1955 vs. 2008 I adjusted the following prices for in ination through the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the numbers in red, with green being actual prices in 2008 dollars. There are some interesting statistics that allow you to develop a wide range of conclusions. You would have been far better off investing most of your salary in the stock market then depend on your employer to make you rich. It has never made any sense to buy a car, and the government has been screwing the dairy farmers for a long time. The housing market has nothing to do with logic, and more then likely your home is still over valued. Last but not least there is a lot of bread to be made in bread. What Things Cast in 1955 vs. 2008 Adjusted for Inflation & Actual Prices: Car: $1,950 $15,403 $27,958 *** Gasoline: 29 cents/gal $2.29 $3.15 **** House: $17,500 $138,232 $201,100 Bread: 18 cents/loaf $1.42 $1.25 Milk: 92 cents/gal $7.27 $4.15 1 100% + valued. Last but not least there is a lot of bread to be made in bread. What Things Cost in 1955 vs. 2008 Adjusted for Inflation & Actual Prices: Car: $1,950 $15,403 $27,958 *** Gasoline: 29 cents/gal $2.29 $3.15 **** House: $17,500 $138,232 $201, 100 Bread: 18 cents/loaf $1.42 $1.25 Milk: 92 cents/gal $7.27 $4.15 Postage Stamp: 3 cents .24 cents .41 cents Stock Market: 488 3,854 12,344 Average Annual Salary: $5,000 $39,495 $36,764 ** Minimum Wage: 75 cents per hour $5.92 $5.85 * *Federal Minimum Wage 7/24/2007 Mass. = $8.00 ** Bureau of Labor Statistics 2004 *** Comerica Automotive Affordability Index **** 4/1/2008I chose this article because the title caught my eye and it discusses multiple macroeconomic principles. The labor dept. report showed thejob market steadily improving since hiring plunged at the end of last year. Unfortunately, the number of long-term unemployed rose by 203,000 to 3.8 million. Kevin Logan, the chief U.S economist at HSBC noted that overall results show that things did slow down, but not as drastically as the December and January Data suggested. The strong growth we saw during the second half of last year has not carried into 2014 despite predictions that this would be a breakout year forthe economy. Many economists point their ngers at the weather as the one to blame for the less than glamorous results. But the job growth in February adds mystery to that theory. Even though a major snowstorm hit much of the U.S just before Valentine's Day February's data still beat Wall Street's expectations. Fed Chair Janet Yellen said the central bank is paying attention for signs that the recovery may be faltering but they are still trying to determine how much weather has affected the data. This high light the Macroeconomic concept of full employment and the effect on the economy as a totality. this is just a example of a great manmennnmin hlnn