The United States has long been known as the “land of plenty.” We as a people have owned our identity as hailing from a nation of economic abundance.
We’ve been trained up from childhood to expect to go out into the world and become economically successful. But, If we get “some,” we want more.
In the early twentieth century, wealthy business magnate, John D. Rockefeller said, “just a little bit more,” when asked “how much money is enough money.” I heard it years ago, as “one more dollar.”
When is more, enough? We’ve all heard it said, “there’s more where that came from.” Well, here we are in 2022 and I’m not sure about that.
We have a supply chain crisis. If you’ve shopped for yourself lately, unlike the elite among us who pay others to shop for them, you can easily define “supply chain,” and you know it has gone terribly, terribly wrong. “Supply chain” was heretofore just a concept in economics books and banter among geeky economists.
To be fair, shortages in supplies started with the pandemic, because of staffing problems, supply shortages were soon followed by an economic slowdown, and now we have inflation. Essentially inflation is increased prices for consumer goods or an increase in the general cost of living.
As to supply shortages, can you say cat food, or baby formula, or your favorite product which you have been buying “forever,” but cannot find it in any of the stores you frequent, not to mention the internet? But inflation when experienced by the consumer, not the corporation, means that the cost of your everyday product has increased, in the case of Canola oil, one hundred percent, a jump from $2.89 to $5.85. That’s one item.
When consumers see, and actually observe that the price of one item in their shopping cart has gone up from a couple dollars to several dollars; that’s inflation. And, it’s more than the 8.5% touted by those who calculate only the increased price of raw materials, and resources to manufacturers of goods.
The decline in purchasing power which explains inflation from the point of view of the consumer, is real. A decade ago, we joked that our household could count on every home improvement project that we contemplated, was sure to cost in the neighborhood of two hundred dollars. Now, we can’t seem to do anything for under five hundred dollars; and “there’s always something.”
My family’s weekly shopping trips used to cost about one hundred dollars. It’s never less than two hundred over recent months.
Obvious reductions in package sizes, labeled “shrinkflation,” is the new norm. From toilet tissue, to almonds, packages are smaller but prices remain the same or in some instances increased. We’re not supposed to notice this sly maneuver by manufacturers and advertisers.
Generally, we Americans are used to having “more than enough.” The economic abundance that our country is known for has spawned some interesting language associated with what we consider “enough.” Has the “land of plenty,” become the “land of not enough?”
Our language hasn’t changed from the idea of readily available abundance, even though our experience has definitely changed. One of my pet peeves is the nonsensical phrase, “I agree with you one hundred ten percent.” In that context, one hundred percent is enough, because it means everything, all, total, or complete.
Or, we frequently go “over and above,” when completing a task. It’s often not enough to just complete the task, but we have to do more than expected, asked, or called-for.
Have you ever been offered “all you can eat,” in a restaurant? Or have you been asked to “say when,” after being offered grated cheese on your salad or pasta? In many instances, in America, we’re still given the opportunity to have “one more.”
When is enough, enough? Thank you so much for listening to me rant about enough. Really, thank you very much. Thanks again. Merci beau coup. You’re “more than welcome” to join in. Thank u….