Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Economist Suggests Dealing With Inflation By Letting Your Pets Die And Eating Lentils—And People Aren't Having It

Economist Suggests Dealing With Inflation By Letting Your Pets Die And Eating Lentils—And People Aren't Having It
Aleksandr Pobeda/EyeEm/Getty Images

An opinion piece in Bloomberg has drawn the ire of the internet. The essay in question tries to provide suggestions for how to deal with the country’s current issues with inflation.

However, the advice provided left a lot to be desired and for most people, felt like a kick while they were down.


And one piece of advice seemed absolutely cruel.


The tweet above, gives a quick summary of the advice, but leaves out one of the worst parts of it.

The article, written by Teresa Ghilarducci—Schwartz Professor of Economics at the New School for Social Research—said inflation hurts people making less than $289,000 a lot more than those over that annual income. But the inflation of gas and food is bound to hurt even lower income Americans more.

Ghilarducci went on to provide some advice.

It started simply enough by suggesting you budget for your expenses. But it gets bad really quickly.

The next bit of advice is to consider public transportation.

While this would be a great idea normally, the United States has systematically defunded public transportation in many cities. Many municipalities are built around the need to drive a car.

Next the recommendations got condescending, suggesting you look into non-meat options like lentils, since they’re likely to not have jumped as much in price as meat.

Lasty, the advice got macabre, saying you should consider letting major pet medical needs lapse and let your pets die if they become ill or are injured. The example used was pet chemotherapy, which can cost as much as $10,000.

The whole thing had people asking “WTF?”

Commenters online were quick to roast the article.

Who could be surprised the magazine named after its billionaire founder wouldn’t understand the plight of the middle and working class?

But despite the author’s protests people just didn’t get the article, many understood the issue better than Ghilarducci. While she insisted the Federal Reserve’s actions wouldn’t solve inflation, it was pointed out neither would any of the advice in her article.

Letting your pets die, and eating plants instead of meat can possibly save a few bucks, but doesn't bring us any closer to reducing inflation. On top of all that, the article put the onus of inflation on the average and low-income population, with “tips” that do next to nothing to dull the sting of inflated prices.

And while it is contributing to current price hikes, this didn't just happen because of the current conflict in Ukraine. Inflation had been an issue long before that, despite corporations boasting about their record profits.

Ghilarducci’s advice is worthless.

A common refrain from those on the right this is the fault of progressive policies and inflation wasn’t an issue under former Republican President Donald Trump.

This claim is easily debunked.

Trump’s trade war with China caused numerous sections of the food industry to raise prices dramatically, including beef, beer, cheese and soybeans. And during the onset of the pandemic, everyone was buying out toilet paper and bottled water, causing a massive inflation in resells.

More from Trending

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less