Crime Egg prices at an all time high.

[LMP]

I can barely remember what it was like when eggs were cheap.

Everything is so expensive now. Everything is a subscription. I make a LOT of money and save basically nothing since it’s so damn expensive to live.

I have two old cars. A low interest mortgage rate on my house. I barely buy anything.

Food alone is absurd.

You're not imagining things—everything is absurdly expensive, and it’s not just inflation. It’s the natural result of unchecked capitalism. For decades, wages haven’t kept up with worker productivity, meaning people are producing more than ever but seeing none of the rewards. Meanwhile, corporations have figured out how to squeeze consumers dry with endless subscription models, artificial scarcity, and price hikes that aren’t about necessity but about maximizing profit margins.

Food prices aren’t just rising because of supply chain issues or inflation—they’re going up because giant food corporations intentionally limit supply to drive up costs while making record profits. Housing is out of reach for many because investors have turned basic shelter into a speculative asset. Even cars are shifting to subscription-based features for things you already own. None of this is accidental; it’s how the system is built, keeping people working harder for less while wealth keeps funneling upward. And until people stop blaming the wrong targets and start holding actual power accountable, it’s only going to get worse.

 

[WhiteMousse]

You're not imagining things—everything is absurdly expensive, and it’s not just inflation. It’s the natural result of unchecked capitalism. For decades, wages haven’t kept up with worker productivity, meaning people are producing more than ever but seeing none of the rewards. Meanwhile, corporations have figured out how to squeeze consumers dry with endless subscription models, artificial scarcity, and price hikes that aren’t about necessity but about maximizing profit margins.

Food prices aren’t just rising because of supply chain issues or inflation—they’re going up because giant food corporations intentionally limit supply to drive up costs while making record profits. Housing is out of reach for many because investors have turned basic shelter into a speculative asset. Even cars are shifting to subscription-based features for things you already own. None of this is accidental; it’s how the system is built, keeping people working harder for less while wealth keeps funneling upward. And until people stop blaming the wrong targets and start holding actual power accountable, it’s only going to get worse.

I don't know if they're limiting grocery supply but one thing about large scale businesses is that if they ever find a way to start charging more, they almost never revert to charging less. They just won't do it. Margin and P&L are all that matter for both investors and upper management (for MIP bonus purposes). Once they attain a certain benchmark everyone pushes forward as if that's the new standard, even though it's retarded and unrealistic. Not every harvest is a grand slam. But they'll push for the same margin and even set goals to increase it, and the wellbeing and sustainability of the business itself doesn't mean jack shit to them. Covid gave these businesses the out they were looking for so they could increase costs. After covid, prices never went down, no surprise

I don't know enough about the housing market to comment too much, but I'd wager it has some similar elements of insatiable greed. Maybe different tactics, like buying up all the property and then charging people up the ass, which is why when the boomers finally start dying off it probably won't get much better

 

[GearSolidMetal]

You're not imagining things—everything is absurdly expensive, and it’s not just inflation. It’s the natural result of unchecked capitalism. For decades, wages haven’t kept up with worker productivity, meaning people are producing more than ever but seeing none of the rewards. Meanwhile, corporations have figured out how to squeeze consumers dry with endless subscription models, artificial scarcity, and price hikes that aren’t about necessity but about maximizing profit margins.

Food prices aren’t just rising because of supply chain issues or inflation—they’re going up because giant food corporations intentionally limit supply to drive up costs while making record profits. Housing is out of reach for many because investors have turned basic shelter into a speculative asset. Even cars are shifting to subscription-based features for things you already own. None of this is accidental; it’s how the system is built, keeping people working harder for less while wealth keeps funneling upward. And until people stop blaming the wrong targets and start holding actual power accountable, it’s only going to get worse.

All of this would be so very convincing... if not for the fed printing money without even needing to print it, and a government that confiscates 40+% of everyone's income and still overspent their budgets by 30 trillion in the last 23 years alone.

All of those 'Capitalism is bad' talking points are the same they repeated in the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, and 2010s.... "shit is getting expensive" Yeah, perhaps you could look into the actual reasons why shit is expensive instead of listening to Marxists.

 

[HenryFlower]

I can barely remember what it was like when eggs were cheap.

Everything is so expensive now. Everything is a subscription. I make a LOT of money and save basically nothing since it’s so damn expensive to live.

