You know things are getting bad when…
Consumers feel the heat from rising food prices
Rising gasoline prices have been getting all the attention, but the cost of another, more-important staple is actually rising even more: food.
In the past year, food prices have increased 3.7 percent and are on track to jump by as much as 7 percent by year’s end. The current increase is more than double the 1.8 percent jump seen the year before, according to the consumer price index.
Meanwhile, gas prices rose 2.9 percent. Only the cost of health care rose more, and then just slightly.
Guess we’ll need to switch to synthetic food.
Time to bring back Swift’s A Modest Proposal
(one of my favorite satires and satirists)
J/P=?
Look out,
Soylent Green is coming into production any day now.
Get use to it.
Anyone still wonder why your electricity and natural gas bill rises in lockstep with oil? It seems energy is energy, it doesn’t matter if it is measured in BTUs, therms, or kilowatt-hours. Economics will guarantee that the prices are essentially equal.
Well guess what, our drive for biofuel is going to force the calorie to join the same price structure. Food supply vs. fuel supply — I wonder how the poor will fare?
I’ve been claiming that Republicans eat child for years now. But I never claimed it was wrong. Rather I want liberals to do it too. Children are yummy.
“I wonder how the poor will fare?”
The poor are already denied the nutritional foods you find in the outside part (fresh) of the grocery isles. Now they will migrate from the cheaper processed foods to even cheaper foods at dollar stores. The stuff made in China with anti-freeze and plastics added for healthy eating.
Basically the poor aren’t going to pay with their money, they are going to pay with their lives, long term.
The way for the republicans to control their peasant slaves is through starvation. So after we finish standing mute while the fuhrers elite forces click their heels following his orders, we will have our skins removed to use as lamp shades for republican mementos to a time when they didn’t rule.
Good luck, #1 ( J/P= ) — people here don’t understand Swift. Believe me, I tried it… ONCE. Never again. 😉
#3, Smith, Well guess what, our drive for biofuel is going to force the calorie to join the same price structure
You may be right. All that corn and many fields replanted with corn seem to be one of the forces driving the price of food. That and the increased cost of transportation.
The emerging biofuels industry risks raising the price of food, the United Nations has warned.
UN-Energy released its guidelines on the rapidly growing bioenergy industry, entitled Sustainable Energy: A Framework for Decision Makers, on 8 May. According to the report, biofuel production already appears to have driven up the price of maize in 2006 and 2007.
From New Scientist, May 2007: http://tinyurl.com/2hgw6j
#5 – Your words are 100% true. As a culture, we punish the poor in so many invisible ways.
What is bad is that often we don’t know how we are punishing the poor because the mechanisms are invisible or not readily apparent.
What is worse is that when it is revealed how the poor are hurt by our free market economy or government and private policies, the culture just doesn’t care.
In a brutal dog eat dog environment, ravaged by poverty and strife, outrageous lack of concern or compassion for our fellow man is tragic but expected or even understandable.
In the 21st Century, in the richest nation on Earth, at the point of our greatest technological advancement in history, it is unconscionable.
I bet right now many are regretting kicking out of the country all those quasi slave hispanic workers.
#9, OFTLO In the 21st Century, in the richest nation on Earth, at the point of our greatest technological advancement in history, it is unconscionable.
Agreed. And for those on a fixed income without SS, it’s a real bummer. Too bad Hop’s UKKMA isn’t worth real money, Someone could post something extraordinarily moranic just to get it. Say, maybe this will do it!!
Good luck, #1 ( J/P= ) — people here don’t understand Swift. Believe me, I tried it… ONCE. Never again
Satire, as distinct from Parody, seems to be a lost art generally (however, I watch my TV news on three sources: The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and Countdown- the last is sometimes more serious, but considering the Oddball and some of the choices for Worst Person, it looks like sometimes poorly done satire).
Of Course, my news sources are NOT TV or radio, but a mix of Internet(s) and newspapers…some papers via the ‘net. And most of this week I am the SOLE Newsman at the station I work at.
J/P=?
This is what you should expect when you push ethanol so much. In fact, I predicted it on this blog last year.
#3 – …our drive for biofuel is going to force the calorie to join the same price structure.
Sad but true. But the capitalists wants a car industry that is driven by constant visits to the fuel stations and maintenance shops. Electric cars (at least for city slickers) would make more sense.
