Commentary: Anger in the Check Out
By Robert Dean
Today,
I dropped my groceries on the conveyor belt and braced myself, the way you do
before a punch lands. Post-Christmas, everyone's wallets are already running on
fumes, so hitting up the local burger joint for a sack of fries and a grease
bomb with cheese? Not happening. Instead, it’s a pound of turkey, a few packs
of ramen, some eggs, and a bottle of Starbucks cold brew to keep me out of the
coffee shop. Total? Eighty-seven bucks. No premium brands, no indulgences—hell,
even the cheese for wrapping my dog's pills was the bottom-shelf option.
This
is the cost of living in America now. Inflation? Sure. But don’t kid
yourself—this isn’t just bad luck or bad weather. It’s policy. It’s corporate
gluttony. It’s the con that’s been running so long, you’d think we’d wise up.
This
is why Trump won. Not because he’s a savior—he’s not fixing anything—but
because he knows how to sell outrage to people getting squeezed. The Left can’t
seem to read the room. They’re busy pretending working-class folks see
themselves in Megan Thee Stallion or believe in the promises of a party that
ditched them long ago. Meanwhile, the Republicans? They’re masters of the
bait-and-switch: patting your back with one hand, stabbing it with the other,
all while clutching a Bible and grinning like they’ve got your best interest at
heart.
And
people buy it. Hook, line, and sinker.
The
real kicker? Americans don’t want to admit the obvious: companies are robbing
us blind. Eggs aren’t golden now, but the guy selling them sure is. Diesel’s
through the roof, and electric vehicles are still a political punching bag.
Beef? Forget it. Droughts, high feed costs, and cold snaps in places that
aren’t supposed to freeze have cattle farmers calling it quits. Borrowing money
is a nightmare with the Fed hiking interest rates, and our cattle supply is the
lowest since 1951. NerdWallet told me that.
Meanwhile,
Ukraine’s fields, once the breadbasket of Europe, are now war zones. We’re
pouring billions into a proxy war while Americans scrape together change for
dinner. The Military-Industrial Complex gets blank checks, and the rest of us
get bird flu.
Let’s
be clear: shortages started with the pandemic, sure. But when companies saw
they could charge more and we’d pay it, they didn’t stop. Why would they?
Grocery chains like Kroger, Walmart, and even Target are posting record
profits. They’re not shy about it either. During the Albertsons merger trial,
Kroger executives admitted to price-gouging. Bread, eggs, you name it—they're
playing us, and we’re footing the bill.
And
here we are, stuck in the grind. The government doesn’t have a magic wand, but
they sure love to talk like they do. Trump’s not bringing grocery prices down.
He’s already waffling, muttering about supply chains and energy production as
if that hasn’t already hit record highs. Windmills are still his sworn enemy,
by the way. And the Left? Forget it. They’re too busy playing nice with PepsiCo
and the rest of Corporate America to fight for the little guy.
So
we shuffle along, buying crap meals to stretch the week, feeling like the boot
on our necks is there by design. Misery is baked into the system, and hope
feels like a scam. The people who promise change—outsiders, reformers—they’re
just as empty as the pockets they pretend to protect. Campaign trail words blow
away faster than snow in a Chicago wind.
It’s
January, barely two weeks in, and we’ve had two terrorist attacks—New Orleans, and
Las Vegas. The weather’s so off the rails, Godzilla might as well crawl out of
Lake Michigan. And yet, here we are, patiently waiting. Not for salvation, but
for someone, anyone, to finally give a damn.
Or
maybe we just stop waiting.
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