The problem with measuring inflation is that you can cherry-pick the goods in your basket to paint the picture that you want to see. If I make a basket full of

The problem with measuring inflation is that you can cherry-pick the goods in your basket to paint the picture that you want to see. If I make a basket full of housing, healthcare, college education, and fresh produce, I can show you that inflation is out of control. If you look at the "price changes" chart, prices for the red line items have gone up 4-6% per year over 20 years. While it's nice that you can buy a 55" flatscreen for the price of a 15" crt from 1998, TVs (and cars, furniture, clothing) are occasional purchases and can be cost-controlled by choosing cheaper options. Unlike healthcare/insurance, where you're stuck with paying for what you can get.