The extreme growth in food prices is due almost entirely to America’s push for ethanol. Almost 28% of this year’s corn crop will be diverted to ethanol production. If you haven’t read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, you might not know that our entire food supply is related to corn. As the edible corn supply decreases, the cost to raise cows, chickens and pigs rises. Meat, dairy, egg prices raise accordingly. As corn prices rise, farmers skip the soybeans and other crops to plant yellow gold. This in turn raises the price of all other crops. Coupled with recent scientific studies showing that using ethanol for fuel will increase the amount of ground level ozone pollution (leading to higher rates of asthma and lung disease), it is obviously insane for our government to subsidize ethanol producers (Archer Daniels Midland co.) while the rest of us suffer. Too many people believe ethanol is green and good for our economy. An ounce of logic shows otherwise.
The poor are going to be OK. they do not pay for their food. It is the working poor. the people in the 15 to 30 thousand range that get killed by this.
The price of tortillas has gone up 21 cents a dozen in just 4 weeks. Thats a staple in many households of working poor in this area. Hell, they are a staple in MY household.
Corn oil has gone up 25% in 4 months(thats healthy oil, and until now cheap enough for the working poor to buy). Surprisingly, corn on the cob is still cheap. Go figure.
Gas is going up. Food is going up. If you eat the right food, you get gas so you can offset at least part of it.
#16 – The poor are going to be OK. they do not pay for their food. It is the working poor. the people in the 15 to 30 thousand range that get killed by this.
Comment by BOB of the city — 6/4/2007 @ 10:20 pm
Well, the poor DO pay for their food. Your comment implies that you pay by paying into the welfare they recieve, and while that may be true, they still expend that welfare on food and they still have to ration it out becease welfare, WIC, SS, unemployment insurance, whatever assistance, etc., is not an executive salary.
It is valid to complain that we pay for welfare, but the solution is economic stimulus and education. The poverty cycle is a viscious bitch and is hard to break, but the stories about the legions of lazy bums milking the public tit are somewhat exagerated, filled with myths and rumors.
#18 – In a capitalist system, everyone’s job is to charge the maximum amount the market will bear. On the other hand, there are certain areas where we depend on governments to regulate, to allow us to afford the basics of life. They are, after all, our governments because we cause them to exist and we’re the ones supporting them.
You seem to be saying – Capitalism with regulatory oversight Good / Unfettered free market capitalism Bad
While it bears saying that poor or overly restrictive regulation will be problematic, I’d still offer whole hearted support to that statement.
#20, OFTLO, You seem to be saying – Capitalism with regulatory oversight Good / Unfettered free market capitalism Bad
One regulation I’d like to see is the banning of all medical advertising, especially for drug companies. Why in heck should I have to pay for that advert when I need the Rx? This, to me, is just outrageous. If the large corporate drug mfgs. need to get rid of their excess billions in profits, why not cut the cost of Rx for the people who can’t afford yet need them? Nowadays it seems like doctors are just drug dealers who are stimulated by drug salesmen to promote their company’s particular brand. And when there is no generic substitute available, the public is out of luck. Gee, should I buy that food or go pay for my heavily advertised Rx? Good Grief, Charlie Brown !!
#21 – YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
#21 – I tried to use a header tag, but John in his infinite wisdom will have none of it 🙂
BubbaRay, you seem to be saying that the advertising is a waste of time. Then why are the drug companies spending that money? Do you really think that all of these CEOs are idiots spending tens of billions of dollars when they could just keep it as profit?
20. – OFTLO
You seem to be saying – Capitalism with regulatory oversight Good / Unfettered free market capitalism Bad
While it bears saying that poor or overly restrictive regulation will be problematic, I’d still offer whole hearted support to that statement.
YES
I’ve certainly never been in favor of overly restrictive regulation because, if for no other reason, it would have fettered my business. I feel I was always overly fettered anyway.
#24, Mike N. Do you really think that all of these CEOs are idiots spending tens of billions of dollars when they could just keep it as profit?
Yes, they’re greedy SOB’s. Why not plow that money into R&D instead of bombarding the public with needless adverts?
While yes you are paying for a piece of drug advertising when you buy a drug, think about that if the companies did not advertise, they would sell many fewer amounts of the drugs. we all know about economies of scale, and I am sure that you would be paying more for the drug were it not as mass produced
Paying more? They’re not expensive enough without the hype? Somehow, I got along just fine a few years ago without paying for drug advertising. Why on earth should demand for drugs be dictated by TV ads? Ridiculous. Drugs should not be hyped to patients by adverts, they should be prescribed by competent physicians according to a patient’s condition. If drug companies want to advertise, they should advertise directly to doctors, not patients. I stand by my position that the advert money would be better spent on R&D.
Warning — this opinion may cause irritation, drowsiness, cancer, insomnia, diarrhea, constipation, dizziness, hoof and mouth disease, uncontrollable laughter, priapism, sex change, sobriety, snoring, irrationality and/or death.
#27, OFTLO, thanks!