45rpmspinner
Super Member
New Mexico has a lot of poverty.
Always has.
Prices.... Going Up!!!
- Thread starter musichal
- Start date
Always has.
NM always has been poor and likely always will... 90% of our 2.2 million people live in just three areas: ABQ metro, Sante Fe, & Las Cruces. The rest of the state has numerous small towns of 100 to 10,000 people. There is very little work in these small communities, the smallest are the the worse off. I went to school in Socorro County which has about 10,000 people and the only "real" work is for those who are well educated- New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology (one of the best schools in the country BTW), the Very Large Arrey (Radio telescopes) or for Federal or State government, but there are very few positions availalble there. The rest of the people are left without much hope and resort to whatever they have to do to survive, which frequently involves illegal activites.
Ouch !
Erik Tracy
Everyone's happy when the wizard walks by
orsen
Jukebox Hero
adnick
Addicted Member
Live in the Texas Hill Country just north west of San Antonio, and housing prices have quadrupled in the last 10-12 years and each county sets the property taxes so it’s generally reflective of value, however we’ve also some land in North East Texas and that county just increased property taxes by over 50%, which isn’t reflective….
Keep in mind that Texas has no state income tax, so that has to figure into the equation.
Here in the Hill Country we are in a terrible drought and wells are going dry all over the area plus San Antonio has known for years that water supply is an issue. None of this has stopped growth, and affordable housing is understandable but wineries have exploded in the area, each with their own little show vineyards, and the water use is extraordinary, the water future is bleak at the moment….
Time will tell,
Andy
Keep in mind that Texas has no state income tax, so that has to figure into the equation.
Here in the Hill Country we are in a terrible drought and wells are going dry all over the area plus San Antonio has known for years that water supply is an issue. None of this has stopped growth, and affordable housing is understandable but wineries have exploded in the area, each with their own little show vineyards, and the water use is extraordinary, the water future is bleak at the moment….
Time will tell,
Andy
... and the kin folks said "Jed, move away from there"...
Mystic
We're all born mad
GDP Annualized for Q3-Q4 2023: The world's largest 12 economies + the Euro Area
South of USA and China, things economic are looking rough out there. Inflation @ the EU Area is predicted to, well, inflate (rise), through at least the next fiscal quarter. I'll wager that inflation in the EU Area will continue rising past Q1 2024.
South of USA and China, things economic are looking rough out there. Inflation @ the EU Area is predicted to, well, inflate (rise), through at least the next fiscal quarter. I'll wager that inflation in the EU Area will continue rising past Q1 2024.
stereofanboy
Addicted Member
$2.95 today at the same station that was $2.00 in February of 2021. That far down from the highest of the last three years, but not back to where it was.
Part of the reason gas prices are down is the fall of demand especially from the tanking Chinese economy !
rxonmymind
Super Member
I heard an Op-ed piece thst we are producing more oil than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined. I'm curious when the United states will benefit from such a boom.
Pio1980
AK Member
It has and is.
BMWCCA
Addicted Member
The fact that prices are not back to where they were pre-pandemic is clearly the fault of manufacturers and suppliers. Look at oil-company profits if you don't believe me. Drug profits. Food products. Automotive profits. Fast food prices. Remember Windfall Profits Tax when the government did what it could to charge the oil companies for their over-charging?
The other day I was looking to replace the numbers on our mailbox post with reflective ones. I had purchased the numbers that were in-stock at the local Walmart about 5-years ago but was still missing four of the eight numbers needed to complete both sides. I pulled out the Walmart bag with the original receipt where the nail-on numbers were listed at 95¢ each. I looked up the same exact product, finding them available only by mail-order from WalMart, Amazon, and other chains. Nothing in-stock. They were now priced at $6.95. I found some nearly identical replacements from another manufacturer in-stock at Lowe's for $2.98 each. No matter how you slice those facts, that's an increase of at least three-times in just five-years.
Look around you. Gasoline is actually a bargain compared to other products I buy and use on a daily basis. My daily Oat Bran has nearly quadrupled. Bacon, either turkey or pork, has at least doubled. So where is the pressure for companies to pull their prices back to where they were pre-Pandemic?
When I was working, I would frequently use my McDonald's app to grab a quick cheap lunch while gassing up sold cars. When I remember starting, over three-years ago, the offer was for free large fries with a $2 purchase. The cheapest sandwiches offered at that time was something called the Daily Double which wasn't even on the store menu. It started at $2.20 which made if perfect for the offer. Basically the ingredients of a Big Mac without the extra bun, or special-sauce. But today it's up to $3.39 and the free-fries offer is limited to a Medium. Let's call that a 60% increase in just three-years.
I don't offer a solution but I do get tired of seeing the blame fall on the incumbent party. We are a free economy. Unless we call it a National Emergency in an effort to reign in these excessive profits, there is little the government can do about it. Look at your cable bill, or your cell-phone bill. One has competition and the other arguably doesn't. Both have escalated out of control. The way I see it, if we all stop using some of these products, the producers will have no choice but to counter with incentives. But we lack that self-control. We're willing to pay whatever we're asked. Even while we continue to complain about it.
The other day I was looking to replace the numbers on our mailbox post with reflective ones. I had purchased the numbers that were in-stock at the local Walmart about 5-years ago but was still missing four of the eight numbers needed to complete both sides. I pulled out the Walmart bag with the original receipt where the nail-on numbers were listed at 95¢ each. I looked up the same exact product, finding them available only by mail-order from WalMart, Amazon, and other chains. Nothing in-stock. They were now priced at $6.95. I found some nearly identical replacements from another manufacturer in-stock at Lowe's for $2.98 each. No matter how you slice those facts, that's an increase of at least three-times in just five-years.
