It develops that the Jeep's license plate lights don't work, so I'm going to have to fix them tomorrow. Well enow; I didn't get ticketed, but just got a warning. Fair enough.
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There's no inflation! Except containers are getting smaller and/or having less product put into them while the price stays the same. Stores, I notice, are selling six-pack nonreturnable bottles of Pepsi for $2 per six-pack an awful lot these days, since very few people are willing to buy a 6-pack of half-liter bottles for $4.29, which has been the regular price of a 6-pack since they were 24-ounce bottles rather than 16.5 ounces. Sure, reduce the amount of product by 33% while retaining the same price! People won't notice!
*rolleyes*
The price of beef has also risen 30% in the past two years. That's why a pound of 80% lean ground beef that used to cost about $2.50 can not be had today for under $4 most of the time. You can't reduce the amount of meat in a pound of ground beef without breaking laws, so the price must rise. But of course food is not a component of the consumer price index, because it's too "volatile". Well, hell, even if the prices only move in one direction you can still call them "volatile" if they change a lot, and then you can pretend that's a reason to exclude them from your figures.
This sort of adjustering, however, fits neatly with the rest of the statistical fiddleation that the government is doing in order to make itself look less incompetent.
Short form: the economy sucks, we're in a depression, and the government doesn't want anyone to say so because it would upset the status quo.
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Whenever a computer is returned, it's supposed to be wiped clean. No ifs, ands or buts. I would bet money that someone's going to get fired over this, or at least get a final warning (if they happen to like him, that is).
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I have two days off. I intend to enjoy them, even as I repair the Jeep's license plate lights and all. Whee!