Inflation

built and leaned out for cost minimization during a time of relative peace, prosperity and ever expanding global trade...roughly 1990 to 2020. Mind bogglingly complex and interdependent. For instance.... from basic raw materials to assemblies, i.e. the parts for an average automobile, built in an American, German or Japanese assembly plant, are sourced from all over the globe.

Now bring that mind bogglingly complex supply chain to a screeching halt. Worse yet, try to bring it back online like flipping a light switch when the Covid "all clear" sounds. Tell me there's not going to be problems. Just the transport for getting those bazillion pieces parts from one supplier to a customer, who becomes another supplier to other customers and on and on to finally landing on the shelves at Walmart, is itself incredibly complex and completely jacked up right now. Add free market economics of supply, demand and gouge and you get where we are today.

that a global cabal of the uber-rich are conspiring to squeeze every last dime out of our pockets before the whole thing collapses, or governments finally wake up and start clawing back all they stole from us.

With conspiracies there is always at least one that is completely true, and it's usually right out in the open.

Covid was a global problem yet Trump paid a high price for not handling it well here.

Inflation was also a global phenomenon in the late 70’s and early 80’s but Carter was clobbered.