Originally Posted By: Salmo g.
However, just yesterday I heard several Congressmen refer to the coming price increases due to tariffs as inflation. Are they stuck at 5th grade level?


They either have a 5th grade understanding of this or they are lying. Either explanation works for me.

Originally Posted By: Salmo g.
So that got me to wondering who is in charge of definitions. A lot of terms, rightly or wrongly, become defined by common usage. When prices go up, regardless of reason, many, maybe most, say that's inflation. I try to stay above 5th grade reading level, but I'm not an expert in everything. The government wants inflation to stay in the range of 2 - 3%. Does that mean they want to expand the money supply by that same 2 - 3% annually?


Yes, that is how it works.

Originally Posted By: Salmo g.
Or are there possibly causes besides expanding the money supply that directly contribute to inflation? I'd dive into that question, but at the moment I'm not that interested.


No because by definition, inflation is when the value of the dollar goes down so the prices of everything all go up together all at once. Nothing other than the amount of dollars in circulation controls the value of a dollar so if more dollars are printed then all dollars are inflated to be worth less. If one good or one class of goods (like imported goods) price goes up this is not inflation or even evidence of inflation because it is not all goods going up at once or the value of the dollar declining.

If you want to bitch about the price increases due to the tariffs, why not just call them price increases due to the tariffs? Then you would be accurate and I wouldn't say a thing. Why lie and say that this is inflation? The reason is they are trying to confuse the issue by conflating the tariffs which reduce inflation with the inflation problem itself. I also think a further reason is that if they bitch about the price increases you can then bring up the tax revenue deficit reducing inflation aspect of these tariffs that reduces the prices on all other goods to take the wind out of their complaint. Also keep in mind that these congressmen are all 100% on board with the inflation rate as they are indirectly responsible for it by approving the federal reserve appointees, so of course they are trying to blame the price increases from inflation on anyone but them. First their scapegoat was big greedy business and now it's the Trump tariffs. It's anyone elses fault but theirs.

Originally Posted By: Salmo g.
I believe that PsyOps do exist, but mostly I think they exist in the minds of conspiracy theorists. Since you appear to think Trump isn't guilty of the crimes and things he has been charged with, it makes me wonder how far down the conspiracy theory tunnel you are.


Most of what you read and view in the news are PsyOPs. You obviously do not recognize them as such. Intentional dissemination of misinformation or disinformation through legitimate news sources, as part of a psychological operation (psyop) aimed at influencing public opinion, undermining an enemy’s will to fight, or achieving strategic objectives. This phenomenon involves the laundering of misinformation through trusted third-party news outlets, making it more difficult to detect and attribute. The DoD/CIA runs PsyOPs in our legitimate news media all the time. Quite a bit of COVID nonsense was a PsyOP, the anti-Trump hysteria is a PsyOP, Ukraine war is a PsyOP and the inflation issue is another PsyOP. I hope you are not handwaving away the very real practice of PsyOPs with the Conspiracy Theorist slur, it is very real... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_operations_(United_States)