The Biden - Harris Era.

[runrussellrun]

The total percentage of unvaccinated may be near that level (30-40%), but the point is that not anywhere near all of those will refuse to get vaccinated. Look at what happened in MS where the Delta variant breakout pushed more into vaccination...

Incentives can work - and keeping your job is a good incentive. When we had a measles outbreak 10-15 years ago at my university, the school required for someone my age to either prove I had experienced the disease (with documentation) or get vaccinated for it. I had the disease, but never saw a doctor in person, so it was either get vaccinated, take a test to prove immunity (then $$$), or lose my job. I got vaccinated...

Pretty simple decision.

Cosmo, what Red said. /\

Great, so you are ready to support covid survivors testing out of the vaxx, to prove immunity? Unless this aspect, you don't agree with.

Anitbody tests only cost a few bucks........why can't Delta take care of those that have already suffered thru covid sickness. Many still not fully recovered.

[MDlaxfan76]

Interesting pro-business, pro-economy positioning opportunity for the Dems.

At least in this regard, that argument has merit.

Removing 30-40% of the potential workforce via corporate vaccine mandates and travel restrictions, doesn't seem entirely "pro business" to me.

Neither does the travel restrictions effecting the supply chain/goods pipeline. And I wonder how the airline industry feels about having 40% fewer potential customers now?

Do the Dems want to get people back to work or make more people dependent upon the government for handouts like unemployment/business subsidies?

Not sure you understand what's actually happening Kram.

For instance, the Delta move got nearly all of their workforce vaccinated, tiny exceptions. Simply got them over the hump.
All working.

I know for a certainty that the cruise lines wanted desperately to be able to require all workers and passengers to be vaccinated, making it far more likely that people would actually pay to go on cruises, and with higher occupancy.

I'm going to a business conference next week, wouldn't go unless all were required to be vaccinated and masked while there. One of the largest sponsors has decided to not send their people because airlines are not yet requiring vaccinations, and people are misbehaving with masks on planes...so they're not doing any corporate air travel yet...but would if there was a vaccine requirement. I've heard from quite a few others that they're also not going for the same reasons.

Not because there are vaccine mandates, but because there aren't sufficient such.

So, yes, getting to high vaccination level and getting Covid way down, hospitalizations way down, will be very pro-business.

I'd agree that it's unusual for the GOP to have boxed themselves into such an anti-economy, anti-business position but here we are.

Umm....the article sayz Delta had a 4% increase in vaxx employees after this $200 mandate. At the time of the story, Delta was at 78% vaccinated. Not a big jump, 4%.

Maybe Delta should figure out their overseas travel rules. Iceland in particular. Plenty of forged vaxx "passports" heading into foreign lands.

Blood test......enough of this emergency trump vaccine. Trump did approve the vaccine. fact. (he can fire people, remember afan

True, though 20% of the remaining unvaccinated immediately got vaccinated. They expect more to roll in, especially as the combination of the $200 per month and frequent testing kicks in. They're anticipating, according to a friend who works there, near total compliance in the next month or so.

[RedFromMI]

Interesting pro-business, pro-economy positioning opportunity for the Dems.

At least in this regard, that argument has merit.

Removing 30-40% of the potential workforce via corporate vaccine mandates and travel restrictions, doesn't seem entirely "pro business" to me.

Neither does the travel restrictions effecting the supply chain/goods pipeline. And I wonder how the airline industry feels about having 40% fewer potential customers now?

Do the Dems want to get people back to work or make more people dependent upon the government for handouts like unemployment/business subsidies?

Not sure you understand what's actually happening Kram.

For instance, the Delta move got nearly all of their workforce vaccinated, tiny exceptions. Simply got them over the hump.
All working.

I know for a certainty that the cruise lines wanted desperately to be able to require all workers and passengers to be vaccinated, making it far more likely that people would actually pay to go on cruises, and with higher occupancy.

I'm going to a business conference next week, wouldn't go unless all were required to be vaccinated and masked while there. One of the largest sponsors has decided to not send their people because airlines are not yet requiring vaccinations, and people are misbehaving with masks on planes...so they're not doing any corporate air travel yet...but would if there was a vaccine requirement. I've heard from quite a few others that they're also not going for the same reasons.

Not because there are vaccine mandates, but because there aren't sufficient such.

So, yes, getting to high vaccination level and getting Covid way down, hospitalizations way down, will be very pro-business.

I'd agree that it's unusual for the GOP to have boxed themselves into such an anti-economy, anti-business position but here we are.

Umm....the article sayz Delta had a 4% increase in vaxx employees after this $200 mandate. At the time of the story, Delta was at 78% vaccinated. Not a big jump, 4%.

