Inflation Up 4.2 Percent 

   Maybe the president needs to authorize another stimulus or relief plan. (See yesterday's Views.) Inflation is up 4.2 percent since a year ago. How about a New Deal that actually works? 

   We feel the effects at the gas pump, the used car lot, the home improvement store and in the housing market. Blame the pandemic, which led to exorbitant government relief spending, shutdowns, supply chain disruptions and stay-home orders. 

   An economist says, "We have too much money because we've printed it like mad to finance government extravagance." 

   Also in the mix was the Suez Canal blockage, the power blackout in Texas, and the cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline. 

   While normalcy went bye bye last year, sawmills cut staff and production. But homeowners unable to travel chose to renovate their homes, driving lumber prices up 124 percent. Decisions in 2020 by rental car companies resulted in shortages of used cars, and after people started traveling again, prices rose 21 percent.

   The price of food is up 3.8 percent. Would-be workers took advantage of government handouts, resulting in "Help Wanted" signs galore. When companies raise wages to attract employees, the costs pass along to customers. 

   Will the Fed continue to pump money into circulation and drive inflation? The economist said, "Trump spent and borrowed a lot. The sense is Biden is going to do that even worse."  

   A professor predicts that if inflation continues upward, it will be more difficult for Biden to promote other pricey legislation. 

   Government solving economic problems? We're right back in the 1930s - without the depression. 

        Jimmy