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Utah hit with 9% increase at stores

What's happening to our food supply that we've had such a drastic increase? Is it all related to the increase in energy costs? If so, then people should think twice before electing a president who refuses to consider off shore drilling. We can all cut back on our driving habits, but it's not so easy to do with food.

This goes to show how ridiculous the government's "inflation" estimate is...They are not in the business of reporting the unvarnished truth when it doesn't work for them, and it certainly doesn't here. Employers can talk all day long about how inflation isn't so bad and they don't need to increase wages, but the bottom line is that what a worker made in January won't buy nearly as much as it will now. Ergo, the employers need to raise wages, but then that will further increase the cost of goods. The economy is fast spiraling out of control.

What we should worry about is having and electing presidents who are oil men who could care less about the damage to the planet. Bush fixed this country and made the mess. We do not want four more years of this disaster.

I can't understand this COL (cost of living) program they set up. It's not a very realistic choice of products to track. What would make more sense is if this was compared to income and how much it has declined in Utah. If you add declining income (hourly wages) with cost of products the impact would be much greater than reported. Add a 10% cut in wages and you get a 19% increase in the COL in Utah. These reports are so inaccurate and deceiving they can't be relied on. And who can afford movies and pizza's anymore? Especially families with children. Can't even afford to rent a movie let alone go to the mall and pay $60-$70 a pop after you add in all the overpriced goodies. Then who buys jeans every month? Mine last me several years. Monthly COL's should only be items of necessity and not yearly purchases.

Sure, food prices are increasing because the cost to get the food into the store increased (ie, rising gas costs) but I suspect that most of what is driving food prices up is greed.

Unfortunately, I fear that what Big Oil has done to gas prices ("Hey! We can raise gas prices over 300% in 7 years and blame it on supply and demand!") will be echoed by a vast amount of businesses.

Making a profit is fine but taking advantage of one another is not, no matter what you're selling.

There's no problem here people. Just keep having all those kids, driving all those SUV's and vans. Elect another Republican administration that doesn't have the word "conservation" in it's vocabulary, with ties to big oil, and who's policies are dictated by big business. Even though offshore drilling will do nothing to solve the real problems, let's do it anyway just to feel better about things. Don't worry about overpopulation, pollution, destroying the environment. Let's just keep doing what we're doing, and everything will be fine. Just like one of those catastrophe movies where some patriots come through at the last second and save us all. Yeah, that's the ticket, that's what's going to happen. So just go out and buy something and you'll feel much better about things.

It's mostly related to transportation costs, but blaming a guy who isn't yet president isn't the answer. The entire economy is in trouble. If you want lower food prices, the entire economy needs to be addressed, energy is just one piece of the puzzle.

Time to truly access what foods we are purchasing which have the most nutrition. The higher the nutrition in the foods the less food we need to purchase. Learn Cost to Value....Health goes up, medical and dental costs down.

Go ahead, Blame Obama Now!!!! Why wait for the election and his presidency? I am sure the conservative Republicans who've been in control of the free market for the last eight years bear no responsibility in your red eyes. I bet you voted for Bush, Hatch, and Bennett. You get what you deserve. I didn't vote for your dependent-on-oil and deregulation cronies, you did.

I think we can cut back on our food intake.

Direct energy costs have increased, but in addition, a lot of grain production has been diverted to create ethanol. Thank your congress-critters for that one.

This is what the country gets when it elects a Democrat congress that does not want to drill.

You people make me laugh. Don't vote for a president that won't drill? Just who in the name of you know what got us where we are today? And don't say the Dem legislators, because they just got a majority about 1 1/2 years ago. Put the blame where it belongs. The controlling party and their president has caused this train wreck, and now people like you want to scare us into believing that a change in administration will be catastrophic to all of us. Get a grip--get the oil mongrels out of office and maybe we will see a different direction for our wonderful country. Just look everyone what the last 8 years has brought us. Now do you want more of the same? How stupid do you think the voters are? This nation will not vote the same as Utah for sure this time.

Anna - obviously you've never fed a teenage boy. Mine has grown 3 inches in the last year - not to mention he's filled out. Better fiber and vitamin content isn't enough - that's a lot of calories.

Re Anonymouse wrote: "And don't say the Dem legislators, because they just got a majority about 1 1/2 years ago."

We can blame whomever I want. Bush was elected way longer than a year and a half ago but the cost of energy and food has only drastically risen since the Democrats took over.

A president isn't anywhere near as directly responsible for stuff like this as is a congress. Any you people can keep blaming Bush all you want ... he isn't running for reelection. The Democrats who have failed miserably ARE running for reelection.

Remember the headline from just a month ago ... "Congressional Approval Falls to Single Digits for First Time Ever". That rating was much higher when Republicans were in charge.

Forget about Gold's Gym memberships, or any other expensive type of diets. This is the best time to start a diet!!!maybe thanks to this situation that we are in, people will start looking in better shape.
P.S wake up america, neither republicas or democrats have the answers for this force diet program that we are in!

There is blame enough to go around to all of us. Yes, including you and me. The price of everything is impacted heavily by oil and this is at the heart of our current jump in all other prices. Our American need to drive larger and more powerful vehicles is a prime example of how Americans have done this to themselves.

However, the blame does not stop there. Many of our current problems were brought on by the mortgage financing collapse in this country. This collapse was caused by the greed of the financing companies but also by the arrogance of the consumers who have to have homes so large when they can barely afford to pay for them. The people put forward the demand and the banking institutions found a way to meet those demands.

So when you want to place blame remember the old adage that when you point fingers at someone else three others are pointing back at you. We do this to ourselves and then look for a scapegoat.

My family used to vote for Republicans, until they stopped being conservative in spending and began to peddle religion without being Christlike. I guess the words "greed & selfishness" would apply on both counts. Charity may never fail, except with the GOP. Then we began to support the Dems, hoping for change. Unfortunately, they're impotent at best, and bought and paid for at worst. Now we're voting 3rd party. Nader for us, and before you label him, maybe you should read what he has to say. It's not wasting your vote to vote you conscience, whoever that may be. If everyone did, we'd finally get the leadership that we want, instead of the leaders we deserve. Turn off Fox News and start reading a variety of news sources, including those outside our country. "O Zion ... lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid"

Here is the truth. The government has lied about the real rate of inflation, so that COLAs can be held down and big business goes along with this because they use it to justify lower wage increases (many businesses, especially govt contractors, use the govt numbers to base pay increases off of). They lie to us to keep us "thinking" that things are fine, hopefully we will keep spending and keep corporate profits up.

Energy. Bush is an oilman. Oil businesses are enjoying record profits. No if ands or buts, they are reaping windfall profits. They have no incentive to ask for regulation of speculative futures markets. They have no incentive to see new fields open up because the current supply situation is beneficial to their profit structure (keep supply tight, prices stay up). The oil production and refining markets are oligopolies, they set supply and price is set by that. There is no "free competition" as many of you republicans like to talk about. Alternative energy sources, nuclear, solar, wind, and ultimately HYDROGEN are truly the answer. The current market is broken beyond repair and a new set of companies with alternative energy need to come into being.

This coming year when the only 2 University's(as most see it) hold their commencement awards wouldn't it be nice too see Cheney switch and go to the "U" and Bush-Wacker speak at the "Y"? That way Utahns could get up close and and personal with their holy Icons(of the petroleum industry).