Inflation, Florida Construction & Cruz’s Sentencing – Top 3 Takeaways

Inflation, Florida Construction & Cruz’s Sentencing – Top 3 Takeaways – October 14th 

1. The worst of all worlds. ‘Bidenflation is proving to be the worst of all worlds. You no doubt heard and saw the impact of Thursday’s CPI, or consumer inflation report. It’s because as bad as ‘Bidenflation has been, it’s actually getting even worse. No, the rate of inflation at 8.2% most recently isn’t worse than it’s been. We did peak at over 9% in June. But what was different then as compared to today is the trend in wages. All throughout the surge in the rate of inflation to 41-year highs, the average household was still falling behind month-by-month with wages rising but just not as fast as inflation. This provided hope to some, and became the general narrative of many – including the oft-wrong economists at-large, that with wage growth strong and growing, interest rate increases would tame inflation and Americans would soon be better off on the other end. Benefitting from and enjoying the benefit of higher wages with lower inflation. Thursday’s CPI report effectively confirmed what we saw in last month’s report. That A) Blind squirrels find nuts more frequently than economists project economics accurately B) The hope behind that narrative is now gone. It wasn’t just another month in which the average economist underestimated what the real rate of consumer inflation was in real-time, it was a second consecutive month of declining wage growth as well. Already the average working American had been 3% worse off than a year ago when wage growth had been adjusted for inflation. What we’re now seeing is that wage growth is actually falling faster than the rate of inflation. That’s the worst of all worlds. But then again, given that we’ve been in a recession since January which the aforementioned pinheads continue to deny, it’s really no surprise. What’s more. We know inflation is even worse in real-time. Energy prices were lower last month than they are today. Good times. Elections have consequences. This country has no one to blame but Democrat voters. Oh wait, sorry – was that a bit too real? Well suck it up buttercup, because its fools like you that did this to us. But then again, when your best argument against the former president was that he was a “bad Orangeman” with “mean tweets”, who’s really surprised?  
2. Florida’s construction. Let’s have an honest conversation about Corvettes for a moment. Have they had an incredibly successful history? Yes. Have they had a consistent history? No. Does anyone want to dispute that pre-70’s Vettes were better than the 70’s and 80’s Vettes? Is there any argument that newer Vettes are far better cars than most of those of the 70’s & especially 80’s? According to Edmunds, six of the top ten worst Corvettes of all time were from within that era, eight of the top ten if you include the 90’s. About now you probably have two questions. What’s this seemingly random Corvette convo about? And what the heck does this have to do with Florida’s construction? On Wednesday’s Hurricane Ian roundtable. Governor DeSantis noted that construction which occurred during the 70’s and 80’s performed worse than pre-70's construction and 90’s and newer construction. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 specifically brought about extensive building code changes throughout the state. DeSantis noted that newer construction outperformed expectations. There’s a reason why the saying, they don’t make things like they used to, became a thing. There’s also a reason why Miami-Dade's building code mandates buildings are constructed “like they used to be”. And there’s the reality behind all of this. There are many hurricane/flood vulnerable homes all across this state. Many of them were built during Florida’s initial population boom in the 70’s and 80’s. Those living in these homes should be mindful. Not all ‘Vettes have built equally, not all homes have either. 
3. The will of the families was not done. Since February 14th 2018, I’ve tried to do one thing consistently when covering the horrific events at Stoneman Douglas that day. Pay deference to victims' families. To respect the will of the parents. Now, that hasn’t meant agreeing with all issues and policy positions of all parents, after all there isn’t consensus among them regarding certain reforms and political matters. But that did for example mean supporting the comprehensive and bi-partisan gun control and school security measures passed as part of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Safety Act. In general, it’s meant listening to them, and at times providing a platform for them to share their thoughts and desires. That’s about all that could be done and the least that they’ve deserved given they’ve suffered a loss that the rest of us can’t begin to relate to. But there is something where there was apparent consensus among the parents. The outcome of the Cruz sentencing trial. Being a juror can carry complications, but it also carries responsibility. While I can’t put myself in the shoes of the parents, I can put myself in the shoes of the jurors. I’m Catholic, and as such, most of my views on social issues are consistent with those values. The Church changed its view on capital punishment at the calling of Pope John Paul II. That’s altered my perspective on it over the years as well. That said, I’ve thought about how I would have decided in this case were I on that jury. It would have been to put my personal thoughts aside to do the will of the families as the law allows to be done. It was not done, and in the minds of these families, justice was not served. That’s unfortunate. As for what can be done now? Pray. Pray for the victims’ families. Pray for the jurors. Pray that people find God, put Him first, and that there’s an end to the senseless violence.