Originally Posted by
kwri10s
Ok, I was just being polite. You still don't understand or you are just not trying. CPI of course is not for an individual. As I said it is regional at best. No one said the cost of items would double or triple or multiply by the number of times you make over the average. But regardless of how much you make the CPI gives a "rough" idea of how much inflation has impacted "your standard of living". If the CEO makes 100,000,000 then yes he/she will need to spend 17M more for the same standard of living they had previously. The Yachts cost more, the expense to have your private jet fly you around costs more, the taxes on your Estate at the Vineyard goes up. Everything cost roughly 17% more than it did previously. Can you personally offset some aspects of inflation. Of course, you refinanced your house. Your interest expense is now less. However, your taxes are more, your insurance costs more, the repairs cost more, etc. It is roughly 17% for the "most" people. You might be less or you might be more, but as a group the cost is 17%. TC is not being disingenuous. He's using the Gov't numbers. Not YOUR personal number. If your expenses did not go up by 17% over the last three years then that's great for you. Mine is much more, so it sucks to be me. But to say because you make more means your costs don't go up is stupid. The percentage of how much you spend on certain items might be less than someone earning the average national wage, but it total whatever you bought in 2020 now costs 17% more in 2023. That's what CPI means. The average price you paid for whatever in 2020 now cost 17% more in 2023. To keep pace with that inflation your earnings must also increase by 17%.
Actually, it's you that doesn't seem to understand. That 17% CPI increase you love to reference is for the average American consumer. Just because you make 5x the average doesn't mean your basket of goods is 5x more expensive. Do you pay $15 for a pound of butter? Does Tim Cook pay $15k for that same pound? No. You may take nicer vacations and only eat Wagyu beef but that ISN'T what CPI is measuring.
Wireless telephone service (not hardware) is one part of the basket of goods and services. It accounts for 1.445% of the average consumers monthly expenses...about $1000 a year for someone making $70k. Are you really spending $5000+ a year on you cell phone plan? Did it go up $70 a month in the past two years? Doubtful. Which is why CPI doesn't correlate well to people in the top 10% of wage earners.
Do I want a nice big raise? Sure. But people misrepresenting a $50k raise as not even a COLA don't understand inflation. That $50k raise would be > a 70% increase for the "average" American. Are you going to argue they are barely keeping up with inflation?