Since “cost of living” increases lead to a higher cost of living, why do it?
It would seem that way, wouldn’t it. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to figure out if the horse is pulling the cart or pushing it. In other words, when the cost of living goes up, for what ever reasons (new technology, higher demand, diminishing resources, increased government regulations on manufactured goods, whatever) I kind of like to at least like to think that I’m staying even with my wages – and if my “increase” makes the cost of living go up even more – then I’ll feel the same come next year. We all will. Kind of a vicious circle we’ve gotten ourselves into, eh? It’s the reason a new Ford once cost $295 and today you can hardly get your old one tuned up for that amount. And there’s there the oil and gas prices – I doubt those are a result of cost of living raises – unless you consider 135 million dollar salary a reasonable amount, not counting bonuses and other perks of course. More important is the actual, real value of the dollar – when that drops, prices automatically go up when
