TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
MAKING ENDS MEAT BY SHANE KENNEDY, REGGIE’S BURGERS, DOGS & FRIES
Y ou do not have to be an economist to notice that it takes a lot more dollars to purchase the same goods or services today than it did just six months ago; six months ago, things cost noticeably more than they did 12 months ago; one year ago, they cost noticeably more than they did in a world before COVID-19. As the pandemic came to a slow roll, it is as if someone threw jet fuel on inflation, which has gobbled up all previous financial gains and increases. Recent governmental numbers reveal an overall across‑the‑board inflationary increase of 9.1% from June
2021 compared to June 2022. This latest figure is a 41- year record high. The last time the cost-of-living shot so high, so fast, most of us were too young to notice. But we notice now. If you keep a close eye on the news, you also know this number is an average mean. Translation: while many odd things have not increased much, or at all, the costs of key items have increased significantly more than 9.1%. When we isolate key items like fuel, automobiles, or food, we see inflation numbers that are more than double the 9.1% figure. As an example, post-pandemic wholesale
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BUSINESS & POLITICS
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