June, 2020 - We still didn’t know where our next roll of toilet paper was coming from.
In December 2020, I found a giant case of toilet paper in an old school building that we used for storage at work. I hid it in a closet so I would have a secret stash. Every now and then I would go by to make sure it was still there. 2 months ago they cleaned out the building and changed the locks.
I got really lucky, in that I had made a Costco run shortly before the shit hit the fan and didn’t have to worry about toilet paper while it was in short supply (not hoarding, I had just stocked up like I usually do). Actually ended up handing out a few rolls to friends and neighbors who were having a harder time than I was.
It probably helped that I got a bidet a few months in, and that cut my TP usage dramatically while making my butt also feel cleaner and less irritated.
We’re still getting disproportionately screwed under Trump’s tax plan that expires next year. POTUS can’t control grocery prices unless we want a failed Executive Order like Nixon’s. Biden has done everything a President can do about gas prices by opending a record number of reserve barrels during record high production, proving that POTUS can’t control the price at the pump.
The only remaining financial controllable that Biden could change is the high interest rates through the Fed.
Edit: As I learned below, that’s not really an option.
You’re right. I wrote “through the Fed” meaning indirectly. POTUS appoints most of the voting officials and can replace the chair, but there’s no direct control of interest rates.
In some ways, definitely. That’s actually interesting to think about. Guess I should remember that next time I wanna end it all.
Edit: I’m not American, replied to the title alone, and only now realize the implications of the question
Everyone who works a white collar job for a medium or large company should have access to a 401k or some other investment vehicle but I understand that many can’t afford to fully utilize those benefits even if those benefits are available. The exec class gets richer as their portfolios gain value, as they tend to get compensatory stock. Everyone else takes an “L” to make that happen.
A rank-and-file accountant or developer can still set themselves up for retirement but they have to start early and be extremely aggressive.
I agree that with inflation, there are perverse incentives created. Most peoples jobs do not have any guarantee of annual raises, performance based or cost of living based. Effectively you are taking a pay cut each year due to inflation. This passively makes every company environment worse, because the only way to gain compensation is to jump ship to another job. Those who are capable and motivated will try to parlay every job into a better job within 6 months, and that makes it impossible to build up capabilities and culture. It effectively makes everyones job suck more, whether you stay or leave.