Maybe Delta should figure out their overseas travel rules. Iceland in particular. Plenty of forged vaxx "passports" heading into foreign lands.

Blood test......enough of this emergency trump vaccine. Trump did approve the vaccine. fact. (he can fire people, remember afan

Those numbers for Delta represent completion of vaccine series, with still time left to be vaccinated (~3 weeks) before the extra fee kicks in. Not the end of the story.

[MDlaxfan76]

The total percentage of unvaccinated may be near that level (30-40%), but the point is that not anywhere near all of those will refuse to get vaccinated. Look at what happened in MS where the Delta variant breakout pushed more into vaccination...

Incentives can work - and keeping your job is a good incentive. When we had a measles outbreak 10-15 years ago at my university, the school required for someone my age to either prove I had experienced the disease (with documentation) or get vaccinated for it. I had the disease, but never saw a doctor in person, so it was either get vaccinated, take a test to prove immunity (then $$$), or lose my job. I got vaccinated...

Pretty simple decision.

Cosmo, what Red said. /\

Great, so you are ready to support covid survivors testing out of the vaxx, to prove immunity? Unless this aspect, you don't agree with.

Anitbody tests only cost a few bucks........why can't Delta take care of those that have already suffered thru covid sickness. Many still not fully recovered.

They're allowing for medical exceptions. And there may well be good reasons for some to have such an exception, though merely having had alpha last year is unlikely to be sufficient.

[kramerica.inc]

Interesting pro-business, pro-economy positioning opportunity for the Dems.

At least in this regard, that argument has merit.

Removing 30-40% of the potential workforce via corporate vaccine mandates and travel restrictions, doesn't seem entirely "pro business" to me.

Neither does the travel restrictions effecting the supply chain/goods pipeline. And I wonder how the airline industry feels about having 40% fewer potential customers now?

Do the Dems want to get people back to work or make more people dependent upon the government for handouts like unemployment/business subsidies?

Controlling inflation, the Biden way?

30% to 40%? Cosmo speaks much crazy talk. And free pro tip: there's a pandemic that sickening people and killing them.

Inflation? Work in progress:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... inflation/

"Prices rose 5.3 percent in August compared with a year ago, as inflation showed early signs of easing amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that prices rose 0.3 percent in August compared with July.

The August data breaks an eight-month streak of rising or steady inflation — and is a welcome sign for policymakers at the Fed and the White House, who argue that inflation will start to cool down as the economy heals. Their expectation is that as supply chains catch up with consumer demand, prices will land closer to the Fed’s 2 percent annual target for inflation.

But there’s still plenty of uncertainty about whether the shift will stick.

Biden shifts pitch for economic plans as GOP escalates attacks over high prices

For starters, there’s no guarantee that inflation will continue to tick down. Policymakers within the Biden administration and the Fed say they need months of data to understand how the pandemic is affecting inflation, and for how long. Plus, prices for specific categories — such as meat, rent or used cars — won’t necessarily follow the same patterns.

Senior administration officials point to the month-to-month figures as their preferred snapshot of inflation, because that data can surface immediate trends and improvements to supply chains that have been backlogged for months. There were some encouraging hints that prices in hard-hit sectors were cooling down compared to earlier this summer.

For example, over the past year, prices for used cars and trucks have taken up a huge share of inflation, in large part due to chip shortages. Overall, prices for the vehicles are up nearly 32 percent compared with last year. But from July to August, prices for used cars and trucks fell 1.5 percent.

Similarly, prices for hotels and motels fell 3.3 percent from July to August. Airline fares fell 9.1 percent over the same period. Even rent, which some economists feared would keep rising as home values soared, rose only 0.3 percent over the previous month.

The data is likely to bolster Democrats’ arguments that more government spending won’t push inflation even higher. Republicans have chastised the White House and congressional Democrats for trying to pass another sprawling legislative package, saying it will heat up the economy even more. Conservatives also say the Federal Reserve should step in now to combat inflation by raising interest rates and yanking back support for the markets.

But part of Biden’s pitch is that his spending plans target rising prices in the long term. White House officials say that investing in stronger child-care options for families and physical infrastructure repairs, working-class families will see their everyday costs come down.

Many left-leaning economists and government officials say inflation is “transitory,” meaning it doesn’t reflect persistent, widespread price increases that pulse through the whole economy. But that message could be increasingly hard to grasp for millions of households facing steep price tags for groceries, used cars or gas right now.

How the delta variant stole Christmas: Empty shelves, long waits — and yes, higher prices

Plus, economists are closely monitoring people’s perceptions of inflation. If Americans expect the cost of goods and services to stay high, they may be more likely to buy furniture or plane tickets before the cost stings even worse. That cycle of behavior only pushes prices higher, making inflation expectations self-fulfilling.

