If you want to get a sense of the cluelessness of our media elites, or the bubble in which they live, just turn to Bloomberg’s op-ed offering tips on how to handle inflations.

The op-ed starts off by telling us something we already know: those who make a lot of money aren’t impacted by inflation as much as those who don’t make a lot of money. We needed Bloomberg to tell us this? The cut off for Bloomberg is just under $300,000 a year. Those above that will not be much impacted by inflation. Of course, those above that represent only 1% of the American populace.

Teresa Ghilarducci, who wrote the op-ed, offers tips for dealing with inflation. She first recommends keeping a budget. That’s not a bad idea. I suspect most Americans don’t keep a budget, especially those with lower incomes. People tend to purchase what they think they need between paychecks, and much of that goes to food and gas, the largest percentage of income likely going to rent or mortgage. Very few save, and that’s a problem. It’s hard to save, though, when prices are so high, or when there’s a number of necessary items that take out large chunks of your income with not much left for savings. I suspect a lot of Americans are in that place.

Ms. Ghilarducci recommends public transportation and perhaps even selling your car and relying completely on public transportation, if it’s an option for you. But fully 45% of Americans have no access to public transportation (and much public transportation is limited or inadequate), and only 5% of American workers regularly use public transportation to get to work (probably because it’s limited or inadequate). Obviously, these are people who live in large cities. Rural residents, and even many suburbanites, cannot rely on public transportation. I used to take the bus home when I worked at UT Medical Center. It would take me about an hour to get home, and that included walking several blocks from the closest bus stop. Getting to work by bus wasn’t an option because I worked nights and the bus lines didn’t run that late from where I lived. The bottom line is, like it or not, America has organized its transportation system on the basis that most people have cars, and most people will rely on their cars. Relying on public transportation will require a cultural shift, and a huge one at that. I’m not saying public transportation isn’t a good option for those who can use it, but we’re talking about a very small percentage of the American population who are in a position to make that switch.

As for food, Bloomberg recommends getting off meat. Meat costs more because cows, pigs and chickens need to eat and drink, and it costs money to feed them. Veggies are recommended as a substitute, as are lentils and beans. Nice. People in New York who are probably used to eating out most meals are recommending that people in fly-over country cut back on their meat and eat lentils instead. Okay. That’s fair. We could all eat healthier and lose weight, and veggies and beans will help us do that. But (no pun intended), it kinda puts a bad taste in my mouth being told by elites that I need to cut back on my expensive eating habits! I suppose they’re trying to be helpful, but it sounds tinny to me.

Finally, the op-ed from Bloomberg recommends getting rid of unnecessary expenses, like medical care for your pets. Our family, all together, has seven cats and we had one dog we had to put down in 2020. I doubt we’ve even spent $5000 on their medical care over the thirteen years we’ve had pets. That’s less than $400 a year, or about $55 a year per pet. Now, if you’re not in a position to spend even $55 per year on your pet’s check-ups and meds if they get sick, you probably shouldn’t have a pet in the first place. Specifically, Bloomberg recommends not spending money on your pet’s chemotherapy if they get cancer, which can cost up to $10,000. Who is Bloomberg writing this op-ed to? Do they really think people who make less than $44,200 a year (which represents the medium income in the US) are going to consider paying ten grand on pet chemo? Yes, you’re gonna find some people whose attachment to their pets is so deep that they would do it. But most people are not going to consider spending that kind of money on their pets, so the advice Bloomberg is making here is moot for most.

The bottom line is, Bloomberg’s recommendations are not terribly practical for most of us. Very few people are in a position to sell their cars and rely entirely on public transportation, and most people don’t have the resources to shell out ten grand for chemo for their pet. The cluelessness of the Bloomberg op-ed is similar to VP Kamala Harris and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg touting electric cars as a way for Americans to save on the cost of gas. The average electric car costs over $56,000. Yeah, gas prices are high, but do you know how many gallons of gas $56,000 would buy? Even with the average cost of gas being $4.25/gallon, you could fill up a twenty gallon gas tank every 10 or 11 days for sixteen years and still spend less than you would for an EV. These people live on another planet.

Lost in all of this is the fact that inflation and high gas prices are the result of President Biden’s policies of hostility toward America’s fossil fuel industry (but not, apparently, that of foreign nations on whom we’ve come to depend for oil since Biden took office), and the uncontrolled spending of the Democrats. Biden and the Democrats caused our inflation crisis, and are now recommending that we tighten our belts and deal with it. Oh, but those making over $300,000 a year can rest easy. Inflation won’t bite them too hard.

Sheesh!

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.