Cory, it never ceases to amaze me. This isn't a case study from the macro-econ textbook, it is a human issue. You seem like you have so much knowledge in so many areas but I question your fundamental conclusions. Inflation in consumer goods is occurring right now for a few reasons, and I'm not sure I see them referenced here. One primary reason, especially in consumer goods, is that different industries are seeking to re-amass capital and are jockeying for primacy after COVID. You mention modern monetary theory - none of the corporations or monopolies you identify as bad actors (on which I agree) can print money in the same manner as big governments. They at best can get capital from the big unlimited pool unleashed during COVID by the unlimited $$ issuing entities. The root cause is people. For decades, people in all of these institutions have followed an exploitive playbook benefiting a few individuals in the short term. If we do root cause analysis (ya like math?) it's going to point back to greed or need, every single time. Greed to make as much money as possible by reliable means or need - to refinance into lower interest rates/restructure. That is it. Here is an example - I consult for a REIT which has invested in commercial RE infrastructure and is offering high rates of return to its investors because they have locked the tenants in to long-term leases with COLA increases each year. This is direct exploitation of the tenant business to benefit the non-producing investor so they can "beat inflation" - by big amounts. That type of lease might result in the downstream businesses being unable to cope and having to go out of business. But nobody wants to work any more, Cory. The wheels are falling off the train and it is derailing. This is something humans must fix - and I think the primary problem with all you have said is a reliance upon government. Government facilitates and supports these problems, almost exclusively. It operates in the same manner as a family-owned business would if it had unlimited capital and no KPIs of any type, no investors to pay dividends to, and no competitors. That wheel has been off the train my whole life. Then there's the artists and creators who cannot feed themselves and who have no ability to reach an audience, to perform their important task of telling the Emperor he has no clothes or making people feel alive and like they are worth something. It's not a good situation - my husband Bruce and I now have a concept to solve the energy crisis: human oil. I think it's a clear win-win situation. I'm surprised McKinsey hasn't already done a white paper on it.
