Tag archives: inflation

Do You Ever Stop Thinking About Money?
By Jeff Harding   |   March 12, 2024

We think about money constantly. How to get it, how to keep it, and how to spend it. This is the human condition whether you are rich, poor, or just doing ok.  This article is about the problem of keeping your money in a world of inflation.  The Federal Reserve, the U.S. Treasury, the President, […]

Republicans, We Have a Problem
By Bob Hazard   |   November 8, 2022

Here at the Montecito Journal, we have long believed in offering a variety of views, letting each side have its space to speak. In light of the upcoming election, two of our longtime contributors have written in on what they think you should consider when heading to the ballot box this November 8. With Rinaldo […]

Inflation Fear vs. Real Economics: Edge of the Cliff Dead Ahead
By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   November 8, 2022

Here at the Montecito Journal, we have long believed in offering a variety of views, letting each side have its space to speak. In light of the upcoming election, two of our longtime contributors have written in on what they think you should consider when heading to the ballot box this November 8. With Rinaldo […]

Second Quarter 2022 Bear Market: Worst First Half for Stocks Since 1970
By Brian Schaffield   |   July 19, 2022

High inflation, risk of recession, war in Europe, a crypto meltdown, and interest rate increases pushed stocks into a bear market (down over 20% from peak) in Q2 2022 – Bond markets continued the worst drawdown on record, hammered by inflation and higher rates – Diversified portfolios slammed by simultaneous declines in asset classes Market […]

Guns and Butter Stagflation or Taxes
By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   May 10, 2022

A macroeconomic argument circulating during World War II stated that the nation couldn’t afford both “guns and butter,” pitting the costs of waging war against luxuries like silk stockings and abundant food choices like creamy milkfat. In fact, this saying originated decades earlier, with the passage of the National Defense Act of 1916 as the […]

Studies Are Vital in Policy Process
By Montecito Journal   |   May 3, 2022

I look forward to reading the studies that the Montecito Water and Montecito Sanitary districts have jointly commissioned, one by Carollo Engineers to evaluate recycling options and the other by Raftelis to explore the pros and cons of a business case for district consolidation.  The need for recycled water supplies is rather self-evident.  The self-evident case […]

Inflation, the Economy, and More! A Leviathan Lurking 
By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   April 26, 2022

Most folks are feeling significant pain at the gas pump and the grocery store these days. Remarkably, the cause for that “pain” is the same for both – inflation. The question is, should we all be worried about that issue in isolation, or should we focus on the economic fundamentals that underlie this spurt of […]

Inflation Worries, Wages and the Money Trail: Why panic is unnecessary
By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   December 7, 2021

Inflation is on everyone’s mind these days. Currently running at 6.2% (4.6% if you strip out food and energy), inflation is at its highest rate in many decades — since 1990 to be precise. And, although that number is unacceptably high, a historical lens can put things into perspective. From the early 1970s to the […]

‘It’s the Economy, Stupid!’: ‘Happy Days Are Here Again’
By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   May 27, 2021

James Carville famously coined this phrase in 1992 as candidate Bill Clinton campaigned for president. He hung it (together with two other “targeting” phrases) in the Clinton “War Room” where that campaign was planned and executed. It turned out that the recession of 1992 was just the boost that Clinton needed to unseat then-President George […]

Hundreds of SB Residents Tell Governor: No! on Das Williams for Coastal Commission
By Montecito Journal   |   April 16, 2021

We are deeply dismayed to learn that Das Williams is seeking an appointment to the California Coastal Commission for the Central Coast. A controversial supervisor synonymous with Santa Barbara’s much-contested cannabis ordinance, Williams was barely able to retain his position in 2020 (even with the political and financial muscle of the cannabis industry). Indeed, there […]