Please explain how to keep up with a fricking 7.9% inflation rate...

[SunTrader]

....
e.g. Miami has always been a boom or bust to without regulation. That is the way markets work.

So is Houston. Look how well that worked out {not} in the past 15 years with Hurricanes Rita, Ike and especially Harvey. Many lives lost and property destroyed all because of building in low lying flood zones.

And prior to that back in 1992 here in South Florida we had Hurricane Andrew destroy city after city, besides Miami (Homestead, Naranja, Cutler Ridge, Florida City etc etc) of cheap ticky tack crap stick construction or trailer homes with minimal tie downs and 3/8" 2x4's 24" on center or worse, low rated windows.

Don't know about Houston now but things changed for the better here - all because common sense gubmint regulations were put in place. Some builders, that didn't cut corners, were glad to see it - the ones who do things right. The ones who don't are the ones that were unhappy.

That should tell you something.

 

[piezoe]

Not at alI have the belief that free markets have the ability to solve problems much better than government bureaucrats and politicians. The actions of millions of markets participants result in better outcomes than that of the politicians. Yes, complex problems are best solved by free markets because political solutions by their nature are short sighted resulting in unintended consequences.

Are there societal problems that are not amenable to a free market solution?

 

[VicBee]

Are there societal problems that are not amenable to a free market solution?

Plenty, but first it's important to define a free market, since we can probably agree that no country in the world can be said to be a free market, except in far remote parts of the world where government is either the market (like remote islands) or where government doesn't reach the market (like lawless jungle or desert regions). However, these cases aren't valid examples of free markets when dealing with millions of citizens.
While America may be the most open market, it certainly isn't free. Government intervenes in many aspects of the economy, from Trump's politically motivated higher import duties to Biden's trading embargo with Russia.
Musk came to the US because of its enterprising culture and more investment capital than probably anywhere else.

 

[SunTrader]

Musk is a good example of wanting his cake and eating too. Leave Cali and move to Texas because of regs and high taxes but wants gubmint to provide tax incentives to keep Tesla's moving out the factory door. Tax incentives that have to be subsidized by ........ other taxes/taxpayers.

 

[KCalhoun]

Inflation is caused by dumbass democrats spending trillions of dollars, plus killing our domestic oil/energy production.

Vote GOP to return to low taxes, low government spending, common sense policies .... and inflation drops.

Democrats = high taxes, massive government spending and inflation.

That's the truth of the situation.

 

[volpri]

%%
LOL\ they are failing in the socialist goal+ gov dependANT GOAL.
and see how it turns against the dems this election.,
looks like they had to backtrack crawfish \ try to jawbone down the price of gasoline\elections year.......................................................................................................

ROFLMAO backtracking crawfishers…

 

[volpri]

"We bitch and complaint."
Then we babble about inequality and the free market is unfair. Then we conclude that a dose of socialism light would solve the issue. Then we start to have shortages. Then we conclude that we need more regulation, price controls etc. to be rid of the shortages. Then the producers stop producing. The shortages increase. Then government decides to nationalize companies that are deemed to cause the shortages. The shortages spiral under government control. Then we rename the country Venezuela North.

The vicious never ending cycle. Over and over again. Gaslighting the public. And we swallow every word the politicians set forth….whatever comes from their mouths must be true or it wouldn’t be televised.. LOL

 

[SunTrader]

Vicious cycle of bitching never ends here that is for sure.

 

[Nine_Ender]

- A 3% raise at work is typical--if you're lucky.
- 10yT is paying 2.4%
- To consistently pull 8% out of the equities market qualifies you as a fund manager

Just to tread water, you have to take a lot of risk. 9% just to get ahead by 1%? Maybe junk bonds? Again... the risk. Do drug dealers issue bonds?

They flooded the system with USD, and in the process, are making us all poor!

If you at least put a decent size of your portfolio long stocks that do well in an inflationary environment there is no problem.

 

[klattermusen]

just wait in 18 months when the 5yr variable mortgage rate is 9-10%