A survey released Monday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showed that Americans’ inflation expectations are at record highs. One year from now, people expect inflation will be at 5.2 percent, according to the August Survey of Consumer Expectations. The month before, that survey measure was 4.9 percent.

Biden’s vaccine push wins cautious business support as political opponents fume

Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, said the latest inflation figures were a “real victory for team transitory." He added that the cost of shelter — namely rental prices that didn’t escalate — also offered a dose of relief for Fed officials, even as the broader housing industry is still being shaped by the pandemic economy.

“If we are going to observe a broadening of inflation that puts at risk Fed policy and price stability, it’s going to be via the housing market, and that’s just not happening right now," Brusuelas said.

In the backdrop, the Fed is figuring out when to start pulling back on its support for the markets, namely $120 billion a month in bond purchases. That decision depends on when Fed leaders think “substantial further progress” has been made on both inflation and the job market, which is still down more than 5 million jobs compared with before the pandemic.

A growing number of Fed officials, including Chair Jerome H. Powell, think that bar has been met on inflation. Meanwhile, the economy added only 235,000 jobs in August, raising concerns that the labor market is losing its summertime momentum.

Economists and Fed watchers are eager for any updates on when the Fed will start to “taper” its asset purchases. Next week, Fed policymakers will convene for their September meeting and release a new crop of economic projections on inflation, the unemployment rate and more.

Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester told reporters Friday that she expects that inflation will fall closer to the Fed’s 2 percent annual target next year as supply chains clear up and businesses find creative ways to get their products. But much depends on the delta variant, vaccinations and how the recovery continues to take shape, she said.

“Will [inflation] move back down to 2 percent? That’s what I have penciled in for next year,” Mester said. “But I may be changing that when I sit down with the data next week and look really hard what the data are.”

What percentage is unvaccinated? Wasn't it floating around 30-40%?

You're missing that the workers get off their butts and get vaccinated. Very high compliance when the incentives are like Delta's.

But they also have the choice (under the OSHA rules) to be tested frequently. They can opt for that and continue to work. some may take that option.

A tiny few will quit and go work for a small business with no such requirements.

I know what the GOAL or hope is.

But I see the 30-40% much differently. I think they are much more stubborn than you think.

And I don't think its going to inspire as many as hoped. Because 5 covid surges and a vaccine approval hasn't proven a huge motivator yet.

Most importantly, I think you are already looking at a workforce that doesn't want to work. They haven't had to in a year and a half, and have been paid to stay home. Why go back to work now?

Also:
It's going to make life incredibly hard for small businesses sized 100-250 people being compliant and tracking all this. And then there are boosters.
I see HR departments and legal fees. medical and religious exemptions etc. It's gonna be a mess.
I see other issues down the pike like certifying vaccine status via a unique paper card. Are we gonna go digital? Who maintains/pays for this upkeep?
How long does this keep going? And then there are boosters.
You could really keep going to see a TON of likely consequences if these mandates come to fruition, and if you sat and thought about it. Although I'm sure many on the left see these challenges as an opportunity to build more government. I just see it as a major PITA where the juice isnt worth the squeeze. I see all those "tiny few" = very big problems.

[a fan]

Do the Dems want to get people back to work or make more people dependent upon the government for handouts like unemployment/business subsidies?

Oh by all means, cut off Covid subsidies. Let the free market help the good people of Tennessee and Louisiana. I'm sure they'll thrive.

Covid is yet another lever that is throwing TrumpNation into the economic abyss. The rich are vaccinated, and have moved on.

TrumpNation? They're dealing with inflation from all that borrowing Trump did, together with supply chain issues that are global in nature. Add in the explosion in home prices......then imagine what health care premiums will look like when the Federal Covid money dries up.

That's ok. Trump's running in a few years. He'll fix it all, right?

Fellas, you're on the clock with this stuff. The minute that children can get vaccinated? LIberals are going to stop giving a *hit about their fellow Americans, just as you all want. 2 years of your team telling Americans that they're nuts to care if their fellow Americans get Covid and die has been just a pleasure to watch.

Only question is: will Biden follow suit, stop caring, and give up?

[MDlaxfan76]

Interesting pro-business, pro-economy positioning opportunity for the Dems.

At least in this regard, that argument has merit.

Removing 30-40% of the potential workforce via corporate vaccine mandates and travel restrictions, doesn't seem entirely "pro business" to me.

Neither does the travel restrictions effecting the supply chain/goods pipeline. And I wonder how the airline industry feels about having 40% fewer potential customers now?