Look around you. Gasoline is actually a bargain compared to other products I buy and use on a daily basis. My daily Oat Bran has nearly quadrupled. Bacon, either turkey or pork, has at least doubled. So where is the pressure for companies to pull their prices back to where they were pre-Pandemic?
When I was working, I would frequently use my McDonald's app to grab a quick cheap lunch while gassing up sold cars. When I remember starting, over three-years ago, the offer was for free large fries with a $2 purchase. The cheapest sandwiches offered at that time was something called the Daily Double which wasn't even on the store menu. It started at $2.20 which made if perfect for the offer. Basically the ingredients of a Big Mac without the extra bun, or special-sauce. But today it's up to $3.39 and the free-fries offer is limited to a Medium. Let's call that a 60% increase in just three-years.
I don't offer a solution but I do get tired of seeing the blame fall on the incumbent party. We are a free economy. Unless we call it a National Emergency in an effort to reign in these excessive profits, there is little the government can do about it. Look at your cable bill, or your cell-phone bill. One has competition and the other arguably doesn't. Both have escalated out of control. The way I see it, if we all stop using some of these products, the producers will have no choice but to counter with incentives. But we lack that self-control. We're willing to pay whatever we're asked. Even while we continue to complain about it.
Pio1980
AK Member
The consequences of pyramid economics, ultimately unsustainable.
SolderIron
Addicted Member
Gasoline has been around $5 to $6 a gallon for months. Good thing is I get 30 miles per gallon.
rxonmymind
Super Member
PG&E rate hikes in California have gone nuts. Mine has doubled in the past two years. Yet PG&E claims they need it for improvements and I get that but then you have $2.2 billion in profits for your CEO and shareholders it doesn't sit well.
The price of utilities is going insane everywhere ! My water bill has doubled in the last 6 years (now almost $90) and natural gas prices fluctuate all over the place. My gas is on a balanced plan where they adjust the price every year based on past usage: one year it was $35 a month, the next $60, then $85, currently $53..who knows what it will be next year...
We just had 15 solar panels installed on the SSW facing section of our roof for several reasons, we are awaiting final inspection before they can be turned on and then I can tell the power company to piss off:
(1) The power company has been charging me $30 to $45 a month for NOT having solar, billed as "renewable and non-renewable fuel adjustment cost" and "renewable energy rider". They are even charging us a fee to recover the cost of shutting down a coal fired power plant.
(2) The state of NM gives back a flat 10% tax credit on the cost of the system in one lump sum.
(3) The Feds are giving a 30% tax credit on the cost of the system until 2032 (you can only claim up to the amount of your tax liability for any year, and have 5 years to recoup the entire 30% - I will have to do it over two years). Anyway 40% off the total isn't a bad deal at all...
(4) The loan payback is less than my current monthly bill and will only go more in my favor as the power company continues to raise their prices.
(5) The power thieves have consistently increased their rates nearly 10% every year to pay for "improvements". I would hate to see what they would do if they were not semi-regulated by the state corporation commission.
(6) The power company does not have enough feeder lines to route electricity back into the grid in many areas of ABQ, so there are "Red Zones" all over the city where you cannot install solar. There are only 9 or 10 more houses that can add solar in my neighborhood before it reaches max capacity and gets Red Zoned. I called the power company to make sure the salesman wasn't pulling a fast one, and he wasn't- he had said they had enough permits for 20 more houses. (He did try to up-sell a $3,000 electric panel upgrade to 200 amps, but my neighbor the electrician who also has solar panels told him flat out that my 150 amp box was more than enough).
With 15 panels I will be making 30% more electricity than I can ever conceivably use even if I turned everything on in the house all at once and installed a hot tub and central air conditioning. The most we have ever used is 1,150KW in one month, my system on average should make 1500 KW (we normally use 650 KW a month). I should only have to pay the $8 connection fee even in the hottest months of the year.
We just had 15 solar panels installed on the SSW facing section of our roof for several reasons, we are awaiting final inspection before they can be turned on and then I can tell the power company to piss off:
(1) The power company has been charging me $30 to $45 a month for NOT having solar, billed as "renewable and non-renewable fuel adjustment cost" and "renewable energy rider". They are even charging us a fee to recover the cost of shutting down a coal fired power plant.
(2) The state of NM gives back a flat 10% tax credit on the cost of the system in one lump sum.
(3) The Feds are giving a 30% tax credit on the cost of the system until 2032 (you can only claim up to the amount of your tax liability for any year, and have 5 years to recoup the entire 30% - I will have to do it over two years). Anyway 40% off the total isn't a bad deal at all...
(4) The loan payback is less than my current monthly bill and will only go more in my favor as the power company continues to raise their prices.
(5) The power thieves have consistently increased their rates nearly 10% every year to pay for "improvements". I would hate to see what they would do if they were not semi-regulated by the state corporation commission.
(6) The power company does not have enough feeder lines to route electricity back into the grid in many areas of ABQ, so there are "Red Zones" all over the city where you cannot install solar. There are only 9 or 10 more houses that can add solar in my neighborhood before it reaches max capacity and gets Red Zoned. I called the power company to make sure the salesman wasn't pulling a fast one, and he wasn't- he had said they had enough permits for 20 more houses. (He did try to up-sell a $3,000 electric panel upgrade to 200 amps, but my neighbor the electrician who also has solar panels told him flat out that my 150 amp box was more than enough).
With 15 panels I will be making 30% more electricity than I can ever conceivably use even if I turned everything on in the house all at once and installed a hot tub and central air conditioning. The most we have ever used is 1,150KW in one month, my system on average should make 1500 KW (we normally use 650 KW a month). I should only have to pay the $8 connection fee even in the hottest months of the year.
