U.S. government bean counters along with many of the Wall Street analysts have been telling us there is no inflation. No inflation? What planet are they living on?

For the last 20-years, the U.S. Congress has played politics against it's citizens to the point where the dollar is becoming worthless. It now takes two incomes to run a home. Fuel and overhead costs are through the roof.  State property tax bandits tug at improvement we make.

The spillover of higher fuel costs is driving up the price of FedEx and nearly every commodity delivered to your store. The transportation and  airline industry is forced to ratchet up fares, the electric company needs to increase rates as well as accelerated expenditures for the cost of government. Wholesale prices are bolting higher.

The housing crisis is spreading like a cancer. Property tax rates increase while the value homes spiral downward. The working class is getting squeezed at all ends. And it is this resilient core of America that must keep it's head above water.

As John Major, British prime minister once said, "It's time to get back to basics: to self-discipline and respect for the law, to consideration for others , to accepting responsibility for yourself and your family, and not shuffling it off on the state."

The Congress can encourage responsible energy drilling in every known backyard. After the initial drill the footprint is miniscule and the social rewards are high. Until new cheap energy replaces oil as a fuel choice, all methods of exploration and experimentation need encouragement.