McDonaldLand

I recently ran across an article that quoted a non United States citizen who said, “I really wish we could vote in your election — after all, it affects all of us, you know.”

At first glance this annoys me. The people saying these things are the same people who condemn the United States on a myriad of issues. These are the people who claim to be for state sovereignty but openly state that they wish they could tread on ours.

But after I think about it I more, I take no offense. It is actually a complement.

Over the past decades there has been more an more of an erosion of the United States’ political and economic power on the world stage. While the United States is still strong, we are finding that China, India, the EU, and more are challenging the way we have operated in the past and forcing us to improve just to maintain state. This erosion doesn’t mean that the United States is not formidable by any means – just that we are not as formidable as we once were (at least so the perception lies). The fact that our election is taking center stage in the world arena is a testament to the lingering power of our nation and our innate ability to hold sway over global politics.

This election is just another checkpoint. If we choose correctly we can continue to maintain our strength and potentially build back some of the erosions that the world has won. If we choose poorly we will continue to watch our political and economic power fade.

The world is watching. Go vote.

The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data is out and this is my monthly update to the projected annual inflation.

If you want more explanation of how I arrive at these numbers visit the May 2008 post. For information on why I am including the December 2007 numbers in these calculations see the June 2008 post.

The inflation so far for 2008:

Southeast = [ ( 212.65 - 203.457 ) / 203.457 ] * 100 = 4.518%
National = [ ( 218.783 - 210.036 ) / 210.036 ] * 100 = 4.165%

Average month to month change in 2008:

The August Consumer Price Index (CPI) data is out and this is my monthly update to the projected annual inflation.

If you want more explanation of how I arrive at these numbers visit the May 2008 post. For information on why I am including the December 2007 numbers in these calculations see the June 2008 post.

The inflation so far for 2008:

Southeast = [ ( 212.387 - 203.457 ) / 203.457 ] * 100 = 4.39%
National = [ ( 219.086 - 210.036) / 210.036 ] * 100 = 4.31%

Average month to month change in 2008:

Est. Southeast CPI = 212.387 + ( 4 * 1.116 ) = 216.851
Est. National CPI = 219.086 + ( 4 * 1.127 ) = 223.594

Estimated inflation for 2008:

Southeast = [ ( 216.851 - 203.457 ) / 203.457 ] * 100 = 6.58%
National = [ ( 223.594 - 210.036 ) / 210.036 ] * 100 = 6.46%

Getting better – significantly better than last month even. Still a ways to go back to “normal” though.