cost of living Archives - The Virginia Star

RNC’s Embrace of Trump Platform Signals Shift in GOP as Old Guard Fades in Influence

July 10, 2024 Just the News

Whereas Donald Trump as the 2016 Republican presidential nominee battled the GOP establishment over changing the party’s direction and in 2020 faced substantive internal resistance during his reelection bid, he now appears as the 2024 nominee to have won control of a party apparatus willing to embrace his policy platform and earnestly support his efforts.

The Republican National Committee on Monday formally adopted Trump’s 2024 party platform, which focused heavily on economy and border security issues. While both issues have been topline issues for Trump throughout his political career, the platform’s inclusion of other provisions highlighted the extent to which his own agenda had inserted itself into the party.

Commentary: Corporate Media Desperately Wants People to Ignore This Alarming Factoid in Newest Jobs Report

June 8, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

Ignore the May jobs report‘s topline establishment survey number and the media’s celebratory reporting. It’s not to be trusted.

A new analysis by the Daily Caller News Foundation shows that payrolls were overstated by 1.3 million last year after accounting for the constant downward revisions. A new Bloomberg Economics report finds monthly job gains were overstated by 730,000 last year. Bloomberg says a surge of business closures is to blame.

Commentary: An Economic Bill of Rights for the 21st Century

January 9, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

Beginning April 1, the minimum wage for employees working in California’s fast food chains and health care industries will rise to $20 per hour and, in some cases, up to $23 per hour. Many employers managing independent restaurants, retail, and other industries will have to match the higher hourly rate to retain employees. And for hourly employees whose wages are indexed to the minimum wage, mostly in California’s unionized public sector, wages will rise proportionately.

There is no national consensus on the impact of minimum-wage laws. It is part of a much larger debate over what constitutes an optimal economic environment to enable, quoting from Franklin Delano Roosevelt, “economic security and independence.”

Poll: Cost of Living, Job Opportunities Top List of Reasons People Relocate

August 1, 2023August 1, 2023 The Center Square

A new State Policy Network poll finds that 8% of all voters surveyed have moved to a new state in the past two years, with cost of living and job opportunities topping their list of reasons.

In addition, more than one-third (34%) of the 2,014 voters polled over a four-day period said they have at least considered relocating with roughly one in every three pointing to ost of living (36%), job opportunities (31%) and being closer to friends and family (30%) as fueling their decisions.

Nearly Half of Californians Are Considering Fleeing the State: Poll

June 27, 2023 Admin

Nearly half of Californians are considering leaving the state, according to a June California Community poll.

The top cited reasons residents had for wanting to leave the state included the cost of living and political disagreement, according to the poll results. The poll was conducted between June 6 and June 16 and is an “ongoing partnership between Strategies 360 the Los Angeles Times,” the website reads.

Commentary: Even Corporate Media Is Calling Out Biden’s Absurd Economic Fairytales

November 7, 2022November 6, 2022 Virginia Star Staff

With only days left until the midterm elections, the advertising blitz from the political spin doctors has reached a fever pitch and the sound bites we’re hearing aren’t very sound, especially the ones from the White House on the economy. But heated rhetoric is hardly a replacement for facts and figures so, to borrow a phrase from the show Dragnet, let’s discuss “just the facts, ma’am.”

Commentary: (Not) Sorry Democrats, Abortion Won’t Save You

September 20, 2022September 19, 2022 Admin

The desperate attempts by the White House, congressional Democrats, and the corporate media to refocus voter attention on abortion rather than inflation are failing. Most reputable polls show that the electorate is far more concerned about mismanagement of the economy by President Biden and his collaborators in Congress than about threats to reproductive rights posed by “MAGA Republicans.” Contrary to Democratic hopes, November won’t be about abortion vs. inflation. The midterms will be a referendum on Biden’s performance, particularly as it affects inflation.

A Majority of Americans Say They Are Falling Behind the Cost of Living: Poll

September 20, 2022September 19, 2022 The Center Square

Newly released polling data shows that the majority of Americans report they are falling behind the cost of living.

NBC News released the poll, which found that 58% of Americans disapprove of President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy.

Majority of Americans Say They Are ‘Falling Behind’ Rising Cost of Living

May 18, 2022May 17, 2022 The Center Square

The majority of Americans feel they cannot keep up with the cost of living as inflation and the price of goods continue to rise, according to new polling data.

A poll from NBC News asked Americans, “Do you think that your family’s income is … going up faster than the cost of living, staying about even with the cost of living, or falling behind the cost of living?”

Majority of Americans Report ‘Falling Behind’ Rising Cost of Living

April 3, 2022April 2, 2022 The Center Square

The majority of Americans feel they are “falling behind” as the cost of living continues to rise, according to newly released polling.

The poll from NBC News asked, “Do you think that your family’s income is … going up faster than the cost of living, staying about even with the cost of living, or falling behind the cost of living?”

In response, 62% of those polled said “falling behind” while only 6% said their income is “going up faster” than the cost of living.

Report: Online Inflation Soars Heading into Busy Holiday Season

December 13, 2021December 12, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Online prices soared to record highs in November, according to Adobe Analytics.

Prices online surged 3.5% on a year-over-year basis as of November, the biggest increase since 2014, when Adobe started tracking the cost of goods on the internet and the 18th consecutive year of online inflation, according to the Adobe Digital Price Index (DPI). Prices on a month-to-month basis dropped 2% due to holiday discounts, according to Adobe.

“Census Bureau data shows that the e-commerce share of non-fuel retail spending has tripled over the last decade as more expenditures like groceries and home improvement move online,” Marshall Reinsdorf, former senior economist at International Monetary Fund, said in the report.

Commentary: A One-Size-Fits-All Federal Minimum Wage Makes Zero Sense

January 30, 2021January 29, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

President Joe Biden’s new $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal includes a surprising provision: raising the federal minimum wage to $15.

The fight for a higher minimum wage is not new, although it has been intensified by current events. The idea, more specifically, is to provide a “living wage.” Proponents argue that, currently, minimum wage workers cannot afford basic living expenses. But even if one assumes for the sake of argument that this is true and sets aside the fact that small businesses are already on the brink of collapse, it’s impossible to determine one suitable “living wage” for all parts of a vast and diverse country like the United States.

Briley Pushes $125 Million Flood Wall in ‘Residential’ Downtown Nashville While Firefighters, Police Get Pinched on Raises

May 23, 2018May 22, 2018 Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville Acting Mayor David Briley has resurrected failed plans for a flood wall in downtown, wanting to spend $125 million the city does not have. The latest big ticket item on Briley’s wish list comes days before the special mayoral election on Thursday. Former mayors Megan Barry and Karl Dean…