XPost: comp.os.linux.advocacy, alt.computer.workshop, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh   
   From: NoBody@nowhere.com   
      
   A growing number of Americans now wish that Trump had died in the close   
   call he had with a bullet and believe life would have been better if his   
   head had been blown off.   
      
      
   Trump drove prices up and jobs down. The worst is yet to come.   
      
   We've only seen a preview of price increases. The full impact hasn't hit   
   store shelves — yet.   
   Michael J. Hicks   
   Indianapolis Star   
   Dec. 1, 2025, 5:30 a.m. ET   
      
   A quieter border due to reverse migration has consequences for the U.S.   
   economy. This story was done in partnership with the Pulitzer Center.   
   Few American families made it through Thanksgiving without noticing the   
   cost of their classic American meal. The return of higher prices will be   
   marked as the single worst unforced error in the annals of American   
   economic policy — and it is only going to worsen.   
   President Trump took office on a pledge to cut prices — an aggressive   
   promise that went far past simply reducing inflation. In his first three   
   months in office, inflation dropped from 3% in January to 2.3% in April.   
   That is a remarkable achievement for the Federal Reserve. It is also one   
   that any politician would want to claim for his own, as Trump did.   
   Butterball Turkey, part of Walmart’s Annual Thanksgiving Meal deal, is seen   
   stocked on Thursday November 20, 2025 in West Milwaukee, Wisconsin.   
   Butterball Turkey, part of Walmart’s Annual Thanksgiving Meal deal, is seen   
   stocked on Thursday November 20, 2025 in West Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Jovanny   
   Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   
   Then came Liberation Day on April 2, and prices reversed course. Over each   
   of the following five months prices rose at an accelerating rate. Today,   
   the Consumer Price Index is at an all-time high, and the year-over-year   
   change in prices is higher than it was when Trump won reelection last year.   
   Flashback to 2024: This Thanksgiving, America is prospering   
   All of this is due to tariffs, and Trump along with his enablers in   
   Congress are solely and completely responsible.   
   Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and   
   more!   
   We only have public data through September, which means we haven’t yet seen   
   the full picture of price increases. But anyone who has done some shopping   
   over the past couple weeks has certainly seen the wave that is coming.   
   TACO bought time, but it's running out   
   A shopper is seen walking down an aisle at a Walmart Supercenter on W.   
   Greenfield Ave. on Thursday November 20, 2025 in West Milwaukee, Wisconsin.   
   A shopper is seen walking down an aisle at a Walmart Supercenter on W.   
   Greenfield Ave. on Thursday November 20, 2025 in West Milwaukee, Wisconsin.   
   Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   
   We’ve thus far been spared the full effect of tariffs for several reasons.   
   First, Trump reacted frequently to stock declines when new tariffs were   
   announced. He delayed or reduced tariffs — earning those decisions the   
   acronym TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out), to describe his policy   
   vacillations.   
   The several hundred changes to tariffs that have occurred since the start   
   of the year permitted many American firms to accelerate purchases of non-   
   tariffed items. Here in Indiana, firms imported nearly five months of   
   additional intermediate products for their assembly lines and stores.   
   Consumers also rushed to buy pre-tariffed goods, buoying consumption. That   
   pre-tariff rush is over and the stockpiles are mostly exhausted. The   
   inevitable higher prices are just now appearing on shelves of grocers, as   
   well as other retailers and online marketplaces.   
   Hicks: Why the economy seems fine, even with recession on the horizon   
   What this means is that all the price increases we’ve seen so far since   
   April are merely the preview of the holiday season and 2026. So, if   
   Thanksgiving dinner included some complaints about higher prices, you   
   should expect a double serving by Christmas and even more pain by Easter.   
   Get the Daily Briefing newsletter in your inbox.   
   Start your day with the morning's top news   
   Delivery: Daily   
   Your Email   
   Americans are aware, which is why Trump’s polls on economic issues are now   
   hovering below those of former presidents Jimmy Carter and Joe Biden. It   
   seems certain to worsen.   
   The job market is deteriorating   
   A “Holiday Shop” sign hangs above aisles at a Walmart Supercenter on W.   
   Greenfield Ave. on Thursday November 20, 2025 in West Milwaukee, Wisconsin.   
   A “Holiday Shop” sign hangs above aisles at a Walmart Supercenter on W.   
   Greenfield Ave. on Thursday November 20, 2025 in West Milwaukee, Wisconsin.   
   Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   
   I wish I could end there, but the economy is also slowing.   
   As with price changes, much of the economic slowdown has been masked by   
   growth in only two places. First, household consumption has remained   
   strong. Part of this is likely due to families buying goods before tariffs   
   hit. But another part is due to the unexpectedly strong growth in stock   
   markets that boosted incomes for older, wealthier Americans.   
   That strong stock market has been driven almost exclusively by just a   
   handful of artificial intelligence firms, whose investment in data centers,   
   power plants and other AI infrastructure accounts for more than half of   
   U.S. growth so far in 2025.   
   This growth has kept job numbers from falling further than we’ve seen.   
   Still, the unemployment rate is now the highest it has been in four years.   
   The AI boom hasn’t prevented employment declines in other key sectors.   
   Hicks: Trump's tariffs weakened the economy, so he's lying about the data   
   Across the goods-producing sectors — manufacturing and mining — employment   
   is down 72,000 jobs since Liberation Day. The sector that provides   
   temporary employment to manufacturing is down 97,000 since April. That   
   level of job loss has only happened during a recession.   
   Help wanted ads for manufacturing workers have plummeted almost 40% since   
   April, and are now closing in on their June 2020 level — at the height of   
   COVID-19. The first nine months of the Trump presidency have seen factory   
   job openings plummet by more than 100,000 positions. That is already   
   stunningly worse than the performance during Biden’s presidency, which saw   
   total factory job openings rise by 48,000.   
   Christmas trees and decorations are displayed at a Walmart Supercenter on   
   W. Greenfield Ave. on Thursday November 20, 2025 in West Milwaukee,   
   Wisconsin.   
   Christmas trees and decorations are displayed at a Walmart Supercenter on   
   W. Greenfield Ave. on Thursday November 20, 2025 in West Milwaukee,   
   Wisconsin. Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   
   It is important to make clear that presidents typically have much more   
   modest effects on the economy than is commonly believed. Inflation is   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)