Click here to view original web page at brownstone.org
Well, here’s another shocker. This Commerce Department report showed that real disposable personal income in March came in at -19.9% versus March 2021.
That staggering shrinkage, of course, is still another testimony to the old saw about “what goes around, comes around.” That is, last March real disposable incomes soared by nearly 29% owing to the massive Biden stimulus payments. But since then inflation has blasted skyward, even as Washington has run out of nerve on the fiscal stimulus front.
Y/Y Change In Real Disposable Income,February 2020 to March 2022 What this reminds, of course, is that we are not in an ordinary business cycle. Washington simply went berserk on the fiscal and monetary front in response to the economic dislocations caused by Trump’s foolish backing of Covid lockdowns. These massive stimmy eruptions, in turn, have created unprecedented turmoil and fluctuations in the quarterly flows of income and spending.
And, yes, the Donald owns the Lockdown madness of 2020, which caused GDP to plunge at a 37% annual rate during the April-June quarter of that year. After all, no one said he had to listen to the likes of statist bureaucrats such as Dr. Fauci and the Scarf Lady, but he was simply too uninformed, lazy, and timid to send them packing.
In any event, there has never in American history been an explosion of transfer payment free stuff like occurred on the Donald’s watch during 2020 and Q1 2021. And, yes, you can saddle him with a good share of the blame even for Biden’s $1.9 billion spending palooza in March 2021. That’s because it was centered on completing the second $2,000 per person stimmy check that the Donald had loudly brayed for during the 2020 election campaign.
As shown below, the annualized run rate of total government transfer payments (including the […]
They’re Trying to Shut Us Down
Over the last several months, I’ve lost count of how many times the powers-that-be have tried to shut us down. They’ve sent hackers at us, forcing us to take extreme measures on web security. They sent attorneys after us, but thankfully we’re not easily intimidated by baseless accusations or threats. They’ve even gone so far as to make physical threats. Those can actually be a bit worrisome but Remington has me covered.
For us to continue to deliver the truth that Americans need to read and hear, we ask you, our amazing audience, for financial assistance. We have a Giving Fuel page to help us pay the bills. It’s brand new so don’t be discouraged by the lack of donations there. It’s a funny reality that the fewer the donations that have been made, the less likely people are willing to donate to it. One would think this is counterintuitive, but sometimes people are skeptical because they think that perhaps there’s a reason others haven’t been donating. In our situation, we’re just getting started so please don’t be shy if you have the means to help.
Thank you and God bless!
JD Rucker