Paul Mullen
You may have heard, “Inflation is cooling!” This is welcome news to families struggling to pay for food, rent and utilities. Finally, now they can make it to the end of the month without skipping some essentials or reluctantly digging out that credit card. They might even be able to save.
However, when they arrive at the grocery store, something is not right. Prices are still sky-high.
How is this possible? We just heard that inflation was cooling.
Yes, but when the Federal Reserve tells us inflation is cooling or easing, all it is saying is that the rate or speed of price increases is slowing.
In short, prices are still rising—just not as quickly.
The phrase “inflation is cooling” does not mean prices are coming down. This framing is clever but misleading.
So, why is everything still so expensive? Because the value of your dollar has been damaged.
Imagine a burning house. Even when the flames begin to die down or “cool,” the damage has already been done. That’s what has happened to the value of your dollar.
Since January 2021, prices on everything are up 20 percent, on average. That’s not the speed of the fire; it’s the total amount of damage. Since then, the typical American family has been paying $1,085 more monthly for the same goods and services. The family has to earn more than $13,000 annually to afford the same standard of living.
Everyone will agree that a 20 percent price jump in under four years is not normal, so what caused this? Simply, government spending and money printing. This spending and printing burned down the value of your dollars—increasing prices by 20 percent. That’s why it now takes more of them to buy the same things you usually do.
The higher prices Americans are paying result from a damaged or devalued dollar. » Read More
https://www.heritage.org/budget-and-spending/commentary/inflation-may-be-cooling-the-damage-has-been-done