7.5% between this year and last, which is the highest rate increase since 1982. This news probably doesn’t come as a surprise to most Americans: there is no escaping the fact that prices for rent, groceries, gas, … Continue reading We can’t talk about inflation without corporate greed »

The economy could be worse, but it could absolutely be better

Last week, the Commerce Department announced that the American economy had a strong showing in 2021. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew 1.7% in the last quarter of 2021. bringing total annual growth for last year to 5.7%, the largest change that the US has seen since 1984. The Labor Department also shared some positive news. According to the agency, unemployment is very low in the US, with … Continue reading The economy could be worse, but it could absolutely be better »