I petition thee, God Most High, to heal our great country, in the holy name of Jesus, amen.

I have full faith that this prayer will be answered.

I think it is sad. During the height of Covid some Americans were out of work and could not afford to put food on the table or gas in their car.  There are always situations which will adversely affect a portion of the population.

Thankfully (as Roy Kelley pointed out), there are still charitable Americans willing to step up to help their fellow man in times of need.  It's part of what's great about America and that makes me happy.

I'm not sure that I believe this. I think that 50% are struggling & 50% are not IMHO. Average car payments are $648 for this year. Maybe we have to turn in that BMW?

I have worked with the local food bank & it seems to me that everyone who goes there is in true need. I do think that people do take advantage of the system & take WAY TOO much then they need.

shelter, food, utilities .... that's the priority.  If that's not covered I'll get a second job.  Everything else I can live without.

We still have free groceries in our area for the families that need assistance.

I know I have cut back on driving and know I do not buy as much meat as I used to,  I need to go fishing more to catch my dinner LOL

You kind of hope that everyone is in a position to cover the basics, but sadly that isn't the case. I had thankfully been prepared knowing that inflationary spikes as well as catastrophic events can and do happen.

What do I think?  I think the Fed failed miserably on their mandate to keep inflation under control.  Instead of doing as they should have quickly when inflation was just starting, they explained it away.  They have cost us all dearly and now they are destroying wealth at a record pace.  They have boasted that they have the tools for a soft landing while using a sledge hammer.  I am not bitter at all.  🤣

I agree with Lyn Sims .  I would have to see the data.  Prices have gone up but folks need to establish a budget and try to live within their means.  I do acknowledge we have problems   What is included in living costs?  It might not be time for these folks to make any big decisions to include purchasing a home.

I think it is unfortunate that our country was as unprepared as we were for a worldwide emergency.  We, as a country and as individual citizens, were unprepared and we are paying for it now.  It is unfortunate, but we can't dwell on that.  We can only move forward.

The vast majority of people globally operate on a budget. We set aside and honor monies promised and to be spent and the system works. We choose and control our own personal system. Many include rainy day contingencies and if not spent become extra money to spend. When something happens beyond our system and rainy-day plans, we suffer! This is the case upon the tens of millions now. I can exist on rice & beans however I don't have to. Our government says otherwise. I am displeased

I am VERY fortunate that it does not affect me directly but if I were unable to work or if we lost my wife's income we would have to make some drastic changes in our household Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can! 

It is sad and contrived. The issue is this is a worldwide problem. We must all turn to our Creator.

Build your backyard veggie gardens, buy seeds, and encourage your neighbors to do the same. Be prepared

America still has the lowest gas prices in the world and the lowest inflation rate in the world but no one looks at those numbers, they just blame the other side for perceived greivances.

I'm so glad we paid off our mortgage years ago!

Endless prayers every day for reform. True reform to end the evil and greed we see designed to destroy America.

GOD BLESS AMERICA! 

In my Second Chance Saturday post today, I posted a graph of where Americans are planning to cut back due to inflation.  Quite interesting.

For fear of going off on a tirade, I am going to agree with the comment of Candice A. Donofrio and move on!

It's a very sad situation south and north of the border. We are in the same boat as you guys, so many people are struggling here too.

Wanda, it would be interesting to see what the "$500" more is for. For us, gas, groceries, and eating out are the main areas we've seen prices go up. We have found ourselves cutting back on things that aren't necessary. I've also looked at business expenses to see where I can cut back and will continue to do that. I think there are a lot of luxury things we as a society pay for such as streaming, apps, etc that people could cut back on as well. I think it is crazy how much we pay for phones and phone service. I don't see a change in that but when you think about how much phone service used to be it is insane.

The folks I feel the worst for are those who are in a rent cycle they can't get out of. I know some people prefer to rent and in some cities, that's what you do. But, for those who have families and can't seem to scrape enough money together to buy a home and have a mortgage lower than rent prices, I feel for them. 

I will say, in our area, there are still jobs out there. There just isn't enough people to fill them or who want to do those jobs.

Ask your representatives as to how they spend your tax money.

Active Rain Support REMOVED my post AGAIN ! 

My response was the current Congress and Executive Branch are to blame for the economic crisis in our Country.  Everyone, all 100 Senators and over 450 Congressional members  won't work together to solve issues. They fingerpoint, posture and represent special interest and themselves and not the average American. 

This is not new or inflammatory , just a fact. Until we all work together and address the issues, the issues won't be solved! 

Removing my post is over reaching  and censorship. 

It was expected the Roaring 20s would last longer before the Great Depression hit!  Sadly many patrons of Food Banks are now the recipients. Tough times ahead for far too many.  I fear the Pandemic will be used as the excuse for many bad decisions on both sides of our border. 

Is this another political add?

Wanda it happens fairly often that when I'm out shopping, folks are talking about the prices and what they should or shouldn't they buy. Sometimes we strike up a conversation and I'm fine with that if they need to chat. Inflation really is a kitchen table issue these days. As for interest rates on homes, that is a big step up, especially for 1st timers. It's double what it was one year ago and hold on to your seatbelts, it's going up higher.  Since I've been through this before, thankfully I know how to handle it.  Many do not, including many agents.

US can send Billions to Ukraine, etc. Similar scenarios have been going on for years. Some struggling is legit, but on the other hand, many people that complain about it manage to walk around with $800.00 cell phones and drive nice cars with $600.00 car payments. We have several churches, organizations, and food pantries in this area that have always helped people that need help with food and money.

Fortunately we are well prepared for a crisis.  We're buying way less at the grocery store (eating from the freezer and garden) and eating out a LOT less. But most of America is never prepared for a blip, much less a real crisis which this could become in a few more months of 8+% inflation.

$500/month for living costs is cheap. It has cost me more than $500/month to live in CA since I was on my own at 16 years of age. As a 16 year old I paid more than $500/month in rent, food, vehicle expenses and so forth. I was able to do it coming out of homelessness and living in my car in 1985, so I'm fresh out of sympathy when I've been there too. I'd say get to work and solve it by doing something different to affect getting a better result.

That scenario (change the dollar amount) has always existed no matter the decade, no matter the administration, no matter the social condition. That's life. Some do, some don't, some will, some won't, many have, many have not. 

It's like whistling into the wind.  Whatever we say has the same affect.

We're all paying more these days.  Lifestyle adjustments might need to be made by some... Some might need to respond to the numerous help wanted signs I see... And we all can definitely reach out and help those in need.