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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText>The link didn’t want to work. Chart shown below.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>spike<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>-----Original Message-----<br>From: spike@rainier66.com <spike@rainier66.com> <br>…<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>>... If you are a poor sick person (not so poor as to be homeless, but <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>>poor<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>enough to not be able to afford health care)... Ben<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>....then you qualify for government subsidized health insurance. I will grant that it isn't great insurance and doesn't cover everything, it would help the sick person in the example. His daughter can still go to college.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>This chart is most enlightening: <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><img width=653 height=541 style='width:6.802in;height:5.6354in' id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01DD6EC8.6647D0C0"><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-WLm!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progress"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-WLm!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progress</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>ive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimag<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>es%2Fab55bc63-c70b-4fdc-abd0-d787fce0216c_1507x1247.jpeg?utm_source=substack<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>&utm_medium=email<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>There was one striking thing I noticed: the price of cars was steady for 20 years, which is equivalent to their coming down in price. Cars got a looooot better between 2000 and 2020, but the price didn't change much. I bought a new car in 1999, so it was very clear. Anyone who goes to Costco already knew of TV prices dropping to where they are a great way to spend a few bucks. The TVs dramatically improved in quality in those 25 yrs.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>If the price tracks inflation, that means the cost isn't changing: the value of the currency is dropping. So food and housing cost isn't changing much over time, hourly wages are increasing slightly faster than inflation. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Now look at everything above those things: medical stuff and college. Ben's example is about affording college or medical bills, both of which are going crazy in cost.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>spike<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>