23 Comments
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The Cosmic Onion's avatar

This one lands hard because it’s structural, not rhetorical. You didn’t argue morals—you mapped mechanics. Once you see rent and groceries collapsing into the same ownership ceiling, “inflation” really does fall apart as an explanation. The kitchen insight is especially sharp; that was the last household buffer, and its removal makes the rest of the extraction almost automatic. This isn’t outrage bait—it’s an X-ray.

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John Wood's avatar

That’s what I call a well written compliment. Perfect blend of synopsis and positivity. If you’re not a paid writer, you should be. I completely concur.

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Yolanda D.'s avatar

Everything you write always exists alongside our surroundings at this specific moment in our lives. Every topic is highly relatable and easy to understand. 🤗🙏🏻

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Vivien Beere's avatar

Yes Ethan

Here’s my take:

Shop from local small businesses. Cook at home. Combine purchasing power with neighbours if you live alone.

Buy eggs and vegetables from the farm gate if you can. If you do not drive or don’t have that option find a food co op and help out in return for a free delivery. Grow your own herbs and salads. Don’t say no to those $5 boxes of fruit that are getting soft. (It can be used immediately, puréed, cooked or frozen.) Consider “ethnic” foods. (For instance I buy 3 kg locally made feta cheese which comes in brine for $40 . I pack half in jars of olive oil and herbs and use the rest fresh, a little most days, plus I have plenty to give away. This lasts me six months. )Invest in good quality olive oil. Eat fresh. Stay well! Escape the cartels behind the big supermarkets (and never buy from Amazon!) Best for the holidays 💚🌺🇦🇺

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Teresa's avatar

I just received a notification that our property manager is requesting that the state authorize yet another increase. Every year it’s okayed.

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Jeannette Schwartz-Ruttan's avatar

Another great piece, Ethan.

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C W's avatar

Very in depth and insightful. So much corruption in "the system".

#BigGovernmentSucks

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Ziani's avatar

Fall in line, take the mark or you will not receive food...if it is not here, it soon will be.

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David LaFrance's avatar

We need to fight it now not after the fact when the Giant is bigger and more powerful.

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Roo’s Views's avatar

Well that brings clarity. & I am a willing participant, as an over the road team truck driver I use door dash way more than I want to admit. I’ll shift to buying smaller hauls to use up weekly & store in the mini fridge, I personally can do better & shall!!

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Sylvia Domotor's avatar

People need to stop eating meat - take away one of the ways they try to control the consumer. Plant protein is plentiful and healthy.

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Katannya Rayne's avatar

No, its not...

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David LaFrance's avatar

Plant meat is bad. Our bodies need real protein. Grass fed organic beef or bison. Local Farms get producing that at reasonable prices and watch things change. We need to be self stable and not dependent on corporates who play a tug of war with our lives to control. Convenience game is what they play to move us on their pathway to slavery. We must fight our way back out of this hole and regain stability in order to move us in the right direction. Anything global- leaders, organizations, lone rangers run away from.

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Decentralize_knowledge's avatar

The large corporation i work for is adding 1million in PROFIT every year, I see the certificates in the office.

That large corporation was recently bought by none other than KROGER.

I am fortunate, hav8jg vwry few obligte expenses, yet I can barely afford to buy (actual, healthy) food from the place I give all my energy to.

And saving ANYTHING at all is almost impossible, again by design.

Its way too obvious to ignore, at least for people who need to work for a living, like I do.

And despite those millions IN PROFIT from a SINGLE STORE, and my slightly elevated position, working full-time, I'll get 2 50-cent raises if im lucky, and a pathetically small 'profit sharing' check 2x per year. Each profit-sharing payment comes out to be a little less than a paycheck, for someone in my position and

hours.

A non-manager gets less.

I dont think part-timers even get 'profit-sharing benefits' at all.

What a sick joke our civilization is.

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Vivien Beere's avatar

Pop

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Gail Shields's avatar

Gave me something to investigate!!!

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Kitty Meow's avatar

Recently the subsidized apt bldg I live in began charging a ridiculous amount of money if you pay your rent with cash. Their office was a few blocks away so I've always paid in person. They recently moved... somewhere, idk. Then we got notice of a rent increase and a new rule, we must now have renters insurance. This notice had the new web address where we pay now. And whaddya know they sell insurance too. Is it me or does that seem wrong somehow? And a 25% increase feels a bit high.

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D Bergy's avatar

You have identified several instances of monopoly power in pricing which certainly can and does increase profitability of large corporations.

On the other hand to write off inflation as an excuse for raising prices minimizes inflation when it is the elephant in the room.

If I decided to bury a future stash of savings from 1971 for the future, I had a couple of choices.

1). Bury $5,000 in currency.

2). Bury $5,000 in gold.

Either one would have bought a quite nice brand new car in that year with money left over.

My $5,000 in currency would buy exactly that amount in goods and services today.

My $5,000 in gold would be worth around $490,000 in currency and would buy that amount of goods and services today.

I picked 1971 as a starting point because that is when the dollar was removed from the gold standard. Had it stayed on that gold standard the value of currency would be equivalent to gold.

Gold has not improved or changed as it is an element. Gold has been used as money for at least two thousand years.

Unbacked currency will always return to its intrinsic value which is zero. You are in the latter stages of that process.

The big heist was when the dollar was removed from the gold standard.

Watch the videos from Alasdair MacLeod for a further explanation of the monetary robbery we all are experiencing. He is also on substack.

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Jeff Purdon's avatar

We need to March on the Whitehouse. Chronicle your walk. Surround it and walk in

I want to walk in the Whitehouse or die trying

Ukraine 2014. That is the blueprint

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