US Prices for Beef, Shrimp, Pork, OJ at Record Highs

I went to a gas station today and noticed the price of regular had increased since my previous fill-up. This fact puzzled me, as the Feds and some Wall Street shills have declared "core" inflation moribund in the United States. As I understand it, "core" inflation statistics exclude fuel and food prices, which are considered "volatile." In other words, if one considers breakfast, lunch, dinner, transportation, light, and heat as something other than necessary, then one's personal economic situation is just fine.

However, as a piece in the financial blog zero hedge.com observed today, We the People now face record high prices for pork, shrimp, beef and orange juice. The post cites Bureau of Labor Statistics data to lend credibility to its point. The writer could have easily included all seafood in its collection of record prices. Thanks to last summer's drought, the continuing lack of rainfall in agricultural California, and the harsh US winter, vegetable prices (including animal fodder) are roaring upward. Inflation? Nah, just some "volatility" that happens to impact those least able to negotiate its impacts.

US Families Pay Over $4,000 For Gas in 2011

Did 2011 seem a little more expensive to you than 2010? Well, if a significant portion of your family's income is dedicated to getting around in an automobile, you probably noticed the impact of gas prices on your budget.

Chances are most American families did just that -- with reason. According to a story in today's Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the typical American family paid $4,200 for gas in 2011. That's $350 per month for "fill it up, please."

The most startling fact in the Journal-Sentinel story appears about halfway through it: "Fuel was the top U.S. export in 2011, the first time that's every happened."

That's right -- the land of "drill, baby, drill" exported fuel.

Of course, if you want to believe the feds and a gaggle of compliant Wall street analysts, there's no inflation in the United States. Those higher food and fuel prices, though, don't count. They're "volatile," and are consequently dismissed in standard inflation calculations.

For those whose family income goes into paying for such "volatile" necessities, those assurances are cold comfort.

Poll: 93% Affirm They're Paying More For Groceries Than Last Year

For some time, the drumbeat from Washington and Wall Street is that inflation hasn't and isn't happening here. The usual dodge is that food and energy prices are "volatile" and therefore don't count. This bizarre logic does not change the fact that most people have less spending power.

A recent poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports noted that 93% of those Americans polled believed they are spending more on groceries now than they did last year. Four percent said they're not paying more. I would like to meet some four percenters and ask them just how they reached their conclusion. (Thanks to the financial blog Zero Hedge for posting the Rasmussen Reports story.)

There are times the official denial of reality just gets tiring. One can pretend necessities don't cost more only for so long. One can deny the federal government is essentially bankrupt, even though the nation has lurched from billions in budget considerations to trillions in a breathtakingly short amount of time. But how does that denial help the nation soberly consider solutions to the fiscal disaster?

It may be convenient to avoid discussing the routine race baiting of an American president. However, our country would greatly benefit from confronting the racism and racists. It may feel good for some to call the chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank a traitor. We all know what happens to traitors, don't we? Yup -- they get executed. Does this sound like a cogent view of reality? One can claim the recession is over, but only by ignoring the grim fact that there are an historically high number of Americans receiving food stamps.

Does one really need a poll to conclude that something is dreadfully wrong in the United States?