Which part? Certainly there is inflation in the U.S. Most certainly social security is not keeping pace. And it is true that numbers are manipulated so that cost of living increases are kept to minimum. With regard to workers, Ford is back in the black. its CEo made around $50M+. The average worker now on the line makes $15/hr. Less than 20 years ago. Less than 30 years ago. And the dollar is worth less. So which part is the bullshit?
Gringos In Ba Living With The Us Dollar Must All Be Happy
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Which part? Certainly there is inflation in the U.S. Most certainly social security is not keeping pace. And it is true that numbers are manipulated so that cost of living increases are kept to minimum. With regard to workers, Ford is back in the black. its CEo made around $50M+. The average worker now on the line makes $15/hr. Less than 20 years ago. Less than 30 years ago. And the dollar is worth less. So which part is the bullshit?
I don't think that the inflation indicators in the US (CPI) are off, there is no good evidence which supports that. Obviously the dollar is worth less than 20 years ago, much less, that's not disputed by anyone. The fact that a line worker makes less is neither here nor there, it has nothing to do with inflation nor cost of living adjustments, it has to do with competitive conditions in the industry.
Anybody who thinks there´s no inflation in the US has not bought groceries there for a while. My stepson just lost his farm he´d paid on for 20 years. He said Mom we thought we were doing okay but everything else is going up so much we just couldn´t keep up. He isn´t the only one who has told me that. My friend is refinancing her house with a longer mortgage for the same reason. She can´t pay everything else and pay the mortgage as well, plus she´s taking a part'time job. She´s 76. In order to keep from having to raise pensions they have massaged the inflation figures and taken out food and energy in order to keep claiming low inflation rates. These are the very things that most people have to spend for. This is on record and was openly discussed in Congress. I´m not going to argue with you guys but sometimes some of the arguments here surprise me.
citygirl
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I don't think anyone would posit there is no inflation in the US but it's quite the stretch to say inflation is an issue there.
Gov't has nothing to do with pension payouts (unless you were a gov't employee). And very few companies offer pensions any longer.
Social Security wasn't intended to be sole source income but rather a complementary income stream to individual retirement savings
The biggest issue in the US has to do with underwater mortgages, lack of individual savings etc. (ie, so sad about Arlean's friend but why in god's name does a 76 year old woman have a mortgage payment??!!)
Food costs as percentage of income are still low in the US, esp if you take advantage of the myriad of savings options. Ditto pretty much everything else, esp compared to here.
Gov't has nothing to do with pension payouts (unless you were a gov't employee). And very few companies offer pensions any longer.
Social Security wasn't intended to be sole source income but rather a complementary income stream to individual retirement savings
The biggest issue in the US has to do with underwater mortgages, lack of individual savings etc. (ie, so sad about Arlean's friend but why in god's name does a 76 year old woman have a mortgage payment??!!)
Food costs as percentage of income are still low in the US, esp if you take advantage of the myriad of savings options. Ditto pretty much everything else, esp compared to here.
Sorry Citygirl. Usually I agree with you but when it comes to Social Security, government has everything to do with it. Also my cousin, a teacher, has now lost her pension. State Government had something to do with that. They didn't put the money in a trust fund they were supposed to. They spent it instead. So this time I don't know where you are coming from.
As for SS, they are mandated to raise it according to the rate of inflation. I have read the stats on what it would be if they did that fairly. They don't. As I stated, it was even discussed in Congress what they were going to have to do to avoid it. and they did.
My stepson has been paying on that mortgage for 20 years and getting along just fine, raising two kids in the process. Now he can't keep up. No matter how much anyone wants to deny it, this IS a problem. Most people's main expenses are food and energy. Especially if they live in the north. And the prices go up as governments print bogus money. the more dollars floated out there, the less they will buy if they are not support by production. The only reason hyperinflation has not hit the US is that we ship our dollars all over the world, i.e., we ship our inflation all over the world. But now countries are getting it and arranging to trade between themselves. The crisis is coming, I think. Just don't know when.
As for SS, they are mandated to raise it according to the rate of inflation. I have read the stats on what it would be if they did that fairly. They don't. As I stated, it was even discussed in Congress what they were going to have to do to avoid it. and they did.
