The fallacy of the "chained" CPI - it's chained to your paycheck!

[Selatius]

10. Energy prices have essentially tripled, though.

That's a huge component of a household's spending. In a country with an infrastructure built upon the assumption that energy is cheap and private vehicle ownership is the preferred method of travel, energy becomes a key component to most people's budgets.

The loaves of bread I buy used to be around a dollar back around 2000. They're at 2.50 or close now. While it's not an increase of three times, it's still pretty high. Meanwhile, people's wages have not kept up with that. Even if we took the George H.W. Bush methodology and not the Jimmy Carter methodology, a 2% "cost of living" raise from your employer isn't going to cover 5% or 6% inflation.