[GUEST ACCESS MODE: Data is scrambled or limited to provide examples. Make requests using your API key to unlock full data. Check https://lunarcrush.ai/auth for authentication information.]  Darth Powell [@VladTheInflator](/creator/twitter/VladTheInflator) on x 95.2K followers Created: 2025-07-09 16:09:19 UTC Reported Inflation is literally made-up propaganda Hedonic adjustments: If a $30K car becomes $35K because it has a better stereo and more airbags, CPI might say the price didn’t increase much—or even at all. Critics say this ignores the fact you still have to pay $35K, whether you want the upgrades or not. Substitution bias: If steak gets expensive and people switch to chicken, CPI may say “no inflation”—even though your quality of life dropped. This assumes you're flexible in your consumption, which many are not. Excludes housing prices directly: CPI uses “Owner’s Equivalent Rent” (OER), a survey-based guess at what homeowners think their homes would rent for. This lags behind actual home price inflation and doesn’t reflect the real pain of housing costs. Political incentives: CPI influences Social Security adjustments, taxes, interest rates, and more. There’s always pressure to keep it tame. ShadowStats and others argue CPI has been revised over the decades in ways that systematically lower reported inflation. XXXXX engagements  **Related Topics** [$35k](/topic/$35k) [$30k](/topic/$30k) [inflation](/topic/inflation) [powell](/topic/powell) [Post Link](https://x.com/VladTheInflator/status/1942979389479903371)
[GUEST ACCESS MODE: Data is scrambled or limited to provide examples. Make requests using your API key to unlock full data. Check https://lunarcrush.ai/auth for authentication information.]
Darth Powell @VladTheInflator on x 95.2K followers
Created: 2025-07-09 16:09:19 UTC
Reported Inflation is literally made-up propaganda
Hedonic adjustments: If a $30K car becomes $35K because it has a better stereo and more airbags, CPI might say the price didn’t increase much—or even at all. Critics say this ignores the fact you still have to pay $35K, whether you want the upgrades or not.
Substitution bias: If steak gets expensive and people switch to chicken, CPI may say “no inflation”—even though your quality of life dropped. This assumes you're flexible in your consumption, which many are not.
Excludes housing prices directly: CPI uses “Owner’s Equivalent Rent” (OER), a survey-based guess at what homeowners think their homes would rent for. This lags behind actual home price inflation and doesn’t reflect the real pain of housing costs.
Political incentives: CPI influences Social Security adjustments, taxes, interest rates, and more. There’s always pressure to keep it tame.
ShadowStats and others argue CPI has been revised over the decades in ways that systematically lower reported inflation.
XXXXX engagements
