Adds Up Fast

That's why minimum wage should go up every year. If you don't get a raise within the rate of inflation, you take a pay cut.

2.5% is low, by the way. 4-6% is normal. For somewhat arcane reasons, you never want inflation to be zero or - worse - negative; deflation is absolutely catastrophic.

Exactly. Exactly like that. Perfect demonstration.

Do you see any correlation between rising wages and increases in the inflation rate?

That's a myth. Inflation is primarily driven by shortages in supply.

If wheat doesn't grow, the price of bread goes up - supply and demand, right? - and because that's something everyone ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE - you can't just decide you're priced out of eating food - suddenly the dollars you need to get your bread becomes hard to come by. The price of EVERYTHING goes up because everyone has to feed themselves.

The 70's inflation under Nixon was blamed on steel worker wages but the truth is that it was driven by the oil crisis - OPEC etc. Think of EVERYTHING in the country made of plastic these days. Really nobody can avoid that kind of price hike. Raising wages is the reaction, not the cause. Notice how quiet Republicans have been since Portland raised the minimum wage and inflation DIDN'T follow - you just know they'd plaster it over every window in town if it did.

I didn’t ask if you thought it was the main cause, I asked if you saw any correlation between the two

I'm aware. I was pretty clear in my response.

I got huge raises during high inflation, numbers are just numbers.