5 ms·

Inflation has been lower and more consistent over the last 39 years (and especially over the last 20 years) than any time in history. If you live in the United

by csours 5y ago

Inflation has been lower and more consistent over the last 39 years (and especially over the last 20 years) than any time in history. If you live in the United States and you're my age or younger, you haven't had to worry about inflation for your whole adult working life. This doesn't make today's inflation acceptable, it just lets you know how much importance has been put on handling inflation up until now.

SubiculumCode 5y ago
Well, I'd argue that inflation has been kept too low, placing burdens on debt-holders and lowering growth, which in my view contributed to the decimation of the middle class.
- csours 5y ago
  I'm not qualified to assess that, but I do think that it's hard to balance the needs of wealthy people and wall street with the needs of main street; it's even harder if you don't try to do that balance
nathias 5y ago
that's isn't saying much as the current monetary system only exists for 50 years
dnautics 5y ago
you haven't been poor, have you? I have been, and I definitely worried about inflation. In the early aughts ratcheting prices really fucked me over on a 26k salary.
- csours 5y ago
  I haven't been poor as an adult. I was definitely poor as a child. Inflation is different things to different people, just like unemployment numbers are different things to different people and communities. Unemployment may be low, but if you don't have a job, that doesn't matter. Yes, the top line inflation number can be very misleading for individual experiences.
throwaway0a5e 5y ago
>Inflation has been lower and more consistent over the last 39 years (and especially over the last 20 years) than any time in history. The entire 19th century would take issue with that statement. We've had about as much inflation since 1990, not including current pandemic related shenanigans, as they had in that entire century.

by csours 5y ago

SubiculumCode 5y ago

Well, I'd argue that inflation has been kept too low, placing burdens on debt-holders and lowering growth, which in my view contributed to the decimation of the middle class.

csours 5y ago
I'm not qualified to assess that, but I do think that it's hard to balance the needs of wealthy people and wall street with the needs of main street; it's even harder if you don't try to do that balance

nathias 5y ago

that's isn't saying much as the current monetary system only exists for 50 years

dnautics 5y ago

you haven't been poor, have you? I have been, and I definitely worried about inflation. In the early aughts ratcheting prices really fucked me over on a 26k salary.

csours 5y ago
I haven't been poor as an adult. I was definitely poor as a child. Inflation is different things to different people, just like unemployment numbers are different things to different people and communities. Unemployment may be low, but if you don't have a job, that doesn't matter. Yes, the top line inflation number can be very misleading for individual experiences.

throwaway0a5e 5y ago

>Inflation has been lower and more consistent over the last 39 years (and especially over the last 20 years) than any time in history. The entire 19th century would take issue with that statement. We've had about as much inflation since 1990, not including current pandemic related shenanigans, as they had in that entire century.