Grandpaw's Coffee

I hate trigger warnings but, hell, sometimes they add to the joke. And this is only a joke, a family remark which actually offends both major parties when you think about it. There's a shot at a Republican and a Democrat so, you know, it's an equal opportunity put down. 

Okay, part of what brought this to mind is surely the recent rampant inflation, but whatcha gonna do? That is what it is. This is not meant as a shot at any currently active politician. Honest. It's only a family story.

Like quite a few people in my family tree, me Grandpaw Hutchins loved his coffee. Me Mom would often remark with laughter, "Daddy used to always give us coffee, and Mom would complain, Mal (what me Grandmaw Hutchins often called him, short for his name Malachi) you can't give them young 'uns coffee!"

"It ain't gonna hurt them, Mae," he'd softly respond.

Coffee prices jumped huge during the terrible inflation in the late 1970s. Someone asked Grandpaw, "Mal, you gonna have to cut back on yer coffee ain't ya?"

He simply answered in his quiet drawl, "Hoover couldn't make me quit drinking coffee, Carter won't either."

Grandpaw was going to get his jitter juice, and no mere President was about to stop him.

The Upcoming Campaign

The Election of 2024 is gearing up. Ugh. I like the presidential system we have more than the parliamentary one found in most free nations, but at least the parliamentarians can wrap things up in five weeks.

I admit, and those who know me won't be surprised, that beyond an event so bizarre that I cannot begin to imagine what it might be, I know how I'll vote in November. Around ninety percent of the electorate feel similarly. 

I'm going to try to avoid intense discussions on the candidates, and I won't play dueling articles with those who disagree with me. Each side has enough presumed 'experts' who will tell their people what they want to hear, and few of us can actually know what's right. Most articles tend to spin, to be written to their side's view; we ought to be leery of them on that ground alone. So I intend to stick to things which I know from direct personal experience and plain reason. The following are are some of those things.

Gas was much cheaper in 2019 than 2024. So were overall energy costs. 

The liter bottles of water I drink, one a day typically, hit me for 65 cents apiece a few years ago. Now they're a dollar five.

Potato chips have been my gastronomic bane for as long as I remember. In 2019 my local grocery routinely offered family size bags of the salty snacks at two for four dollars. The same size and brand are now two for seven. On sale.

The company I sell for has had three price raises since 2020. Before that it took 15 years for three such hikes.

In short, inflation has been rampant since 2021. I don't care that it's supposedly 'cooling off' lately. It still soared for three years and someone needs to be held accountable for that. Okay, maybe it has slowed down. Too many things still cost me too much more than they should, and a recent slowdown begs questions of who's at fault and only seeks to shield those folks from punishment.

What we are left with is the raw fact that things cost much more than they did four years ago, and that is typically the result of government policy, printing more money and running up debt specifically. And that should weigh heavily on how you cast your ballot three months from now.

Airing Up Tires

Awhile back me brother Phil was out and about. While stopped somewhere, he noticed that he had a low tire. Fortunately he was near a gas station which had a working air compressor.

Unfortunately it was $1.50 for air, and he didn't have enough quarters. He went into the gas station for more change. In doing so, he remarked to the attendant, "I remember when it was only 50 cents for air."

Without hardly cracking a smile the attendant replied, "Inflation."

Hey, don't blame that one on me, readers.

Hearing what they want

And other things about customers...
They always round down. Always.
"How much is that part, Cosgriff?"
"Thirty-three dollars."
"Okay, thirty dollars." No, thirty three. And then remember there's sales tax, doofus.
Then there are the ones who believe inflation is almost a daily event with my prices. They ask things like, "How much is that part, Cosgriff?"
"Thirty-three dollars."
"Wow. They done gone up since last week." No, they haven't. That part has been $33 bucks since 2012. If you paid more than that last week, you bought it from someone but me.
Then there are ones who haven't bought a cable in a couple of decades. "How much is that cable, Cosgriff?"
"$49.30."
"What? Last time I paid $33 dollars!" I don't doubt you did: in 1989.
Ah, customers.

More about customers

And other things about customers...

They always round down. Always.

"How much is that part, Cosgriff?"

"Thirty-three dollars."

"Okay, thirty dollars." No, thirty three. And then remember there's sales tax, doofus.

Then there are the ones who believe inflation is almost a daily event with my prices. They ask things like, "How much is that part, Cosgriff?"

"Thirty-three dollars."

"Wow. They done gone up since last week." No, they haven't. That part has been $33 bucks since 2012. If you paid more than that last week, you bought it from someone but me.

Then there are ones who haven't bought a cable in a couple of decades. "How much is that cable, Cosgriff?"

"$49.30."

"What? Last time I paid $33 dollars!" I don't doubt you did: in 1989.

Ah, customers.