Do the Dems want to get people back to work or make more people dependent upon the government for handouts like unemployment/business subsidies?

Controlling inflation, the Biden way?

30% to 40%? Cosmo speaks much crazy talk. And free pro tip: there's a pandemic that sickening people and killing them.

Inflation? Work in progress:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... inflation/

"Prices rose 5.3 percent in August compared with a year ago, as inflation showed early signs of easing amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that prices rose 0.3 percent in August compared with July.

The August data breaks an eight-month streak of rising or steady inflation — and is a welcome sign for policymakers at the Fed and the White House, who argue that inflation will start to cool down as the economy heals. Their expectation is that as supply chains catch up with consumer demand, prices will land closer to the Fed’s 2 percent annual target for inflation.

But there’s still plenty of uncertainty about whether the shift will stick.

Biden shifts pitch for economic plans as GOP escalates attacks over high prices

For starters, there’s no guarantee that inflation will continue to tick down. Policymakers within the Biden administration and the Fed say they need months of data to understand how the pandemic is affecting inflation, and for how long. Plus, prices for specific categories — such as meat, rent or used cars — won’t necessarily follow the same patterns.

Senior administration officials point to the month-to-month figures as their preferred snapshot of inflation, because that data can surface immediate trends and improvements to supply chains that have been backlogged for months. There were some encouraging hints that prices in hard-hit sectors were cooling down compared to earlier this summer.

For example, over the past year, prices for used cars and trucks have taken up a huge share of inflation, in large part due to chip shortages. Overall, prices for the vehicles are up nearly 32 percent compared with last year. But from July to August, prices for used cars and trucks fell 1.5 percent.

Similarly, prices for hotels and motels fell 3.3 percent from July to August. Airline fares fell 9.1 percent over the same period. Even rent, which some economists feared would keep rising as home values soared, rose only 0.3 percent over the previous month.

The data is likely to bolster Democrats’ arguments that more government spending won’t push inflation even higher. Republicans have chastised the White House and congressional Democrats for trying to pass another sprawling legislative package, saying it will heat up the economy even more. Conservatives also say the Federal Reserve should step in now to combat inflation by raising interest rates and yanking back support for the markets.

But part of Biden’s pitch is that his spending plans target rising prices in the long term. White House officials say that investing in stronger child-care options for families and physical infrastructure repairs, working-class families will see their everyday costs come down.

Many left-leaning economists and government officials say inflation is “transitory,” meaning it doesn’t reflect persistent, widespread price increases that pulse through the whole economy. But that message could be increasingly hard to grasp for millions of households facing steep price tags for groceries, used cars or gas right now.

How the delta variant stole Christmas: Empty shelves, long waits — and yes, higher prices

Plus, economists are closely monitoring people’s perceptions of inflation. If Americans expect the cost of goods and services to stay high, they may be more likely to buy furniture or plane tickets before the cost stings even worse. That cycle of behavior only pushes prices higher, making inflation expectations self-fulfilling.

A survey released Monday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showed that Americans’ inflation expectations are at record highs. One year from now, people expect inflation will be at 5.2 percent, according to the August Survey of Consumer Expectations. The month before, that survey measure was 4.9 percent.

Biden’s vaccine push wins cautious business support as political opponents fume

Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, said the latest inflation figures were a “real victory for team transitory." He added that the cost of shelter — namely rental prices that didn’t escalate — also offered a dose of relief for Fed officials, even as the broader housing industry is still being shaped by the pandemic economy.

“If we are going to observe a broadening of inflation that puts at risk Fed policy and price stability, it’s going to be via the housing market, and that’s just not happening right now," Brusuelas said.

In the backdrop, the Fed is figuring out when to start pulling back on its support for the markets, namely $120 billion a month in bond purchases. That decision depends on when Fed leaders think “substantial further progress” has been made on both inflation and the job market, which is still down more than 5 million jobs compared with before the pandemic.

A growing number of Fed officials, including Chair Jerome H. Powell, think that bar has been met on inflation. Meanwhile, the economy added only 235,000 jobs in August, raising concerns that the labor market is losing its summertime momentum.

Economists and Fed watchers are eager for any updates on when the Fed will start to “taper” its asset purchases. Next week, Fed policymakers will convene for their September meeting and release a new crop of economic projections on inflation, the unemployment rate and more.

Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester told reporters Friday that she expects that inflation will fall closer to the Fed’s 2 percent annual target next year as supply chains clear up and businesses find creative ways to get their products. But much depends on the delta variant, vaccinations and how the recovery continues to take shape, she said.

“Will [inflation] move back down to 2 percent? That’s what I have penciled in for next year,” Mester said. “But I may be changing that when I sit down with the data next week and look really hard what the data are.”

