The Biden Administration has repeatedly tried to downplay the devastating economic impact of inflation. In March, then-White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki insisted inflation was “temporary.” A month later Psaki continued with this fiction, asserting that inflation was “transitory,” despite inflation having worsened.
The administration’s response was callous and showed neither sympathy nor empathy for Americans, who have seen their savings and salaries ravaged by the hidden tax. But what do you expect from an administration, which habitually chooses to lie and gaslight Americans, rather than acknowledge and address its repeated failures?
The administration lies and gaslights about inflation, because the administration is responsible for inflation. In fact, it’s intentional.
During a Democratic Party primary debate in December 2019, Biden admitted that he would sacrifice economic growth—and jobs—to force a transition to green energy. Biden has followed through on that promise and we’re experiencing the consequences today.
In Biden’s America, citizens pay more and get less. A frustrated friend recently complained that the portion sizes from his favorite local Chinese takeout have gotten smaller. A $10 box of fried rice or cashew chicken used to feed his whole family. Now he has to buy two. He’s spending the same amount of money but getting less. That’s called “shrinkflation.”
But this isn’t the restaurant’s fault. They, too, are suffering from inflation—paying more for the ingredients they depend upon to deliver their product. The mom and pop restaurant can either raise its prices and risk a backlash and loss of loyal customers, or it can sell smaller portions at the same pre-Biden, pre-inflation price. These restaurant owners know that raising prices means they’re likely to sell less. Ditto the oil and gas companies.
Inflation is impacting all of us: consumers, producers, and businesses alike. The oil companies, restaurants, and other businesses aren’t the bad guys. Like consumers, they are also the victims and hostages of the insane, harmful policies of an administration hellbent on using the suffering of the American people to force economic transformation. Only the economically illiterate believe this administration’s lies that businesses are “price-gouging” and to blame.
We got here because Joe Biden declared war on the oil and gas industries on his first day in the Oval Office. Energy—derived from oil and gas—is what enables farming and production to move everything to market. When the cost of fuel rises, costs rise for everything else.
While “Putin’s war” has become Biden’s go-to scapegoat for rising energy costs in America, Biden’s war against fossil fuels began long before Vladimir Putin put a Russian toe in Ukraine.
Sure, Putin’s senseless war exacerbated inflation. But Biden predicted it, and rather than increase American energy production and rein in irresponsible government spending, Biden embarked on a wild, irresponsible spending spree, which flooded the economy with dollars, making each dollar worth less than it was yesterday.
Now restaurants are fighting higher prices along every step of the supply chain to get food to your table, according to Chef Andrew Gruel. The Slapfish entrepreneur recently appeared on Fox Business to discuss what he and other restaurateurs are seeing in the Biden economy and what they’re doing about it—and what you can do about it, too.
First, support your local restaurants by going to them. In short, Gruel advises that you partner up with them. Restaurants buy their supplies in massive bulk at lower than retail prices that you can’t access, and many may be willing to sell some of that directly to customers for a little bit over what they’re paying.
So, according to Gruel, you could go to the local steakhouse—not a chain, mind you, but the mom and pop, and make them an offer: buy a beef or other raw food product directly from them, negotiate a small markup so they can still make money, and many of them will be willing to work with you. The restaurant owner makes money and you still save money. It’s a win-win.
Gruel also advises not to use delivery apps to save money. While convenient, Gruel says they take “30 percent from the business and the consumer.” By going to the restaurant directly and placing a takeout order, “everybody’s going to save money.”
Gruel says he’s seeing increased costs everywhere and restaurants have no choice but to either raise their menu prices or shrink portions to save money. This means that until we see a policy change, which necessitates a change in the executive and legislative branches, gut-punching inflation isn’t going away. In fact, it’s here to stay.
While Chef Gruel’s tips can’t stop inflation, they are steps that can help restaurants and patrons weather the storm—and shorten Biden’s reach into your wallet.