inflation

As the nation prepares for Election Day on Nov. 5, the top issue of concern for Americans throughout all polls is no doubt the economy.

Anyone wondering why it feels like grocery shopping requires taking out a small loan isn’t imagining things. Grocery prices, which soared due to pandemic-era inflation, are still just too blankity-blanking high, and the federal government suspects food producers might be engaged in some lucrative price-gouging.   

As people across Massachusetts continue to grapple with some of the nation’s highest costs of living, families in Greater Boston are reaching out for help as the holiday season approaches.

On Tuesday, Raise Up Massachusetts, a progressive coalition of labor, community and faith-based organizations, released a statement that celebrated the minimum wage finally reaching $15 as of Jan. 1, 2023 — but simultaneously described that new rate as inadequate.

Close to 15% of job openings that employ immigrant or foreign-born workers in the U.S. are still vacant, while the legal immigration system is in dire straits.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the nation’s consumer price index  (CPI) at the end of May was the largest since December 1981, more than 40 years ago.

Corporations are quick to blame this new reality on the pandemic, but another major culprit is hiding in plain sight: their own profiteering.