In 2009, median weekly earnings for a full time U.S. worker were about $739.
In 2026, they’re around $1,235.
That’s roughly a 67% increase in wages, so saying wages “aren’t much higher than 2009” simply isn’t true at all.
And the dollar has not “devalued by three quarters” since 2009 either.
Overall consumer prices are roughly 56% higher than they were in 2009. That is absolutely a significant loss of purchasing power, and I’m not minimizing it.
But a 56% increase in prices does NOT mean the dollar lost 56% of its purchasing power, much less 75%.
If something that cost $100 in 2009 now costs about $156, then $1 today buys roughly what 64 cents bought in 2009.
That’s about a 36% loss of purchasing power, not 75%.
For the dollar to have lost 75% of its purchasing power, prices would have needed to roughly quadruple since 2009. They haven’t.
Certain categories, housing, insurance, food, vehicles, healthcare, electronics during shortages, etc. can absolutely rise much faster than the overall CPI. Other categories rise more slowly or even fall.
But you can’t cherry pick the categories that increased the most and then declare that’s how much the entire currency has been devalued.
There are plenty of legitimate arguments to make about inflation and affordability.
There’s also another factor people conveniently leave out...our spending habits have changed.
People spend far more today on larger vehicles, upgraded phones, multiple streaming services, food delivery, subscriptions, premium electronics, bigger houses and all kinds of things that either barely existed or weren't considered necessities in 2009.
If you choose the $1,200 phone instead of the $400 one, the loaded $70,000 truck instead of a basic vehicle, or DoorDash instead of cooking dinner, that extra money leaving your bank account is not inflation.
Inflation is the price of comparable goods and services rising over time.
Lifestyle inflation is deciding you need the nicer version of everything and then blaming the economy for the bill.
We don’t need to invent numbers to make them. Maybe your particular job doesn't pay 65 to 70% more than it did in 2009 doesn't mean wages across America didn't increase, and if that statement is wrong, where did you get your data from?
Your paycheck and spending habits may be personal.
Economic data isn't.
"Average Inflation", is a completely contrived statistic for the convenience of any administration and oddly enough, the press.
Looking back, I should have called my premise, "effective rate of inflation"+-, as it pertains to various types of products, and it's effect on different income groups. Then, I wouldn't have troubled you to go to great lengths, telling me things I'm already acutely aware of.
That the average American consumer is price oblivious, while being greed and social status motivated, is a given.`
That the average American consumer, (especially gamers), are unable to differentiate want, from need, to "I absolutely can't live without this", is yet another given. IE: "This card only has 16GB of VRAM." (Whaaah!)
That certain segments of the inner city population go around wantonly injecting their "legacy", into young women, is a given. "He has the most bling and the loudest subwoofer on the block. It's my honor to be knocked up and left by him." The net result is disproportionate population growth. Of course the current administration feels the way to attack this is to "pray harder", and outlaw abortion. The net result of that is, to keep the baby, the bath water, and all the crap that's been floating around in it for years.
That local newscasters have to talk down to us like we're all in 5th grade, is a given. IE: "Now if you want to save money at the supermarket, buy generic products, instead of brand names". I've been doing that for years and years. Does that make me smart, or someone with no place further to fall?
In any event, I'm old and living on a "fixed income". Surprisingly, my credit rating, (at least for today), is 819. My income has increased exactly commensurate with inflation. Still, when I go to the supermarket a large can of coffee is about $20.00. In 2009, I could grab one on sale, for $5.00. The "effective rate of inflation", on that particular product, is 300%. That's not entirely unique, but it does stand out.
As to my "disposable income" personal spending habits go, I've been trying to rein them in. Por ejemplo: I was in the supermarket the other night, and spied a white Phalenopsis orchid. But atypically, it had 3 flower spikes. As I already had a white, it had to be considered "a luxury". Shamelessly, I charged ahead and paid the outrage of $23.00 price tag, and began to take it home. Outside the store, this little piggy went whee, whee, whee, while shackled in guilt, all the way home.
As for, "published statistics", IIRC, early in this administration, "job creation numbers" were listed as 300,000. However, during the same period, "new claims for unemployment compensation", were listed separately as 294,000.
Now an uneducated pedestrian such as myself might confuse and combine the two statistic numbers, and convince themselves that net job growth was actually only 6,000 new positions. But I'm fairly certain, you know better.
As far as the crap/statistics you and president Doctor Demento are publicizing goes, it's mostly fantasy. Off the top of my head, how does receiving 49.6% of the vote constitute, "a tremendous landslide?"
If you'd like to further try and talk down to me about the differences between relative, average, effective and manipulated inflation statistics, while examining their effects on different income strata, I'm here for ya..... cheers...!
PS, here's a teaser. At what exact point does supply and demand end, and price gouging begin?
To you, Nvidia. IMO, this proves you, Nvidia, can clearly just sell the cards at MSRP everywhere if you really wanted to and gouge AI/Data Center customers instead of consumers.
