> Gas prices can go up tomorrow, but you won't get a cost-of-living increase for half a year or more. And what if prices are going up tomorrow BECAUSE everyone

> Gas prices can go up tomorrow, but you won't get a cost-of-living increase for half a year or more. And what if prices are going up tomorrow BECAUSE everyone got a "cost-of-living" increase last year? They did! And they tried to buy stuff with the excess cash, and there wasn't enough stuff, so prices went up. (Obviously real causes are complicated, and supply shock is a big part of the current inflation drivers and not just demand, but you get the point.) This is exactly what I'm saying: bad news leads. We don't want to talk about the flip side of natural relationships, we just want to complain. [1] That's not a thing, by the way. All raises are for cause, even if they call it "cost of living" what they really mean is "retention".