What percentage is unvaccinated? Wasn't it floating around 30-40%?

You're missing that the workers get off their butts and get vaccinated. Very high compliance when the incentives are like Delta's.

But they also have the choice (under the OSHA rules) to be tested frequently. They can opt for that and continue to work. some may take that option.

A tiny few will quit and go work for a small business with no such requirements.

I know what the GOAL or hope is.

But I see the 30-40% much differently. I think they are much more stubborn than you think.

And I don't think its going to inspire as many as hoped. Because 5 covid surges and a vaccine approval hasn't proven a huge motivator yet.

Most importantly, I think you are already looking at a workforce that doesn't want to work. They haven't had to in a year and a half, and have been paid to stay home. Why go back to work now?

Also:
It's going to make life incredibly hard for small businesses sized 100-250 people being compliant and tracking all this. And then there are boosters.
I see HR departments and legal fees. medical and religious exemptions etc. It's gonna be a mess.
I see other issues down the pike like certifying vaccine status via a unique paper card. Are we gonna go digital? Who maintains/pays for this upkeep?
How long does this keep going? And then there are boosters.
You could really keep going to see a TON of likely consequences if these mandates come to fruition, and if you sat and thought about it. Although I'm sure many on the left see these challenges as an opportunity to build more government. I just see it as a major PITA where the juice isnt worth the squeeze. I see all those "tiny few" = very big problems.

I do think this is a difficult challenge.
You may recall that I was hammering (some would have said yammering) for well over a year about the need to create a digital passport system, first capturing testing, then vaccination status (which is indeed going to be a moving target).

In no way was I arguing for this because I believe in "more" government, I want gov't to solely do what it is uniquely best able to fund, organize and execute upon...sometimes that's merely fund, sometimes it's all aspects.

In this case, I expected we would need such a digital tracking capability both domestically and to operate internationally. Other countries made that determination, but the Trump Admin ignored that need and the Biden Admin appears to have not stepped up either (I hope I'm wrong on the latter as we do need this).

And no, most of those people are currently employed, actually do want to work, and are expected to largely comply given substantial incentives to do so. If I'm not mistaken, we should not expect continuing financial support for those not working because they decided they didn't want to be vaccinated and didn't have a sufficient medical excuse for that decision. Of course, others may simply decide to pay for frequent testing so as to work.

[runrussellrun]

Do the Dems want to get people back to work or make more people dependent upon the government for handouts like unemployment/business subsidies?

Oh by all means, cut off Covid subsidies. Let the free market help the good people of Tennessee and Louisiana. I'm sure they'll thrive.

Covid is yet another lever that is throwing TrumpNation into the economic abyss. The rich are vaccinated, and have moved on.

TrumpNation? They're dealing with inflation from all that borrowing Trump did, together with supply chain issues that are global in nature. Add in the explosion in home prices......then imagine what health care premiums will look like when the Federal Covid money dries up.

That's ok. Trump's running in a few years. He'll fix it all, right?

Fellas, you're on the clock with this stuff. The minute that children can get vaccinated? LIberals are going to stop giving a *hit about their fellow Americans, just as you all want. 2 years of your team telling Americans that they're nuts to care if their fellow Americans get Covid and die has been just a pleasure to watch.

Only question is: will Biden follow suit, stop caring, and give up?

You go after those states, when the $4 trillion CARES act went elsewhere ? To other states.

Oh, by all mean, cut off covid subsidies for all.

narrative headhunters unite.

where is TLD's cnn link about Biden killing fellow Americans with us tax dollar drone killing machines.

A vote for military spending is a vote for guns.

Gun control?

Biden is potusa........shut ALL borders down.

and you bring up Trump. weird.

Why won't Biden close our borders?

[Farfromgeneva]

Interesting pro-business, pro-economy positioning opportunity for the Dems.

At least in this regard, that argument has merit.

Removing 30-40% of the potential workforce via corporate vaccine mandates and travel restrictions, doesn't seem entirely "pro business" to me.

Neither does the travel restrictions effecting the supply chain/goods pipeline. And I wonder how the airline industry feels about having 40% fewer potential customers now?

Do the Dems want to get people back to work or make more people dependent upon the government for handouts like unemployment/business subsidies?

You’re flaw in logic is assuming zero cost to not doing it. There’s professionals who spend their days modeling these Monte Carlo scenarios and I don’t know the opportunity cost but you’re argument puts it at zero and that’s definitely wrong

[Farfromgeneva]

Interesting pro-business, pro-economy positioning opportunity for the Dems.

At least in this regard, that argument has merit.

