So, How Bad Was It? February's CPI, Other Economic Data -- March 10, 2022

Headlines from CNBC online (I've quit watching it on television):

• CPI: inflation rose 7.9% in February as food and energy costs push prices to highest in more than 40 years;
• excluding food and energy, core inflation rose 6.4%; in line with expections
• highest since 1982; in 1982 the USAF was telling me I would be moving from northern California to North Dakota
• the assignments officer thought he was sending me on a hardship tour; I was headed home after being gone for ten years
• headed back to God's country; the only choice the assignments office gave me: Grand Forks or Minot. Even I knew that was an easy choice.
  
• look at this wage inflation: inflation-adjusted, workers paychecks fell 0.8% in February, contributing to a 2.6% decline over the past year
• not only are wages not keep up with inflation, it appears wages would hardly be keeping up in a non-inflationary world
• investors lapping non-investors
• Dow futures fall 400 points after talks between Russia and Ukraine falter

Biggest decision today: with Dow futures falling 400 points, should I buy on margin today? I will have the cash by Monday next week. And it won't be a trivial amount. Decisions, decisions.

Back to Linda Ronstadt, Blondie, and ABBA. 

Wow, this is good. "My Back Pages."