[Rant] Up, up, up, costs always going up

[fstime]

When are we going to see something that is a part of our cost of living go down for once?

Property taxes in my area: Tripled in 20 years (i.e $2000 to $6000)

Water: 50% increase last year, another %50 increase this year

Oil: +$500 to fill a tank for heating

Sales tax: 6% to 6.25%

You cant even keep money in the bank without getting screwed by inflation because the government apparently doesnt care that they are running the dollar into the ground.

And its not only utilities and taxes, its goods too.

The 2000's were a decade of making everything as cheap as possible, importing junk made in Asia by someone making peanuts.

Now, they flipped the script, i.e: if I want solid wood furniture, its "ohhh, you want the GOOD stuff, that costs extra, ill have to import that from a remote village in south america"

When did what used to be standard all of a sudden become a premium good just because you introduced a bunch of low end garbage options for people to buy at Walmart?

When did cheap particle board made furniture become the standard all of a sudden and DECENT quality come "high end." This has become the case with everything.

THAT is why cheap(offshoring manufacturing) is more expensive in the end.

/Rant

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

So, where have you been hiding? There was nothing 'sudden' about it. America decided that going without til you could afford the good stuff was unAmerican.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Did property taxes triple, or did the assessed value of the home triple?

Otherwise: 7/10. Good rant, but reminded me too much of my grandma.

 

[rh71]

We live on an island so water is dirt cheap... like $10/month in the high season, $7.50 for 3 months in the winter. Neighboring NYC (which coincidentally is also on the same island) pays out the nose for their water... so much so that they're wary of flushing the toilets. No complaints about the water bill.

But the property tax thing, yeah a 3-bed ranch costs $11k a year. We built a 2nd floor so our taxes will be $16k next year. By itself, it goes up a few % annually. Yay for good schools.

Oil heat is for the birds. Our old house was like that... $500 for a fill-up. We have gas now and it was overall so much cheaper in the winter, and with cooking too - it was just $125ish a month. With oil, it was that $500 fill up every 1.5 months in the late fall->winter->early spring. No complaints with the gas bill.

what's going to come down? Gas prices! Maybe 10c before going up 20c next month.

 

[FoBoT]

never
inflation is part of the plan
get used to it

and spend your money asap, it'll be worth less tomorrow

 

[FreshCrabLegs]

Remember how much personal computers used to cost in the early '90s / late '80s?

 

[fstime]

Did property taxes triple, or did the assessed value of the home triple?

Otherwise: 7/10. Good rant, but reminded me too much of my grandma.

Sure before the housing bubble crashed, but even though a homes value may have dropped from $500,000 to $300,000 afterwards (post 2008), the taxes have not gone down, they simply raised the mill rate.

There is no way the city would have a 40% cut in tax revenue even though it is justified.

 

[fstime]

never
inflation is part of the plan
get used to it

and spend your money asap, it'll be worth less tomorrow

Yes, I prefer investing in physical assets, won't go near the stock market or anything like that though.

That stuff seems way too rigged for the little man to make money on, high speed computer based trading, huge investment banks with the inside scoop, etc.

But even there they got most people by the balls in what they invented and call a "401k." People are in the market probably whether they follow it or not. Better bail out those companies when things go sour, wouldn't want the working man to lose his retirement (j/k, it just allows us to take huge risk with no penalty).

 

[sportage]

Well one could always vote republican. They have plans to feed off the middle class from the other end. Forget about rising costs, simply eat away at ones ability to earn money in the first place. If you can't afford healthcare, why care how fast the cost rises? If you can't afford college, why care if loan interest rates double. Or triples. If you can't afford a car, why worry about the cost of gas. Like one republican right wing tv mook said lately, rice and cheap meat. The perfect middle class treat!
Now when the price of rice starts rising, then maybe show some concern.

 

[HendrixFan]

never
inflation is part of the plan
get used to it

and spend your money asap, it'll be worth less tomorrow

Quantitative Easing is the answer. The trend is only going to continue in a big way until they have inflated us out of the overpriced housing market. Wages are sure to lag behind of course.

 

[TheSlamma]

I think it's a well founded rant.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Blame unions.

 

[manimal]

Weird. My taxes are lower than they have ever been. I own all my cars and my house and food is pretty cheap in Indiana.

Inflation has been fairly flat hasnt it?

 

[alent1234]

the reason wood is expensive is that a lot of the good wood is either illegal to import into the US or too expensive due to high tariffs to minimize its use. and in some areas you have to pay big taxes just to cut down any tree

 

[OutHouse]

a 3-bed ranch costs $11k a year. We built a 2nd floor so our taxes will be $16k next year. By itself, it goes up a few % annually. Yay for good schools.

holy shit!! no thank you.

 

[alent1234]

holy shit!! no thank you.

cheaper than private school

 

[Vic Vega]

...

 

[JulesMaximus]

Well one could always vote republican. They have plans to feed off the middle class from the other end. Forget about rising costs, simply eat away at ones ability to earn money in the first place. If you can't afford healthcare, why care how fast the cost rises? If you can't afford college, why care if loan interest rates double. Or triples. If you can't afford a car, why worry about the cost of gas. Like one republican right wing tv mook said lately, rice and cheap meat. The perfect middle class treat!
Now when the price of rice starts rising, then maybe show some concern.

What amazes me is that anyone supports the republicans. I guess it doesn't amaze me really, the super pac throws billions of dollars into advertising and campaign contributions to keep their meat puppets in control and the masses buy into it hook, line, and sinker. If we keep the sheep concerned about non-issues like gun control and abortion maybe they won't notice that we're screwing them and the country.

 

[mmntech]

The price of everything keeps going up but wages have stagnated. After the government gets its cut, there's not a whole lot left. But on the plus side, it is pushing the current generation back to the old ways of doing without and saving until they can afford it. Generation X and the baby boomers keep their credit hot like drunk sailors though. It's effectively priced me out of the housing market.

 

[Jeff7]

What amazes me is that anyone supports the republicans. I guess it doesn't amaze me really, the super pac throws billions of dollars into advertising and campaign contributions to keep their meat puppets in control and the masses buy into it hook, line, and sinker. If we keep the sheep concerned about non-issues like gun control and abortion maybe they won't notice that we're screwing them and the country.

The other screwy part is that a fair portion of the lower and middle class people who oppose taxation on the rich feel that way because they themselves also want to be very rich. Somehow, taxing the super-wealthy is the last obstacle that's keeping a regular office worker from making the tens of millions of dollars he surely deserves.

(And of course, there's still the fact that if you're making $1 billion a year, even if you'd get whacked with a 95% tax rate, you've still got a fuckton of money leftover.)

 

[her209]

The price of everything keeps going up but wages have stagnated.

They haven't stagnated in the health care/insurance industry. It just keeps going up!

 

[bfdd]

federal system is broken and the key players have not the tools to fix it, nor the desire. it needs to be done away with.