Do you need a stiff drink after listening to President Joe Biden speak for 20 minutes? Are you interested in shooting at tin cans in the backyard? Is it bothersome to see the trash not being picked up in your city? Where is that java fix to get you through the day at the office? Unfortunately, in the post-pandemic economy, the United States is going through a series of shortages when it comes to many consumer goods Americans enjoy. As the late John McAfee told Liberty Nation’s Scott Cosenza on an edition of The Uprising podcast, it might be time for the public to stock up on peanut butter, raisins, and Glock 17s.
Barkeep, Lady Liberty’s Dry
(Photo by Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)
The easing of restrictions allowed bars and restaurants to reopen their doors. These establishments are not only struggling to attain workers but also missing one of their key revenue generators: alcohol. States across the country are reporting alcohol shortages, whether it is beer or wine. Because of soaring demand, supply chain issues, and logistical challenges for delivery firms, adult beverages are getting hard to come by at the local pub and liquor store.
Dirty Harry Doesn’t Feel Lucky
Are U.S. households getting locked and loaded and preparing for a dystopian nightmare a la Escape From New York or Soylent Green? According to the Associated Press, ammunition is becoming hard to acquire nationwide, with more Americans practicing their Second Amendment rights. During the COVID-19 public health crisis, consumers had purchased a record number of firearms. Now that violence is on the uptick in many cities, ammo sales are shooting upward, creating a headache for those in law enforcement as they cannot obtain ammunition. If a modern-day Dirty Harry ever asks if you are feeling lucky, you could respond like a wise guy: “Of course, the laws of supply and demand suggest that the marketplace is going through a bullet shortage, so the odds are high that your chamber is empty, good sir.”
Shortages Mocha Me Crazy
The post-pandemic economy is brewing up higher coffee prices and a potential shortage. Coffee costs are skyrocketing after bad harvests in Brazil, as well as immense and simultaneous international demand. Coffee futures surged 14% in July, sending prices to their highest levels in six years amid a polar air mass traveling through key producing areas in the South American country. This is also the third strong cold front to affect crops in 2021. Year-to-date, coffee contracts have spiked 36% on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBoT). As a result, consumers’ morning brew will either be more expensive or appear as a black liquid euphemistically referred to as coffee.
Airlines Coming Down to Earth
Be prepared for a couple of stops on a trip to Biloxi, MS. American Airlines recently issued a memo to pilots that the U.S. carrier may need to add stops to certain flights due to fuel delivery delays at a growing number of small and mid-size airports. The company also requested pilots to save fuel whenever it is possible. This would be in addition to the labor shortage the airline is going through. John Dudley, managing director of flight operations, told pilots in a memo:
“American Airlines station jet fuel delivery delays initially affected mostly western U.S. cities, but are now being reported at American stations across the country. Delivery delays are expected to continue through mid-August.
“As our country continues to face multiple challenges, let’s work together as a team to operate reliably, safely and as efficiently as possible.”
Take Out the Papers and the Trash?
During a recent CNN town hall, President Biden admitted that extending unemployment benefits has “kept people from going back to work.” As the labor market continues to recover and the post-COVID economy tries to fire on all cylinders, the United States is suffering a worker shortage, something that Liberty Nation has repeatedly reported. An example of this is Baltimore County, where “extreme staffing shortages” are causing garbage to pile up on the streets of Maryland, according to the Bureau of Solid Waste Management. With a record nine million job openings, the private sector has been forced to raise wages exponentially, contributing to higher price inflation. Will this be enough to lure out-of-work Americans to take out the papers and the trash to get some spending cash?
At Least It’s Better Than Venezuela
Despite the wide range of shortages occurring in the United States and other parts of the developed world, at least the population can take solace in the fact that it is far superior to the socialist struggles in Venezuela, Cuba, and other Marxist wastelands. The chaos will subside, and the marketplace will stabilize. Americans will enjoy having a lost weekend. Gun owners will be able to reload. Workers will have access to a two o’clock pick-me-up. But will employers have workers to hire? That all depends on whether the White House and the Democrats choose to extend generous federal benefits beyond the September deadline. Until then, consumers will need to heed McAfee’s advice and stockpile those raisins and peanut butter jars.
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Read more from Andrew Moran.