Removing 30-40% of the potential workforce via corporate vaccine mandates and travel restrictions, doesn't seem entirely "pro business" to me.

Neither does the travel restrictions effecting the supply chain/goods pipeline. And I wonder how the airline industry feels about having 40% fewer potential customers now?

Do the Dems want to get people back to work or make more people dependent upon the government for handouts like unemployment/business subsidies?

Controlling inflation, the Biden way?

30% to 40%? Cosmo speaks much crazy talk. And free pro tip: there's a pandemic that sickening people and killing them.

Inflation? Work in progress:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... inflation/

"Prices rose 5.3 percent in August compared with a year ago, as inflation showed early signs of easing amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that prices rose 0.3 percent in August compared with July.

The August data breaks an eight-month streak of rising or steady inflation — and is a welcome sign for policymakers at the Fed and the White House, who argue that inflation will start to cool down as the economy heals. Their expectation is that as supply chains catch up with consumer demand, prices will land closer to the Fed’s 2 percent annual target for inflation.

But there’s still plenty of uncertainty about whether the shift will stick.

Biden shifts pitch for economic plans as GOP escalates attacks over high prices

For starters, there’s no guarantee that inflation will continue to tick down. Policymakers within the Biden administration and the Fed say they need months of data to understand how the pandemic is affecting inflation, and for how long. Plus, prices for specific categories — such as meat, rent or used cars — won’t necessarily follow the same patterns.

Senior administration officials point to the month-to-month figures as their preferred snapshot of inflation, because that data can surface immediate trends and improvements to supply chains that have been backlogged for months. There were some encouraging hints that prices in hard-hit sectors were cooling down compared to earlier this summer.

For example, over the past year, prices for used cars and trucks have taken up a huge share of inflation, in large part due to chip shortages. Overall, prices for the vehicles are up nearly 32 percent compared with last year. But from July to August, prices for used cars and trucks fell 1.5 percent.

Similarly, prices for hotels and motels fell 3.3 percent from July to August. Airline fares fell 9.1 percent over the same period. Even rent, which some economists feared would keep rising as home values soared, rose only 0.3 percent over the previous month.

The data is likely to bolster Democrats’ arguments that more government spending won’t push inflation even higher. Republicans have chastised the White House and congressional Democrats for trying to pass another sprawling legislative package, saying it will heat up the economy even more. Conservatives also say the Federal Reserve should step in now to combat inflation by raising interest rates and yanking back support for the markets.

But part of Biden’s pitch is that his spending plans target rising prices in the long term. White House officials say that investing in stronger child-care options for families and physical infrastructure repairs, working-class families will see their everyday costs come down.

Many left-leaning economists and government officials say inflation is “transitory,” meaning it doesn’t reflect persistent, widespread price increases that pulse through the whole economy. But that message could be increasingly hard to grasp for millions of households facing steep price tags for groceries, used cars or gas right now.

How the delta variant stole Christmas: Empty shelves, long waits — and yes, higher prices

Plus, economists are closely monitoring people’s perceptions of inflation. If Americans expect the cost of goods and services to stay high, they may be more likely to buy furniture or plane tickets before the cost stings even worse. That cycle of behavior only pushes prices higher, making inflation expectations self-fulfilling.

A survey released Monday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showed that Americans’ inflation expectations are at record highs. One year from now, people expect inflation will be at 5.2 percent, according to the August Survey of Consumer Expectations. The month before, that survey measure was 4.9 percent.

Biden’s vaccine push wins cautious business support as political opponents fume

Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, said the latest inflation figures were a “real victory for team transitory." He added that the cost of shelter — namely rental prices that didn’t escalate — also offered a dose of relief for Fed officials, even as the broader housing industry is still being shaped by the pandemic economy.

“If we are going to observe a broadening of inflation that puts at risk Fed policy and price stability, it’s going to be via the housing market, and that’s just not happening right now," Brusuelas said.

In the backdrop, the Fed is figuring out when to start pulling back on its support for the markets, namely $120 billion a month in bond purchases. That decision depends on when Fed leaders think “substantial further progress” has been made on both inflation and the job market, which is still down more than 5 million jobs compared with before the pandemic.

A growing number of Fed officials, including Chair Jerome H. Powell, think that bar has been met on inflation. Meanwhile, the economy added only 235,000 jobs in August, raising concerns that the labor market is losing its summertime momentum.

Economists and Fed watchers are eager for any updates on when the Fed will start to “taper” its asset purchases. Next week, Fed policymakers will convene for their September meeting and release a new crop of economic projections on inflation, the unemployment rate and more.

Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester told reporters Friday that she expects that inflation will fall closer to the Fed’s 2 percent annual target next year as supply chains clear up and businesses find creative ways to get their products. But much depends on the delta variant, vaccinations and how the recovery continues to take shape, she said.

“Will [inflation] move back down to 2 percent? That’s what I have penciled in for next year,” Mester said. “But I may be changing that when I sit down with the data next week and look really hard what the data are.”

This is what I keep telling folks here:

Inflation isn’t monolithic but rather a basket of component pieces that move in different directions. Oil, for example, is way way cheaper and deflated for basically the last 40yrs. Housing, healthcare and higher ed is what had been driving most inflation the last 15yrs.

The spike in inflation everyone who paid attention and could do kiddie math understood to be transitory and is measured Year over Year as relative from a total deflationary environment (and recessionary) for a few quarters last year. Even YOY next summer is going to be noisy w/o a major impact from a delta variant.

Everyone discussing these week to week or even month to month is missing the point completely or doesn’t care about honest dialogue. (On both sides)

[Farfromgeneva]

Interesting pro-business, pro-economy positioning opportunity for the Dems.

At least in this regard, that argument has merit.

Removing 30-40% of the potential workforce via corporate vaccine mandates and travel restrictions, doesn't seem entirely "pro business" to me.

Neither does the travel restrictions effecting the supply chain/goods pipeline. And I wonder how the airline industry feels about having 40% fewer potential customers now?

Do the Dems want to get people back to work or make more people dependent upon the government for handouts like unemployment/business subsidies?

Won't be anywhere near 30-40%, as not that many will in the end hold out. (Look at the percentage of vaccinated adults - already in the 60-70% range nationwide). Also, if you work for a place with fewer than 100 workers, the OSHA rules do not apply.

And finally, for the "corporate" vaccine mandates - if testing is an option, than that will be taken instead. But when Delta Airlines told its unvaccinated employees they would be charged $200 extra per month for their health insurance compliance skyrocketed...

It’s a measurement of what they think their principles are worth...

[kramerica.inc]

Interesting pro-business, pro-economy positioning opportunity for the Dems.

At least in this regard, that argument has merit.

Removing 30-40% of the potential workforce via corporate vaccine mandates and travel restrictions, doesn't seem entirely "pro business" to me.

Neither does the travel restrictions effecting the supply chain/goods pipeline. And I wonder how the airline industry feels about having 40% fewer potential customers now?

Do the Dems want to get people back to work or make more people dependent upon the government for handouts like unemployment/business subsidies?

You’re flaw in logic is assuming zero cost to not doing it. There’s professionals who spend their days modeling these Monte Carlo scenarios and I don’t know the opportunity cost but you’re argument puts it at zero and that’s definitely wrong

I was actually assuming the modeling hasn't happened. Because If you look how the administration handled handled logistics in Afghanistan, it's clear they didn't model, consult, plan, or think anything through. Even a little bit. The discussions here on the forums between RRR and brookie were much more thorough and thought out.



I know there's cost at not doing it. Again, my point is the juice (investment) isn't worth the squeeze due to all the seeds you'll likely have to strain from your drink. Good in theory, but no ease in practice. Unless their goal is to just do something, anything, and see what happens. And if you grow government in the process, to their way of thinking, it's not an entire loss.

[dislaxxic]

Would love to hear what your "something" is Kram...how, exactly would YOU stop this pandemic?? You have a ton of thoughts about how BAD J'Biden is at it, give us your plan...

..

[Farfromgeneva]

Interesting pro-business, pro-economy positioning opportunity for the Dems.

At least in this regard, that argument has merit.

Removing 30-40% of the potential workforce via corporate vaccine mandates and travel restrictions, doesn't seem entirely "pro business" to me.

Neither does the travel restrictions effecting the supply chain/goods pipeline. And I wonder how the airline industry feels about having 40% fewer potential customers now?

Do the Dems want to get people back to work or make more people dependent upon the government for handouts like unemployment/business subsidies?

You’re flaw in logic is assuming zero cost to not doing it. There’s professionals who spend their days modeling these Monte Carlo scenarios and I don’t know the opportunity cost but you’re argument puts it at zero and that’s definitely wrong

I was actually assuming the modeling hasn't happened. Because If you look how the administration handled handled logistics in Afghanistan, it's clear they didn't model, consult, plan, or think anything through. Even a little bit. The discussions here on the forums between RRR and brookie were much more thorough and thought out.



I know there's cost at not doing it. Again, my point is the juice (investment) isn't worth the squeeze due to all the seeds you'll likely have to strain from your drink. Good in theory, but no ease in practice. Unless their goal is to just do something, anything, and see what happens. And if you grow government in the process, to their way of thinking, it's not an entire loss.

