Cooking The Books

Here's an article suggesting that I've been right all along. Inflation is about an order of magnitude higher than the government tells us it is, or close to 10%, if you count the rising prices of things we buy regularly, like food and gasoline. Remember the caveat included in the news story that goes "discounting the volatile food and energy sectors" inflation is holding steady at .5%. That's .5%/month, folks. Multiply that number by 12 to get the annual rate.

Then try boycotting the food and energy sectors for a week and see how much money you save.

Since costs aren't high enough, Sen Durbin, of high-tax Illinois, is proposing to lift the unfair burden that internet sales pose upon businesses unlucky enough to be located in his state by requiring anyone who sells anything over the interned collect the state, county, municipal, and football stadium district taxes applicable to the customer, and be sure to remit these collections to the appropriate authorities.

"Why should out-of-state companies that sell their products online have an unfair advantage over Main Street bricks-and-mortar businesses?" Durbin said in a speech in Collinsville, Ill., in February. "Out-of-state companies that aren't paying their fair share of taxes are sticking Illinois residents and businesses with the tab."

Maybe he should be looking in to relieving the bricks-and-mortar folks back home of the burden the State government in imposing on them. Illinois just passed a huge increase in taxes that's driving businesses out of the state like people fleeing a freshly road-killed skunk.