Bernie Moreno, the Republican nominee in the Ohio U.S. Senate race, used Wednesday’s inflation report to call out his opponent, incumbent U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and President Joe Biden for their economic policies that are “crushing Ohio workers.”
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Beginning April 1, the minimum wage for employees working in California’s fast food chains and health care industries will rise to $20 per hour and, in some cases, up to $23 per hour. Many employers managing independent restaurants, retail, and other industries will have to match the higher hourly rate to retain employees. And for hourly employees whose wages are indexed to the minimum wage, mostly in California’s unionized public sector, wages will rise proportionately.
There is no national consensus on the impact of minimum-wage laws. It is part of a much larger debate over what constitutes an optimal economic environment to enable, quoting from Franklin Delano Roosevelt, “economic security and independence.”
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The metro Atlanta area has some of the highest inflation rates of any city in the country.
WalletHub, a personal finance website, compared 23 major Metropolitan Statistical Areas using two key Consumer Price Index-related metrics.
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A new State Policy Network poll finds that 8% of all voters surveyed have moved to a new state in the past two years, with cost of living and job opportunities topping their list of reasons.
In addition, more than one-third (34%) of the 2,014 voters polled over a four-day period said they have at least considered relocating with roughly one in every three pointing to ost of living (36%), job opportunities (31%) and being closer to friends and family (30%) as fueling their decisions.
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A new survey suggests the price residents pay to live in Pennsylvania tempts younger generations to move.
Results from the Commonwealth Foundation poll conducted last month show more than half of respondents between the ages of 18 and 44 have considered moving to another state – or know someone who wants to do the same.
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Nearly half of Californians are considering leaving the state, according to a June California Community poll.
The top cited reasons residents had for wanting to leave the state included the cost of living and political disagreement, according to the poll results. The poll was conducted between June 6 and June 16 and is an “ongoing partnership between Strategies 360 the Los Angeles Times,” the website reads.
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With only days left until the midterm elections, the advertising blitz from the political spin doctors has reached a fever pitch and the sound bites we’re hearing aren’t very sound, especially the ones from the White House on the economy. But heated rhetoric is hardly a replacement for facts and figures so, to borrow a phrase from the show Dragnet, let’s discuss “just the facts, ma’am.”
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New data shows that inflation continues to rise for consumers across the country, and in response, Arizona’s gubernatorial Republican nominee Kari Lake slammed her Democrat opponent Katie Hobbs for not supporting more tax cuts in the state.
“Today’s skyrocketing inflation data is another tragic reminder of the damage Democrats like Katie Hobbs and Joe Biden have done to Arizona’s economy. Arizona families can’t keep up with the soaring costs. I have a plan to provide some immediate relief by eliminating taxes on groceries and rent, which Katie Hobbs obviously opposes because she’d rather tax you than help you. It’s unfathomable that Katie Hobbs wants Arizonans to pay tax on top of these already crushing prices, but not surprising coming from the party of Joe Biden,” Lake said in a statement emailed to the Arizona Sun Times.
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The desperate attempts by the White House, congressional Democrats, and the corporate media to refocus voter attention on abortion rather than inflation are failing. Most reputable polls show that the electorate is far more concerned about mismanagement of the economy by President Biden and his collaborators in Congress than about threats to reproductive rights posed by “MAGA Republicans.” Contrary to Democratic hopes, November won’t be about abortion vs. inflation. The midterms will be a referendum on Biden’s performance, particularly as it affects inflation.
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Newly released polling data shows that the majority of Americans report they are falling behind the cost of living.
NBC News released the poll, which found that 58% of Americans disapprove of President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy.
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One Ohio city ranks in the top five of best places to retire in the nation, and four others rank among the best of the nation’s largest cities, according to a new report from WalletHub, a personal finance website.
Cincinnati ranked third – behind only Charleston, South Carolina and Orlando – in the report that compared the retiree-friendliness of more than 180 cities using 46 metrics, such as cost of living to retired taxpayers to the state’s health infrastructure.
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A pro-economic freedom group targeting the Hispanic community is sounding the alarm on the harm of inflation.
According to a report from Republicans on the Joint Economic Committee, the cost of inflation in Georgia exceeds the national average, costing families 12.1% more to live. Households in Georgia are paying $598 more per month and $7,175 more per year.
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Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.-06) is concerned that Arizona is undergoing the highest level of inflation within the continental states (urban Alaska is the only part of the country with a higher level). To combat the problem, he co-sponsored H.R. 8579, the Retirement Protection Act, with Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.-19).
In a statement, Schweikert said, “This bill would play a critical role in fighting inflation while helping Americans protect their savings.” He told The Arizona Sun Times, “It improves people’s retirement future so they stay even and don’t become a victim of inflation.”
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As part of the state’s 2022-2023 budget, Tennesseans can expect that the state’s tax on food and “food related items” will not apply during the month of August.