I have two old cars. A low interest mortgage rate on my house. I barely buy anything.

Food alone is absurd.

nothing is more shocking than the checkout totals for those random quickie post-work grocery store runs to grab a few things for a meal i caught an urge to cook for dinner later. i’ve been able to trick my brain to not fully register the hike in cost for the typical weekly groceries since that “main” trip to the store will always be stupid expensive—it’s obviously graduated to wtf expensive these past few years, but it’s easier to not think about it. those mid-week single-tote grocery purchases of a few items for an impulse meal though? the cost is always striking.

 

[LMP]

I don't know if they're limiting grocery supply but one thing about large scale businesses is that if they ever find a way to start charging more, they almost never revert to charging less. They just won't do it. Margin and P&L are all that matter for both investors and upper management (for MIP bonus purposes). Once they attain a certain benchmark everyone pushes forward as if that's the new standard, even though it's retarded and unrealistic. Not every harvest is a grand slam. But they'll push for the same margin and even set goals to increase it, and the wellbeing and sustainability of the business itself doesn't mean jack shit to them. Covid gave these businesses the out they were looking for so they could increase costs. After covid, prices never went down, no surprise

I don't know enough about the housing market to comment too much, but I'd wager it has some similar elements of insatiable greed. Maybe different tactics, like buying up all the property and then charging people up the ass, which is why when the boomers finally start dying off it probably won't get much better

Rockefeller’s philosophy of "just a little bit more" perfectly sums up how greed operates, it’s never satisfied, no matter how much wealth is hoarded. Rothschild’s "The way to make money is to buy when blood is running in the streets" takes it even further, showing how crises aren’t seen as disasters, but as opportunities to exploit. That’s exactly what corporations do today. Every economic downturn, supply chain issue, or global crisis is just another excuse to jack up prices, slash wages, and consolidate power. There’s no natural stopping point because unchecked greed will always push further, no matter how much damage it causes. The only thing that keeps it in check is regulation, and every time that gets stripped away, the same cycle plays out—ordinary people suffer while the ultra-rich walk away with even more.

 

[WhiteMousse]

All of this would be so very convincing... if not for the fed printing money without even needing to print it, and a government that confiscates 40+% of everyone's income and still overspent their budgets by 30 trillion in the last 23 years alone.

All of those 'Capitalism is bad' talking points are the same they repeated in the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, and 2010s.... "shit is getting expensive" Yeah, perhaps you could look into the actual reasons why shit is expensive instead of listening to Marxists.

While what you're saying about printing money is true, I don't think that's mutually exclusive from malignant navigation of capitalism. Both can be true, and I think they are

Capitalism is, in my opinion, the best of the worst, but it's being seriously abused. I listed some points in my prior post to @LMP .

The current pattern cannot continue without reducing this society into a new age of feudalism. That's not freedom, it's not the American Dream, it's just the ultra rich living on our labor. People are afraid of the Matrix becoming a reality, it almost is, and has nothing to do with robots

 

[LMP]

All of this would be so very convincing... if not for the fed printing money without even needing to print it, and a government that confiscates 40+% of everyone's income and still overspent their budgets by 30 trillion in the last 23 years alone.

All of those 'Capitalism is bad' talking points are the same they repeated in the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, and 2010s.... "shit is getting expensive" Yeah, perhaps you could look into the actual reasons why shit is expensive instead of listening to Marxists.

The idea that taxation is the problem while ignoring wealth concentration is exactly why the economy keeps tilting further in favor of the ultra-rich. The federal government isn’t “confiscating” 40% of everyone’s income—it’s disproportionately taxing the middle class while the wealthiest individuals and corporations use loopholes, offshore accounts, and stock buybacks to avoid paying their fair share. The real issue isn’t government spending itself but who the government is spending money on. Trillions go into corporate subsidies, defense contracts, and tax breaks for billionaires while actual public investment gets slashed.

Taxing the rich wouldn’t just fund essential services; it would also pull money back out of circulation where it actually causes inflation. Right now, excessive wealth is sitting at the top, not being reinvested in ways that benefit ordinary people. Instead, it fuels stock market bubbles, artificial scarcity in housing, and corporate monopolization. Historically, higher tax rates on the wealthy like those seen in the mid-20th century didn’t tank the economy, they stabilized it. The more money gets hoarded at the top, the worse inequality becomes, and no amount of printing or cutting spending will fix that if the wealth keeps getting funneled into private hands.

