Not everything today is unaffordable

"In other words, we all need to navigate the path which makes sense to us. Not 100% of the government's fault, not at all. When the tax cuts take effect next year, things will be better. Let's give Trump some credit for that."

I would gamble to say that everyone who reads this today, has struggled with affordability issues. Like, what is affordable today, and what is not. There are some major things which are unaffordable that have nothing to do with the Trump Administration. Like interest rates. That is all on the Fed. Trump was right when he has called out Jerome Powell for being "late to the party" in lowering our rates. But as I have reported before, the price of coffee? That is almost 100% on Trump. He could (and should) fix that in a New York minute.

As far as food items, what is affordable? Chicken is still a good value. Often, I will see legs and thighs on sale for 99 cents a pound. Eggs are common now for less than two dollars a dozen. Turkeys if you search, can be found for under two dollars a pound. Milk, less than three dollars a gallon. What am I trying to say? Some food items have yet to come down in the affordability range. By the same token, other items are like prices we once paid. Good prices for good food.

During the pandemic, when supply chains were broken and many items were unavailable, my wife and I would often say, "We will get what we can, where we can, how we can, and if we can." In other words, if we really needed an item (toilet paper or disinfectant wipes), getting them, no matter the price, was a win. Today, with Covid being over, most if not all items are available. That is a VERY GOOD thing. And most are for sale at a price which many can afford.

But here is the rub. The new narrative is EVEYTHING is unaffordable. And the Democrats will use this like a cudgel in the next election. Trump is on a path right now, trying to either explain that most items are either affordable or will be shortly, or what he will do to fix the unfixable. What else can Trump do? Not to repeat myself, fix the price of coffee. Get rid of the 50% tariff in Brazil. And beef? Tell the Secretary of Agriculture, that getting MORE beef produced in America is a HIGH priority. Whatever it takes, even if calling in the four major beef producers for a "chat", get quantity of beef up, and prices down.

Here comes the tough love part. Finding the post affordable path today or tomorrow, is an individual responsibility. Until the price of beef comes down, we are not buying as much beef. We are more judicious in how much coffee we drink. When we do buy coffee, we buy it at Sam's or Costco to save a few bucks. In other words, we all need to navigate the path which makes sense to us. Not 100% of the government's fault, not at all. When the tax cuts take effect next year, things will be better. Let's give Trump some credit for that. 

p.s. During my five quarters of Econ at the Carlson School of Management, I heard over and over again that prices go up like a rocket and come down like a feather. The Biden 20% increase in prices will take some time to mollify. Just saying...