I don’t assume they do or don’t do based on a separate experience. Maybe if there’s a pattern but not such a idiosyncratic situation that was the 20yr quagmire known as the war in Afghanistan.

How about the folks at Delta, Fortune 1000 companies and their advisors like McKinsey? The latter gets its rocks off charging millions to do some model and then wrap it around a 100pg report where the first two pages are the only ones that matter (abstract and/or exec summary) with the rest thrown in a desk drawer only to be pulled out for class action lawsuits or bore level items of concern.

[a fan]

I know there's cost at not doing it. Again, my point is the juice (investment) isn't worth the squeeze due to all the seeds you'll likely have to strain from your drink. Good in theory, but no ease in practice. Unless their goal is to just do something, anything, and see what happens. And if you grow government in the process, to their way of thinking, it's not an entire loss.

You're right, of course. Biden should focus on the vaccine for kids, shut down Federal funding for Covid, and move on. This pandemic is over, whether we know it or not. You're not going to get the other 50% of Tennesseean to vaccinate. So let them be.

These Americans have lost their way, and aren't coming home. I felt the same way about the anti-vaxxers in Boulder, who showed up, of course, when the internet took hold-----pumping them full of stupid. You can't fix this.

The sad thing is, If Reagan was in charge, and it was 1985? Not only would he have forced every last Federal Employee to get the vaccine, and cut off Federal funding to any outside entity who refused his order------ every conservative in America would be fully vaccinated, and this whole mess would be in our rear view mirror. Only the uber far left, who doesn't trust "the man" would decline.

And these Reagan conservatives would be the ones mocking the libs that were dumb enough to not take the vaccine (assuming they didn't have a medical reason for not taking it), instead of the other way around.

Down is up. Up is down. 2021 in a nutshell.

[a fan]

Would love to hear what your "something" is Kram...how, exactly would YOU stop this pandemic?? You have a ton of thoughts about how BAD J'Biden is at it, give us your plan...

..

Read between the lines, Dis. They've given up. And they think we're nuts to care that people are dying needlessly.

We should give up, too. The minute my daughter is vaccinated? I"ll give up, too.

Take Bush's advice after a crisis: go shopping for your family, my man.

[dislaxxic]

Wish i could come shopping at YOUR place, AF. Still moving up my bucket list...

..

[Farfromgeneva]

I know there's cost at not doing it. Again, my point is the juice (investment) isn't worth the squeeze due to all the seeds you'll likely have to strain from your drink. Good in theory, but no ease in practice. Unless their goal is to just do something, anything, and see what happens. And if you grow government in the process, to their way of thinking, it's not an entire loss.

You're right, of course. Biden should focus on the vaccine for kids, shut down Federal funding for Covid, and move on. This pandemic is over, whether we know it or not. You're not going to get the other 50% of Tennesseean to vaccinate. So let them be.

These Americans have lost their way, and aren't coming home. I felt the same way about the anti-vaxxers in Boulder, who showed up, of course, when the internet took hold-----pumping them full of stupid. You can't fix this.

The sad thing is, If Reagan was in charge, and it was 1985? Not only would he have forced every last Federal Employee to get the vaccine, and cut off Federal funding to any outside entity who refused his order------ every conservative in America would be fully vaccinated, and this whole mess would be in our rear view mirror. Only the uber far left, who doesn't trust "the man" would decline.

And these Reagan conservatives would be the ones mocking the libs that were dumb enough to not take the vaccine (assuming they didn't have a medical reason for not taking it), instead of the other way around.

Down is up. Up is down. 2021 in a nutshell.

And I’m a rino...

[kramerica.inc]

Would love to hear what your "something" is Kram...how, exactly would YOU stop this pandemic?? You have a ton of thoughts about how BAD J'Biden is at it, give us your plan...

..

Read between the lines, Dis. They've given up. And they think we're nuts to care that people are dying needlessly.

We should give up, too. The minute my daughter is vaccinated? I"ll give up, too.

Take Bush's advice after a crisis: go shopping for your family, my man.

People are dying needlessly- but it's a conscious decision. Let them. More vaccines and boosters for me and mine.
IMO, the Government SHOULD give up. You can lead a horse to water, etc.
The consequences are on the unvaccinated. The people who ARE vaccinated can carry on a more normal life with less fear and have a less of a chance of dying or being seriously hospitalized. Those who aren't vaccinated can take their chances and use my respirator if they need it. We've flattened the curve. There will be spikes. But it's time to move on.

[Farfromgeneva]

Wish i could come shopping at YOUR place, AF. Still moving up my bucket list...

..

Start buy acquiring liquor in glass bottles instead of plastic and go from there...