Truckers, Teamsters, and Inflation

RONALD S. PHILLIPS Author of two books, teacher & trusted columnist

seat. I have no problem with workers making more money. They should. Most employees are doing 2-3 jobs that are packaged as one job. But in no way does this help inflation. It’s further confirmation that the $6 trillion recently printed is here to stay. How can anyone lower wages (a key part of inflation), unless we have a bad economy?

The inflation genie is permanently out of the bottle.

Walmart (symbol: WMT) just announced a truck driver program where employees can earn up to $110,000 a year driving the big rigs. This unique program trains folks, many current Walmart employees, to help fill driver shortages. Also, the 340,000 UPS (symbol: UPS) workers, represented by the Brotherhood of Teamsters, have reached a deal to keep driving and shipping.

In general, this is good for our economy, market stability, and you and me being able to buy stuff. But it’s an indicator of inflationary pressures, too. These two glaring examples show who’s in the driver’s

So if inflation persists that must mean interest rates have to either stay up or we have to go into a recession to take down pricing. We are truly “damned if we do or damned if we don’t.” And one may lead to the other.

This drives us into the stagflation I told you about 2 years ago. We have low growth because rates are slowing activity, price and currency inflation remains high, and economic and market weakness may follow.

Today’s economy has been called the most-anticipated recession ever.

Walmart Inc Symbol: WMT

Price: $158.34

P/E ratio: 38

Market Value: $426B

Everyone was predicting it, including me. I don’t think experts want one but are simply trying to help guide investors. But this recession keeps not happening. Many experts have changed their minds or at least kicked the can down the road. Many are now saying by the end of this year, or even into 2024, we’re in for a recession.

At least everyone seems to be on the same page: No one knows what to expect in this strange economy or when to expect it. So my opinion remains the same. Have a smart allocation that includes riskfree Treasury bills and bonds. Overweight U.S. value stocks but still hold growth. Test the waters in select prospects like emerging markets, which are incredibly low-priced, and individual stock opportunities. And make your portfolio work hard by producing very high investment income.

If you’d like a free stock analysis mailed or emailed to you please text me at (719) 545-6442 or email RonPhillipsAdvisor@ gmail. com. Include your contact info.

United Parcel Svc Symbol: UPS

Price: $180.94

P/E ratio: 14.6

Market Value: $155B

This article is for illustrative purposes only. Ron is not recommending any investment security for you but just trying to educate the community. INVESTMENTS CAN AND DO DROP IN VALUE; THEY HAVE NO BANK OR OTHER GUARANTEE. He is licensed and regulated by the great State of Colorado.

Ron Phillips is The Investment INCOME Advisor, a Pueblo, CO native, and an independent business owner. Order a free copy of his book Investing To Win by leaving a message at (719) 220-3005. Visit RetireIQ.com or email RonPhillipsAdvisor@gmail.com

To start off this very special month we have a little "teacher" humor especially in honor for my dear wife, Jeannie!!! She's the greatest. Taught private, Catholic and public school for over 30 years and continues to teach me daily for almost 50 years! Except the two when we were just dating. She was just buttering me up methinks!

TEACHER: Why are you late Joseph?

JOSEPH: Class started before I got here.

TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?

JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.

TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'

GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-IA-L.'

TEACHER: No, that's wrong.

GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.

TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?

DONALD: H I J K L M N O.

TEACHER: What are you talking about?

DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.

TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.

WINNIE: Me!

TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?

GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.

TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?

LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?

SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mum is a good cook.

TEACHER: Clyde, your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?

CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.

TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?

HAROLD: A teacher.

Okay everyone, here we go! The reason this month is special is because it's the end of an era for Senior Beacon and the members of Pueblo and Southern Colorado! Senior Beacon because The Pueblo Chieftain, "THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN!!!!!!" presses will no longer be printing anything! It is in its 154th year!!! Do the math. That means it started printing in, drum roll please, 1869(?).

The question mark is because the first issue would have been year one, number one and that always mixes me up. Now, I'm not saying the Chieftain will cease to exist but the owners of the Chieftain, Gannett News, has decided that it would be in their best interests to have the Chieftain printed in Denver at The Denver Post and then trucked down to

Pueblo. Who knows how that will work but they'll figure out something. They may even bring back the Saturday paper. Who knows?

All this tech stuff has put the printed word in a precarious spot. The younger whipper-snappers, it appears, don't like to get their hands inky. Hey, progress goes in many directions. Sometimes all at once. But, for now it is the end of a 154 year journey. Who da thunk printing a newspaper in Pueblo would come to an end. It's a sad day indeed.

Ever hear the expression "Drive-by Media?" It was big for about 20 or so years back around the turn of the century and a bit forward. I believe it was "fathered" by the deceased Rush Limbaugh (and there goes many of my readers). Like him or not he was a brilliant businessman and he single-handedly brought back AM Radio which was dying just like the printed word is now. Why he used it was because he likened what the headlines of his day were blared without any real content. Just like a bunch of miscreants were doing driving by an enemy's home shooting up the place and then moving on to the next house where they wanted to prove their dominance. Their superiority. They didn't care if they killed someone or ruined the homes of the people inside. He claimed that the media did the same thing. The Mainstream Media that is. This was when some special news outlets tended to make a big noise out of some information with blaring headlines claiming this or that, never caring about the real truth about what their headlines were expressing (I think all the major news outlets were exposed doing that back then including television, major news magazines and such). They had egg on their collective faces because, let's be kind and say stretched the truth to keep us all scared and worried which would get them more readers, listeners and watchers so they could make the big bucks from advertisers who in turn made big bucks from the scared and the worried.

I say this because they're still doing

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16 Beef & PorkMeatballs w/ Marinara & Pasta,Asparagus Banana, Milk

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August 2023

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