“As Americans see their cost-of-living skyrocket amid historic inflation, suspending the grocery tax is the most effective way to provide direct relief to every Tennessean,” said Gov. Bill Lee said upon signing the budget bill. “Our state has the ability to put dollars back in the pockets of hardworking Tennesseans, and I thank members of the General Assembly for their continued partnership in maintaining our fiscally conservative approach.”
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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called Ohio State University’s decision to raise tuition unwise as inflation continues to rise around the country.
OSU’s board voted earlier this week to impose a 4.6% increase for incoming in-state freshmen and to guarantee that rate for the next four years. It amounts to a $549 annual jump from the current tuition rate.
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The majority of Americans feel they cannot keep up with the cost of living as inflation and the price of goods continue to rise, according to new polling data.
A poll from NBC News asked Americans, “Do you think that your family’s income is … going up faster than the cost of living, staying about even with the cost of living, or falling behind the cost of living?”
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The majority of Americans feel they are “falling behind” as the cost of living continues to rise, according to newly released polling.
The poll from NBC News asked, “Do you think that your family’s income is … going up faster than the cost of living, staying about even with the cost of living, or falling behind the cost of living?”
In response, 62% of those polled said “falling behind” while only 6% said their income is “going up faster” than the cost of living.
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Online prices soared to record highs in November, according to Adobe Analytics.
Prices online surged 3.5% on a year-over-year basis as of November, the biggest increase since 2014, when Adobe started tracking the cost of goods on the internet and the 18th consecutive year of online inflation, according to the Adobe Digital Price Index (DPI). Prices on a month-to-month basis dropped 2% due to holiday discounts, according to Adobe.
“Census Bureau data shows that the e-commerce share of non-fuel retail spending has tripled over the last decade as more expenditures like groceries and home improvement move online,” Marshall Reinsdorf, former senior economist at International Monetary Fund, said in the report.
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U.S. News & World Report issued its list this week of the annual best places to live, and Phoenix came in at No. 40 of the 150 most populous metro areas. The city jumped up 13 places from last year. The report emphasized Phoenix’s relatively low cost of living, warm weather, and thriving job market. The rankings are based on quality of life, job market, value of living, and desire of people to live there.
Phoenix may have scored well this year due to a stable economy. Devon Thorsby, real estate editor at U.S. News, said in a news release, “It shouldn’t be a surprise that many metro areas that saw unemployment levels skyrocket in 2020 fell in the rankings, but those with greater employment stability tended to fare well.”
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President Joe Biden’s new $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal includes a surprising provision: raising the federal minimum wage to $15.
The fight for a higher minimum wage is not new, although it has been intensified by current events. The idea, more specifically, is to provide a “living wage.” Proponents argue that, currently, minimum wage workers cannot afford basic living expenses. But even if one assumes for the sake of argument that this is true and sets aside the fact that small businesses are already on the brink of collapse, it’s impossible to determine one suitable “living wage” for all parts of a vast and diverse country like the United States.
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Metro Nashville’s rank and file workers may receive a cost-of-living raise that the city has long promised but failed to deliver after a contentious budget process last year. Nashville Mayor David Briley on Monday announced a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 3 percent for all Metro employees in FY 2020, starting with the new budget on July 1. “After a year when we had to put out a tight budget – which was a disappointment to me – I am proud to say that we can now give Metro employees the cost-of-living adjustment they deserve,” Briley said. “I would like all the men and women who work for our city to know that I deeply appreciate everything they do for residents throughout Nashville and Davidson County.” Briley said he will recommend funding step and open-range increases in the budget he will submit to Metro Council by May 1. If the rank and file employees do receive the COLA, they will be playing catch-up with Briley’s inner circle. The Tennessee Star reported last September that Briley gave merit raises to 20 members of his own staff. Two of the mayor’s staff received 6 percent increases. Briley said in his press release that…
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Nashville Acting Mayor David Briley has resurrected failed plans for a flood wall in downtown, wanting to spend $125 million the city does not have. The latest big ticket item on Briley’s wish list comes days before the special mayoral election on Thursday. Former mayors Megan Barry and Karl Dean failed to get the project approved, The Tennessean said. That is because some City Council members wanted to focus on mitigation efforts in residential areas following the 2010 flood. Metro Water Services Director Scott Potter is trying to sell the flood wall by calling downtown another residential area, the newspaper said. The original flood wall price tag in 2015 was $110 million. Briley has added the wall to the city’s proposed capital improvements budget, which the council will look at next month. The City Council is not exactly rolling in cash — it is considering a proposal to raise property taxes by 50 cents as The Tennessee Star reported earlier this week. News4 I-Team recently ran a story saying former Mayor Dean used $7.4 million in HUD disaster relief money to pay for design and engineering work for riverfront development, including Ascend Ampitheater. You can read more about that report on…
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