 

[Rob Battisti]

The idea that taxation is the problem while ignoring wealth concentration is exactly why the economy keeps tilting further in favor of the ultra-rich. The federal government isn’t “confiscating” 40% of everyone’s income—it’s disproportionately taxing the middle class while the wealthiest individuals and corporations use loopholes, offshore accounts, and stock buybacks to avoid paying their fair share. The real issue isn’t government spending itself but who the government is spending money on. Trillions go into corporate subsidies, defense contracts, and tax breaks for billionaires while actual public investment gets slashed.

Taxing the rich wouldn’t just fund essential services; it would also pull money back out of circulation where it actually causes inflation. Right now, excessive wealth is sitting at the top, not being reinvested in ways that benefit ordinary people. Instead, it fuels stock market bubbles, artificial scarcity in housing, and corporate monopolization. Historically, higher tax rates on the wealthy like those seen in the mid-20th century didn’t tank the economy, they stabilized it. The more money gets hoarded at the top, the worse inequality becomes, and no amount of printing or cutting spending will fix that if the wealth keeps getting funneled into private hands.

I’m all for raising taxes on the wealthiest in America. I am not convinced raising corporate taxes wouldn’t just be a way of passing that burden down to us.

 

[Khaosan]

Just checking in, has Dorito Jesus lowered the egg prices yet? Wasn’t that a day one thing, or was that ending the war in Ukraine on day one? Both?

 

[LMP]

I’m all for raising taxes on the wealthiest in America. I am not convinced raising corporate taxes wouldn’t just be a way of passing that burden down to us.

Rob, you know I’m a filthy leftist, but the economy is complex, and there isn’t a single cause for rising costs or financial instability. Government spending plays a role, but so does corporate consolidation, supply chain disruptions, labor exploitation, and financial speculation. The idea that inflation and high costs are purely the result of government printing money ignores the reality that wealth concentration and corporate greed have far more impact on the average person’s daily expenses than fiscal policy alone.


Over the last few decades, corporate profits have skyrocketed while wages have remained stagnant. In the 1970s, CEO pay was about 30 times the average worker’s salary. Today, it’s over 300 times. Companies aren’t just responding to inflation; they are using it as an excuse to raise prices beyond what is necessary to maintain their margins. Oil companies, for example, reported record-breaking profits while simultaneously raising prices at the pump, not because their costs increased proportionally, but because they could. The same is true in the food industry, where major suppliers artificially limit production to keep prices high while raking in billions.


I get that it’s easy to point at government spending because it’s visible, but the real power lies with corporations who have no obligation to keep prices fair, wages livable, or housing affordable. That’s why wealth keeps getting hoarded at the top while regular people struggle, and why “just cut spending” is never going to be the magic fix.

 

[WhiteMousse]

Rockefeller’s philosophy of "just a little bit more" perfectly sums up how greed operates, it’s never satisfied, no matter how much wealth is hoarded. Rothschild’s "The way to make money is to buy when blood is running in the streets" takes it even further, showing how crises aren’t seen as disasters, but as opportunities to exploit. That’s exactly what corporations do today. Every economic downturn, supply chain issue, or global crisis is just another excuse to jack up prices, slash wages, and consolidate power. There’s no natural stopping point because unchecked greed will always push further, no matter how much damage it causes. The only thing that keeps it in check is regulation, and every time that gets stripped away, the same cycle plays out—ordinary people suffer while the ultra-rich walk away with even more.

It's right around this juncture that conservatives and liberals will find themselves in agreement unless they discover the identity of the other. For a long time now the vast majority who identify as either have been pitted against each other. I don't know that I can go as far to say that the upper level Democrats and Republicans have a volleyball agreement but sometimes it certainly looks like it. Paint the other party red or blue and have them all fight each other.

My only problem with the BLM protests (other than being violent) was that they were directed at Arby's and Target stores instead of confronting government officials.

