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To: KyrosL who wrote (84519)	2/17/2000 10:04:00 AM
From: Amelia Carhartt	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 86076

Where do you live? I'd like to move there. You're experience is 180 degrees from mine. The only thing I find cheaper is consumer electronics and poor quality imported clothing. Had a plumber out yesterday. Hourly rate $108/hr. Needless to say he didn't get the job.

To: KyrosL who wrote (84519)	2/17/2000 10:21:00 AM
From: IceShark	Respond to of 86076

We all don't thing the gov't is falsifing the numbers as in just changing them and putting in a bogus figure. What many of us believe is that they are altering the underlying assumptions and their application in a fashion that has at least an arguable basis in some crazy theory with the end goal in mind of making reported price increases as small as possible. Same goes for the measurement techniques. I mean switching from beef to chicken when the price of beef goes up? What a shagging scam. Now why the injured groups are not loudly squawking is a whole 'nother matter, although I would observe that the unions are predominately Democratic and guess what administration did it to them. -g- Also, CPI contract escalators are nowhere near as widespread or important as they used to be. Unions have enough problems on their plate to now add arguing about that bean counting CPI that most members wouldn't understand anyway. Oldsters are only taking it in the monthly checks. You will recall many retirees were supposedly worried about ruining their children and grandchildern so taking a little hit on the checks was not that big a deal. Things like health care, especially drugs, and retirement home funding are much bigger issues. I think AARP realized this and cut a political deal. Finally this smoke and mirrors is associated with one of the greatest economic periods in history. Why rock the boat now? And you are the only person I know of that believes they pay considerably less today than a few years back.

To: KyrosL who wrote (84519)	2/17/2000 11:16:00 AM
From: pater tenebrarum	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 86076

KL, if not for the fact that the govt. stats are in complete contradiction to the private surveys (NAPM and ECRI) as well as the fact that various raw materials and intermediate goods prices have risen sharply (crude +200% in one year, same goes for the distillates, steel + 50 % in the past 4 months, etc.) i would not be shaking my head in disbelief. in some areas (e.g. NYC) house prices and rents have increased by as much as 30% over the last year...medical (drugs) costs, insurance costs have gone through the roof, so why the heck are none of the govt. stats reflecting this??? the answer is simple: every month the weightings of PPI and CPI are changed...hedonic pricing and substitution assumptions further reduce the effects of goods and services that actually rise in price. every month, the BLS compares apples with oranges...there's simply no way these stats reflect reality. one more thing: the classical interpretation of inflation is an increase in the money supply beyond the needs of the economy..and we've had plenty of that. mostly i admit it has been channeled into the stock market, but it is still inflation. mind you, i'm on the same page with you regarding the SECULAR trend towards deflation - but i do believe that we have a strong cyclical upswing in inflation that the govt. stats fail to reflect.