Why the cost increase?

Clearly you are angry and I understand it.

Facts are facts. 
Tree gets cut down a TRUCK that the freight company owns and charges 4 to 16 times to haul it to a mill.

The Mill has to cut that into boards and they have to pay a guy greater than the current unemployment/COVID government cheese rate to make toothpicks out of those logs (Walmart is paying $17.59 an hour for stockers who is paying for that? YOU and Me) 

The boards now have to get to the Lumber Yard and the go back on a truck at 16 times higher freight rate and land at 84 Lumber. That has to pay a guy $17.50 an hour to offload the boards and put them in the rack. 
COGS have skyrocketed and who pays?

You and Me.

please pick up few business rags and read them. Supply chain and labor are a mess globally and we are going to pay for it.

The world cannot afford anymore shutdowns and the welfare has to stop. 

" The world cannot afford anymore shutdowns and the welfare has to stop." Its refreshing to hear folks speak rationally. Unfortunately,look at what’s going on around the world. More lock downs are coming. People have been taught that there is no reason to go to work when they can make more sitting home. Now, I have no problem helping people when they are down and out. As I’m sure everyone here believes the same. The problem is,this helping hand has gone too far, and our economy will probably not recover. Hyper inflation is here to stay IMHO.  I truly hope I am WRONG! 

Well now that you have explain who is raising the prices, I know who is gouging who? Is that your point?

No body had to raise anything but peoples wages and that has been due for 10 years..

I know exactly what you and every body else is SAYING.. The fact is they raised the prices WAY WAY WAY higher to gouge people while they CAN.. The purchasing agents at Lowe’s still passes on the cost to the consumer.. There is a reason for a purchasing agent? It’s not to find the product, BUT to keep the market as stable as they can for their company without earing a reputation for being price gouging thieves.. It’s pretty simple..

The price is high because the SELLER is charging that much.

Eggs, 3 times the price? Because they can, NO, Because we let them...
A pie in a store is 8.00. Do you understand what is in a pie?

What was put in stores to attract people is now there to GOUGE people.
A bakery in a food store with 8.00 dollar pies that cost 1.25 with labor and overhead.

NO, There is a lot of gouging going on and more so over the last 18 months..

No it’s not going to get worse.. IT WILL GET BETTER.. People are going be held accountable for gouging.. I may get in trouble for calling a thief a thief in his own store, but I don’t have to go their either.. SO who is the big winner as I stand outside and picket the joint...??? That is the American WAY!!! IF you or me has the stones to stand a picket.. I sure have... Nasty one’s too..

Come to think of it, when was the last time there was  picket line for better "something or other"?

Do people even protest their screwed up wages and ZERO bennies and no retirement? UNIONS.. YES!!!

Regards

oldhvymec

"I guess I must have hit a nerve.." Not so much. I can’t tell you why I do this, but I do have a small urge to set people straight who have said something that was incorrect (and there are countless of these people on the Internet). Taking money from the earnings on the surplus is not stealing. The surplus is the money that was paid into the SS program, was set aside for SS benefits, and has not been touched, so you were just wrong. You were also wrong about Bill Clinton and balanced budgets.
Now there are plenty of things wrong with the way things are done in the U.S., but what are the alternatives? Are you arguing for Socialism? I think you’re just angry that some people have figured out a way to make some money and you haven’t been able to either take advantage of it or beat them at their own game. If you had, you wouldn’t be so upset or feel like you live in the matrix. As for me, I don’t live in the matrix and deal with reality as it comes my way. It has worked out beautifully for me so far. If you were smart, you'd start a lumber company and charge $2 less per sheet of plywood than your competitors. That's how the system works.
I have no idea what an "illegal SS contribution" is. It appears maybe you were having a meltdown when you came up with that one.
Moderators delete threads all the time that veer far away from music and music systems, as this one has.

Like I said,I truly hope I'm wrong. I've never wanted to be more wrong in my life.