Good afternoon District 27. Today I share with you the results of my investigation of how much food prices have risen at my local supermarket. Posted is a photo of my results and photos of the individual food items I compared with their current price tag. Keep in mind, that six of the eighteen items were on special this week; therefore, the shelf price would be higher. Having said that, I typically only purchase items that are on special and I do not know which items I purchased in 2019 were on special. Therefore, for comparison purposes, I want to keep this “investigation” as unbiased as possible by ignoring the regular price tags for the food items that were on special for the week. After all, this investigation is a snapshot in time and may not be indicative of trending patterns.
Nonetheless, you will see from the table that I have highlighted items in yellow that have skyrocketed since 2019: snow peas, grapes, pizza, bread, eggs, whipping cream, lettuce, and ice cream. Another thing that I have noticed is how the food industry is shrinking the size of the packaging to make it look like food prices haven’t risen as much. For example, I recall, that a bag of Old Dutch Tostado Chips was in the 16- to 24-ounce range, and now chips are purchased in a 13-ounce bag. Bread used to be a 2-pound loaf, but it is now 1 pound, 8 ounces. Totino Supreme Pizzas were much larger in size (around 12 to 16 ounces) and are now 10.9 ounces. Ice cream used to be purchased in a 2-quart container, and continues to shrink from 1.75 quarts to now 1.5 quarts to give the consumer an illusion that nothing is happening behind the mirrors and smokescreens. The bottom line: In 5 years, the purchasing power of my dollar has dropped significantly due to the effects that inflation is having on our economy.
The same eighteen grocery items purchased in 2019 (pre-pandemic) were purchased at a cost of $34.06 (including the 6.5% sales tax). Compare that to the $53.81, which includes the 6.2% sales tax I am being charged today for the same items. For those statisticians out there, this is a 58% increase in food costs in five years, or on average an 11.6% increase in food prices each year. I don’t know too many working-class Americans getting an 11.6% pay raise or seniors collecting social security with an 11.6% cost of living adjustment (COLA). It is no wonder Americans are putting off other purchases or driving up their credit card debt at an all-time high. The increase in consumables is unsustainable and impacts rural America and inner cities the hardest because many are in food desert locations. I am confident that the food prices are even higher in places such as Kyle, Pine Ridge, and Wanblee.
The current state of the economy is at unprecedented levels and cannot be sustained at these higher levels. Unlike their parents and grandparents, the younger generation is being crushed the hardest and is seeing the death of the American dream unfold before their very eyes. These economic times are similar to the Carter administration when interest rates and inflationary spending were out of control and Americans were lined up at the gas pumps. In five years, the increase in food prices has outpaced wages and the amount of interest earned in their savings or checking accounts. Inflation continues to eat away at our purchasing power. Reference the attached bar chart photo with the rate of inflation for each of the years since 1999. One will quickly see the height of inflation was 2.49% (2018) during the Trump Administration and 8% (2022) during the Biden-Harris Administration. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the current inflation rate at 2.89%. The present administration is now talking about food caps to stop price gouging. This will ultimately impact the poor and lower-income earners because it stifles competition. After all, small business owners lose and big corporations win because small businesses cannot compete on a level playing field. After all, big box stores sell on larger volumes, thereby, maintaining lower prices. This hurts small-town grocery store owners doing business in Martin, Kadoka, Kyle, Pine Ridge, Wanblee, and Wall because they operate on a volume that is much smaller in scale, but still have to pay the same wage rates as at a big box store. Hence, they will either raise their costs or close their business, forcing small-town communities to shop elsewhere. Thereby, the sale tax on groceries also goes away and the small town will consequently suffer, causing more dollars to be shelled out by working American men and women.
I share this sentiment with you because we are at an important crossroads. In this election, the American voter has to choose between buying food, paying their property taxes, buying prescription drugs, filling up their vehicle, or paying their utility bill to make ends meet. If you want to continue to pay for out-of-control grocery prices, then continue to vote this November for the same economic policies under the current Biden-Harris administration. However, I intend to vote with my pocketbook. Economically, we are worse off than we were five years ago based on the evidence from my own investigation and how my savings account continues to be eaten away by the runaway inflationary pricing not only at the grocery store but also in all business sectors (transportation, energy, healthcare, housing, banking, insurance, and education). Therefore, I know which party I will be voting for this November.
I am the candidate for the working-class Americans. People who know me understand that I live within my means and do not live a lavish lifestyle. I grew up on a small family farm and my siblings and I know what it was like to stretch every dollar earned. Unlike my opponent whose campaign has been propped up by the likes of Walmart and out-of-state special interest groups, my grassroots campaign is funded on small donations from widows, ranchers, farmers, truck drivers, small business owners, retirees, and immediate family members. These donors believe in my campaign and have entrusted their hard-earned resources to my campaign, and I will manage it efficiently and not waste it.
If I am elected your state senator, I will look at all cost-cutting measures to repeal any unnecessary taxes that go toward lining the state’s pocketbook and give the money back to the people where it belongs. I will look at closing corporate loopholes where big companies come in and take advantage of our state laws that only benefit their shareholders. If I find a shred of evidence of unnecessary or top-heavy department head spending, government waste, or duplicate services provided at multiple levels of state government, then I will advocate reallocating or cutting those departments' dollars accordingly. It is your money after all. God bless.
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