My stepson has been paying on that mortgage for 20 years and getting along just fine, raising two kids in the process. Now he can't keep up. No matter how much anyone wants to deny it, this IS a problem. Most people's main expenses are food and energy. Especially if they live in the north. And the prices go up as governments print bogus money. the more dollars floated out there, the less they will buy if they are not support by production. The only reason hyperinflation has not hit the US is that we ship our dollars all over the world, i.e., we ship our inflation all over the world. But now countries are getting it and arranging to trade between themselves. The crisis is coming, I think. Just don't know when.
citygirl
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You said "In order to keep from having to raise pensions they have massaged the inflation figures and taken out food and energy in order to keep claiming low inflation rates"
Social security is NOT a pension. Hence my pointing out the fallacy in that statement. Nor was it designed to be a sole support for a person. I'm not sure if you meant social security instead of pensions. If so, that is more clear however again, keep in mind, SS was NOT, never was intended to replace an individual's retirement savings. It is intended as a complementary, not primary source of income for retirees.
State gov't is not federal gov't. If there was an issue with the state gov't and your cousin's pension, that would have nothing to do with the federal gov'ts reporting of inflation figures. Out of curiosity - what state didn't pay a pension that was guaranteed?
Again, no one is arguing that there are issues and problems. Just pointing out that it's important to be precise.
Social security is NOT a pension. Hence my pointing out the fallacy in that statement. Nor was it designed to be a sole support for a person. I'm not sure if you meant social security instead of pensions. If so, that is more clear however again, keep in mind, SS was NOT, never was intended to replace an individual's retirement savings. It is intended as a complementary, not primary source of income for retirees.
State gov't is not federal gov't. If there was an issue with the state gov't and your cousin's pension, that would have nothing to do with the federal gov'ts reporting of inflation figures. Out of curiosity - what state didn't pay a pension that was guaranteed?
Again, no one is arguing that there are issues and problems. Just pointing out that it's important to be precise.
Crema Americana
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The US has proven it's not immune to great recessions or housing bubble/bursts - no need to even mention Europe. No system is completely safe or stable. Inflation in the US is an issue, but when compared to Argentina... it doesn't seem so bad. 
Wages are stagnant, there's a growing gap between the upper and lower classes, and things like college and healthcare are squeezing the middle class - but in the US people expect inflation and usually plan for it by investing and setting up retirement accounts. In time money devaluates, but there's also ways to make it appreciate. It's interesting to see the amount of advertising dedicated to insurance plans, trading, banking, tax services, etc. Not once have I seen a commercial here referring to nest eggs, life insurance, retirement plans.... here in Argentina planning is futile! Sure, you can squirrel money away, but you're actually better off just spending it and then hoping the government is still in condition to take care of you when you get to old age. (Not my advice, just saying that's what a lot of Argentinians do... the ones with serious money obviously know how to take care of it.)
The US also has the advantage of holding the world's reserve currency - dollars are welcome pretty much everywhere, but that's not so much to do with all the things the US is doing right, but rather the fact that most of the world is being just as reckless. As seen in Europe, soon enough things come back around to bite you - the US debt is serious problem.
As for the OP, yes, holding dollars is obviously a huge advantage. It makes a big difference in prices to divide by 8 instead of 5... prices seem almost reasonable! Too bad I don't earn in dollars. I'm not sure I'd trade on the black market anyway - just traded some dollars to a family member, and although I might have gotten a better rate on the street, at least they're still in the family and I don't feel bad about a possible loss had I waited longer to trade.
I wonder how many people still trade at the official rate. I feel bad for tourists that are practically getting robbed by the bank.
Wages are stagnant, there's a growing gap between the upper and lower classes, and things like college and healthcare are squeezing the middle class - but in the US people expect inflation and usually plan for it by investing and setting up retirement accounts. In time money devaluates, but there's also ways to make it appreciate. It's interesting to see the amount of advertising dedicated to insurance plans, trading, banking, tax services, etc. Not once have I seen a commercial here referring to nest eggs, life insurance, retirement plans.... here in Argentina planning is futile! Sure, you can squirrel money away, but you're actually better off just spending it and then hoping the government is still in condition to take care of you when you get to old age. (Not my advice, just saying that's what a lot of Argentinians do... the ones with serious money obviously know how to take care of it.)The US also has the advantage of holding the world's reserve currency - dollars are welcome pretty much everywhere, but that's not so much to do with all the things the US is doing right, but rather the fact that most of the world is being just as reckless. As seen in Europe, soon enough things come back around to bite you - the US debt is serious problem.
As for the OP, yes, holding dollars is obviously a huge advantage. It makes a big difference in prices to divide by 8 instead of 5... prices seem almost reasonable! Too bad I don't earn in dollars. I'm not sure I'd trade on the black market anyway - just traded some dollars to a family member, and although I might have gotten a better rate on the street, at least they're still in the family and I don't feel bad about a possible loss had I waited longer to trade.
I wonder how many people still trade at the official rate. I feel bad for tourists that are practically getting robbed by the bank.
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