The clerk tallied up the groceries and said $320. Cha-ching. I looked at the pile of groceries, shook my head, and slipped a credit card into the pay slot. No use blaming the check-out guy, he’s just another working stiff with no say on tariffs.
We jammed the food into sacks and headed home, stopping at the food hub en route to pick up the turkey and some lemon rub. Cha-ching. Life sure got expensive recently. And not just for us Montanans were paying way more this decade than last for everything from car parts to coffee.
Just a decade earlier, things were much more reasonable priced with a worker’s earnings being enough to pay the bills. Now, everything shot through the roof and the people in charge seem only focused on getting us engaged in the next culture war distraction.
We stopped by the liquor store to grab some whiskey to pour on the fruit cakes we’d baked days earlier for the holiday season. Cha-ching. Sitting on the opposite shelf, next to the familiar rot-gut we picked up to pour on the Christmastime delight, sat a 30-year-old bottle of single malt that was priced at $5,650. Smooth, I imagined, real smooth. Don’t touch it, I said to myself.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that even everyday stuff got too expensive. A homeowner just has to look at their state property tax bills from a decade prior and compare it to modern bills for that same old house. I keep hearing that most lawmakers are proud of the work they did to reduce the state burden from property tax reappraisals, but wowzah, they sure missed the affordability mark by one long mile.
State leaders are out of touch with the working class’s ability to keep paying more and more for everyday stuff. Any self-employed Montanan who signed up for next year’s health insurance plans got a rude awakening to the pocket book. Montana is rated the most expensive state in the nation for health insurance rate increases.
Couple that most expensive insurance with the fact that Montana also got rated the least affordable state in the nation to purchase a home. Working people are struggling with the weight of how much stuff costs every time they go to the store, pay the rent, or open a bill.
Those public service commissioners charged with keeping utility prices affordable across large portions of Montana have been sleeping at the power switch for the past decade, letting homeowner electricity prices skyrocket. Now power and water hungry data centers stand ready to massively rock the upcoming pricing system.
Sitting at the VFW on taco night, I look around and noticed many locals eating and sharing joy with friends. It’s much the same delight in other eateries across the valley even if the bill is multiple times more than tacos on Tuesday. It shouldn’t take a genius to figure out that the local wage earners have a hard time affording to eat out these days.
I glanced at the sharp dressed man sitting in the corner eating tacos with his fancy pants friends.They must be on vacation, I thought. Maybe flew in for a quick weekend, on one of the many non-stop flights coming into Kalispell. Most workers would eagerly go on vacation once a year.
The sharp dressed man acted as if he were on permanent vacation. No worries, public anyway. Good gig, I nodded, if one can afford frequent flyer airfare or buy one of the many $1 million condos popping up throughout the valley for weekend getaways.
Jim used to joke that the best economic decision a child could make was to choose richer parents. He saw the cost-of-living racing out of reach for many. It’s not realistic to choose richer parents but we should expect our leaders to give a damn about the ever-rising costs facing working Montanans.
The four men Montana sent to Congress must be thinking that the increased cost of everything is a “con job.” They could act, but don’t, holding silent vigil in a once powerful Congress. Today, they’re doing jack to help make Montana affordable again.
I sigh. The four men of Congress don’t care, don’t listen, unlikely to read these words or even talk with any working stiff in Kalispell. I’ll have to buckle down, farm harder, longer into retirement years and watch the American dream slip away from a generation of Montanans.
A new year’s hope brings accountability to Congress. All across America voters opted for change this year and seem more eager than ever to throw the bums out. It’s a long way from here to November but even internal campaign polls look dim for incumbents.
Let’s hope next year is cheaper, kinder, and more accessible to the people working ordinary, everyday jobs. We’re just trying to pay the bills and find enough free time to enjoy the winter months. Come next year, demand change. Locals already prepaid the price of this costly year. Time for Congress to get to work and give us a break.