[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Thymeclock

If you ask any ordinary person what the term is for rising prices, they will say "inflation".

Oh, so now I'm to blame because the ordinary person has been misinformed? If we were discussing nuclear power, should I surrender to the "Omigawd, it's radioactive, we're all gonna die!" hysteria? Should I accept creationism or the "SUVs are safe" myths, because the ordinary person believes them?

The government is in denial of it (by removing fuel and food from the inflation index) and you are also in denial.

Sorry, but still no. It's you who's in denial, and is trying to blame the government (and their secret masters on the Trilateral Commission, eh?) for something that's actually being caused by supply & demand.

So we're all supposed to pretend that the loss of purchasing power is not devaluation.

Try "admit" instead of "pretend". The increase in cost of oil (and oil-related goods, etc) is due to the increased cost of a diminishing resource. Calling it inflation is nothing more than a way of hiding this, so that you can go on fooling yourself.

It's not my job to tell you where.

Translation: He's not even going to look at the evidence, since his political opinions transcend such mundane things :-)

Now it all makes sense! [I]You are disappointed that there are virtually no pure Socialist countries left on Earth...

And now you've descended into utter irrationality. Like the US in the 19th century was by any stretch of the imagination a socialist country?

I could also point out, if there are any rational people still reading, that there's a considerable difference between "give" and "is cheap or free because supply greatly exceeds demand", and that increased population has changed that to "very expensive because demand exceeds supply". Simple, isn't it? I'd even say obvious, at least to anyone willing to take off their political blinders :-)