“Cost of living is a top concern for voters in Missouri’s newly redrawn 4th Congressional district as the November midterm elections draw closer. From fuel prices to groceries, Kansas City residents are making clear what they want candidates to address before they head to the polls.”
We are in a recession. If you haven’t figured that out by now, then you need to sit back and take another hard look around you. But we are also suffering from our own economic stupdity and the greed of Corporate leaders. Yes, the cost of fuel can be linked to the conflict with Iran and the battle to keep them from getting a Nuclear Weapon and to clear shipping restrictions. Yes, we can link higher costs on some items to the Tarrifs that Trump put into law, much of which can be changed by the next President regardless of what party they are affiliated with. But the biggest damage to the economy can be laid directly at the feet of the demand for $15 per hour minimum wage, and now that they have it … the idiots are going for more in some areas.
“People need a liveable wage.” We heard that over and over again. People cannot live on Minimum Wage. Well, those who cannot afford to live on Minimum wage should have gotten themselves into the job market, and then sought out the many ‘above minimum wage’ jobs that were and are still out there. I worked in an industry where we started people at around $20 per hours, with no experience, and we struggled to find and keep help. No one really wants to work … and I guess they would rather have a job in a fast food restaurant than in a warehouse or construction. I heard people telling me all the time that they could not find help. I would tell them that we could not find help, and when we did, it wasn’t good help.
So we raise minimum wage so that people could allegedly have a liveable income. Well guess what … the cost of living went up along with the minimum wage and things are … in most cases … worse then they were before the liberals and socialist called for higher wages for minimum wage jobs. Not only did the cost of living go up, but those businesses that focused on entry level workers at a lower wage started cutting back on personnel. We now have a lot more “Self-Checkout” lines than we have people running registers. You find kiosk in a lot more places, you put your order in on a screen, pay for it there, and someone will put your food up for you to take when it’s ready. No more young people standing at a counter asking you if they can take your order. And how long will it be before the backend of a restaurant become automated enough that most of the required employees to run a store are no longer needed. QuikTrip and Walmart, and lokley others have automated machines that clean their floors. Walmart has machines that read their inventory on the shelves, and I saw one store that had a robot performing security services in a parking lot.
I have no clue what a politician can do to improve our economy, other than repeal some of the high tarrifs. There is no way that we can lower the Minimum wage now, Corporations are not going to lower their prices if their costs go down, they will continued to profit more.
Remember when you could buy a Bitg Mac for #3.99, a Quarter Pounder for $4.99? Those were the prices in 2020 and we thought things were getting expensive then. Now a Big Mac is $8.39. a Quarter Pounder $6.39 according the Mac-menus.com. And free condiments? Yeah, okay, the web site has Ketchup and Mustard packets at 40 cents each now. How that actually equates in the restaurants i have no idea, I stopped eating a McDonalds a long time ago because of all the Artifical foods that they servc. Look at a list of ingredients and tell me what you’re paying for.
Yes, I would love to hear what we can do about the cost of living. How about putting restrictions on the price gouging by Health Insurance companies and medical services. How about the insurance industry whose prices continue to go up and they fight harder and harder not to pay out. And how about Taxes. Learn to live within your means and stop raising taxes so you can spend more and need to raise taxes again. Stop bailing out companies, like the KCATA. The recent bailout of 8.3 mill;ion tax dollars could have been put to better use someplace else. Teach these corporations to live within their means. Stop giving Tax Credits for companies to move into the area, that is revenue that could be used to ease the tax burden of the citizens of an area. Stop paying people MORE than they are worth in jobs such as City, County and State Administration, and especially the Administration of our Education systems. If you want to spend more money on Education, spend it on keeping the good teachers from leaving because of low wages and unruly children.
Yes, tell me how you can ease the cost of living. Tell me how you can improve things for the citizens of my community, this state, this country. I would much rather hear your lies on those levels than the continous backstabbing and criticisms, and LIES taht are told about your political opponents.
Or do we need to throw you all out and start over like they did in 1776? Yeah, that’s not going to happen, the people are too divided in this country to realize where the real problems lay.