On the other side of the coin, there are lots of young and/or middle class conservatives who look forward with anticipation to the meltdown of society. The chimpanzee colony metaphor is here. The alpha chimp only has harmony with his group so long as he is a benevolent and kind hearted leader. If he's a tyrant, the other weaker chimps will physically tear him into pieces. This sounds great to people who are downtrodden (and I think both conservatives and liberals look at this prospect and rub their hands to some degree), and while I understand the supposed catharsis it would bring, people don't look into that metaphor enough. Unless there's a suitable replacement leader, the colony descends into chaos and madness, infant chimpanzees being eaten or otherwise ended, females being brutalized and just general collapse. Nobody wants this and anyone who says otherwise doesn't really understand what that would look like in our country. It would be hell, and to at least some extent a period of dark ages. And the casualties would be mostly the innocent

Our leaders either lack either the foresight or the compassion to realize or address this. They have a boiled frog approach and I guess it does work, I mean it has worked for a while. But they won't be able to live in a world without us and while that should impact the way they treat us, it doesn't seem it does.

All of this is my roundabout way of saying that while I won't go so far as to say there's an ultra-upper class conspiracy against the middle and lower classes, I believe there is at the very least a rut into which they have settled, an unspoken agreement that has a glaring lopsided detrimental impact on us

 

[GearSolidMetal]

While what you're saying about printing money is true, I don't think that's mutually exclusive from malignant navigation of capitalism. Both can be true, and I think they are

Capitalism is, in my opinion, the best of the worst, but it's being seriously abused. I listed some points in my prior post to @LMP .

The current pattern cannot continue without reducing this society into a new age of feudalism. That's not freedom, it's not the American Dream, it's just the ultra rich living on our labor. People are afraid of the Matrix becoming a reality, it almost is, and has nothing to do with robots

Its not just the 'filthy rich' in corporations... the private sector... its also the 'filthy rich' in the public sector.

DOGE has done a pretty good job at exposing completely wasteful spending over the last few weeks and its been making alot of people as "Exactly what percentage of our taxes are going to us? And not on absolute bullshit like Transexual Operas in Iraq."

Rockefeller’s philosophy of "just a little bit more" perfectly sums up how greed operates,

And that philosophy also perfectly sums up the mentality of government-overspenders... taxing people they don't know, for money they don't respect, for things they don't care about.

"Gee, I wonder why my money is so inefficiently spent by Washington."

"How is all these 'public servants' getting paid with $178K a year and they somehow are worth $100+ million?"

But you know what is to blame.
I know what is to blame.
Everyone knows what is to blame.

Spoiler: What is to blame

Capitalism.

And the solution is communism.
Because after the government has fucked it all up over the untold amount of decades, we need to give the government complete control to fix it.

 

[usernamee]

Can somebody in the US let me know what the price per egg is if you shop at the cheapest store like Walmart and if you buy the cheapest eggs possible (usually largest package of eggs)

 

[WhiteMousse]

Its not just the 'filthy rich' in corporations... the private sector... its also the 'filthy rich' in the public sector.

DOGE has done a pretty good job at exposing completely wasteful spending over the last few weeks and its been making alot of people as "Exactly what percentage of our taxes are going to us? And not on absolute bullshit like Transexual Operas in Iraq."



And that philosophy also perfectly sums up the mentality of government-overspenders... taxing people they don't know, for money they don't respect, for things they don't care about.

"Gee, I wonder why my money is so inefficiently spent by Washington."

"How is all these 'public servants' getting paid with $178K a year and they somehow are worth $100+ million?"

But you know what is to blame.
I know what is to blame.
Everyone knows what is to blame.

Spoiler: What is to blame

Capitalism.

And the solution is communism.
Because after the government has fucked it all up over the untold amount of decades, we need to give the government complete control to fix it.

You're right. It's not just. But it is also. I think you and him probably agree on more than it appears

 

[LMP]

Its not just the 'filthy rich' in corporations... the private sector... its also the 'filthy rich' in the public sector.

DOGE has done a pretty good job at exposing completely wasteful spending over the last few weeks and its been making alot of people as "Exactly what percentage of our taxes are going to us? And not on absolute bullshit like Transexual Operas in Iraq."



And that philosophy also perfectly sums up the mentality of government-overspenders... taxing people they don't know, for money they don't respect, for things they don't care about.

"Gee, I wonder why my money is so inefficiently spent by Washington."

"How is all these 'public servants' getting paid with $178K a year and they somehow are worth $100+ million?"

But you know what is to blame.
I know what is to blame.
Everyone knows what is to blame.

Spoiler: What is to blame

Capitalism.

And the solution is communism.
Because after the government has fucked it all up over the untold amount of decades, we need to give the government complete control to fix it.

