Wages Paid in Rice

The following chart shows how we would have been doing if wages were paid in wholesale rice instead of dollars.


Click to enlarge.

Our dollars just aren't buying as much rice these days. That's okay. We are still getting a great deal on rice burners.

The pejorative is often intended to denigrate cars which have been modified cosmetically to give a false impression of high performance, but are not actually capable of it.

It's the perfect car for this economy. Sigh.

August 10, 2011
The Food Crises and Political Instability in North Africa and the Middle East (pdf)

Social unrest may reflect a variety of factors such as poverty, unemployment, and social injustice. Despite the many possible contributing factors, the timing of violent protests in North Africa and the Middle East in 2011 as well as earlier riots in 2008 coincides with large peaks in global food prices.

I would bet that more is coming. QE for the win! Sigh.

See Also:
Sarcasm Disclaimer

Source Data:
The World Bank: GEM Commodities
St. Louis Fed: Average Hourly Earnings of Production and Nonsupervisory Employees: Total Private