Rising Costs Push Necessities Out of Reach for Nearly Half of Americans

Thursday, October 15, 2026

Inflation has made basic goods hard to afford and attitudes toward inequality have changed, studies from the Pew Research Center showed.

Posted by retort at 11:52 AM | 9 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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this sure sounds like an alarm bell to me www.nytimes.com/2026/10/14/b ...

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-- Charlie Warzel (@cwarzel.bsky.social) 1:49 PM Â· Oct 14, 2026

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Nearly Half of Americans made bad choices, and now they're poor.

This isn't a problem the government should fix.

Signed,
Republicans

#1 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-10-15 12:17 PM | Reply

It's been estimated that we have about 3 years until our debt is so large that we will have the same problems as France is facing right now.

No worries tho.

We got this thing called "AI". It is the smartest thing in the world. And it is gonna fix everything ... in just two weeks!

#2 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-10-15 12:22 PM | Reply

Necessity for Americans:

A functional and functioning government that doesn't represent only the top .000001 percent in wealth and the lowest 30 percent in intelligence.

#3 | Posted by Dbt2 at 2026-10-15 12:32 PM | Reply

The people who can't afford "necessities" likely define that term differently than others.

Nice touch with her in the produce section.

Not where most folks in her income status would be found in a grocery store. It sure as ---- isn't in that section.

#4 | Posted by eberly at 2026-10-15 12:37 PM | Reply

It's a small price for Americans to pay so that Pedo47 and his family can make billions off of insider information and defense contracts.

Worried about not being able to afford groceries? Did you even try the $100,000 subscription for Pedo47's troth social posts to make money trading on his posts before he posts them?

#5 | Posted by Nixon at 2026-10-15 12:50 PM | Reply

Because of diesel costs exceeding crop harvest profits there is an estimated 300% increase in food pricing next year.

Congratulations.

You killed the bread basket.

#6 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2026-10-15 01:32 PM | Reply

share.google

#7 | Posted by Dbt2 at 2026-10-15 04:23 PM | Reply

... Summary

- - - Producer Price Index surges 1.3% in September, largest gain since early 2022

- - - Energy products lead rise, but other categories post price increases

- - - Higher gasoline prices boost retail sales; underlying sales slowing

- - - Weekly jobless claims remain below 200,000 level for fifth straight week

Though other data on Thursday showed a stronger-than-expected increase in retail sales last month, that was mostly because consumers paid more for gasoline. The underlying trend in retail sales slowed, consistent with economists' expectations for softer consumer spending growth in the fourth quarter.

Inflation is outpacing wages, which have slowed amid tepid hiring, straining finances for consumers, particularly those in the lower part of what economists call a K-shaped economy. ...

#8 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-10-15 06:59 PM | Reply

Sooner or later the decline of our culture was bound to happen, since we keep on electing climate change deniers like Trump, big oil was going to start getting scarce, and the climate will start killing people...but the decline shouldn't have happened for decades.
We should have been working mightily to make our culture sustainable and healthy for all, but then, socialism is the answer to the question...will capitalism, late stage, kill us all or just the very poor?

#9 | Posted by Hughmass at 2026-10-16 06:31 AM | Reply