So let me get this straight. The government is corrupt, wasteful, and full of self-serving grifters, so the solution is to let corporations and billionaires run everything with even less oversight? That’s like deciding your coach is incompetent, so you fire him and let Dana White personally judge every fight based on vibes.

Yes, politicians magically leaving office worth $100 million is sketchy as hell, but that’s not because of their government salary. It’s because they cash in through book deals, board memberships, speaking gigs, and backroom favors from the very corporations that somehow never get blamed when people start ranting about corruption. But sure, let’s keep pretending some niche grant for a performance art piece in a foreign country is what’s bankrupting America instead of the billions getting funneled into military contractors, corporate subsidies, and tax loopholes designed to keep billionaires untouchable. That’s like blaming the guy making weight cuts for losing a fight instead of admitting he got his head taken off by a head kick.

And let’s be real, no one screaming about government waste actually wants a serious conversation about where the money is going. If they did, they’d be talking about the trillions spent on corporate bailouts, shady Pentagon budgets, and billionaires who pay less in taxes than a rookie fighter on a prelim card. Instead, it’s always some clickbait nonsense about woke spending because getting mad at imaginary problems is easier than facing the fact that capitalism, in its current form, is a rigged game.

Capitalism isn’t the only problem, but acting like it’s not the main driver of this mess is just willful ignorance. And if you think the solution is burning the whole system down and hoping the free market sorts it out, that’s the political equivalent of having no takedown defense, getting ragdolled for three rounds, and then blaming the ref when you lose a decision.

 

[WhiteMousse]

Can somebody in the US let me know what the price per egg is if you shop at the cheapest store like Walmart and if you buy the cheapest eggs possible (usually largest package of eggs)

I go to Lowes in Charleston SC, it's a pretty upscale organic grocery store and while there are some that are over $10.00 for a dozen there are some that are also $4.99. I posted pictures in another thread a few weeks ago

 

[LMP]

You're right. It's not just. But it is also. I think you and him probably agree on more than it appears

His head is so full of propaganda that he can't see straight. No original thoughts to be had.

 

[Khaosan]

Guys, he lowered the egg prices... right? Like he said, right…? Still looking for some clarification here.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

The idea that taxation is the problem while ignoring wealth concentration is exactly why the economy keeps tilting further in favor of the ultra-rich.

How about the 'Ultra-rich' that got rich through government contracts?
Ever heard of Lobbyists, LMP?
How about the middle-men of the Medicare and Healthcare Insurance systems?

You're pretending the 'Ultra-rich' are exclusively are giant corporations, Wallstreet, and Bankers while completely ignoring they're usually working hand-in-glove with government officials for mutual benefit.

The federal government isn’t “confiscating” 40% of everyone’s income—it’s disproportionately taxing the middle class while the wealthiest individuals and corporations use loopholes, offshore accounts, and stock buybacks to avoid paying their fair share. The real issue isn’t government spending itself but who the government is spending money on. Trillions go into corporate subsidies, defense contracts, and tax breaks for billionaires while actual public investment gets slashed.

Completely agreed with all of this.
The question is if what's your proposed solution to it is?
Elect more Democrats?

Taxing the rich wouldn’t just fund essential services; it would also pull money back out of circulation where it actually causes inflation. Right now, excessive wealth is sitting at the top, not being reinvested in ways that benefit ordinary people. Instead, it fuels stock market bubbles, artificial scarcity in housing, and corporate monopolization. Historically, higher tax rates on the wealthy like those seen in the mid-20th century didn’t tank the economy, they stabilized it. The more money gets hoarded at the top, the worse inequality becomes, and no amount of printing or cutting spending will fix that if the wealth keeps getting funneled into private hands.

'Tax the rich.'

Yeah, because that's worked each and every time.
All every communist country.

 

[WhiteMousse]

I’m all for raising taxes on the wealthiest in America. I am not convinced raising corporate taxes wouldn’t just be a way of passing that burden down to us.

Well we would have to have government officials who give a shit about us instead of just allowing a reroute that would undoubtedly benefit them while fucking us.

It's the same thing as raising minimum wage. People need more money because the labor is needed. But all corporations do is just raise the prices and then everything else goes up to.

We would need a government that would step in and say that these huge companies need to take a little bit of a hit to their income statement. As in not lose money, just not make an absurd amount that goes into like five people's wallets tops