November Surprise: There’ll Be No Thanksgiving For Some

Many Americans were concerned last year that their Thanksgivings would not be celebrations of plenty but rather bitter experiences of want. This year, those fears have become a harsh reality in Joe Biden’s America, leaving one in four to say they will skip Thanksgiving in 2020 “to save money.”

In November 2021, with the country’s first Thanksgiving under Biden’s unsteady hand approaching, families were facing a holiday meal that was 14% more expensive than the year before. It was only a few months after the Joe from Scranton administration had bragged that a Fourth of July barbecue would cost a full 16 cents less than the year before.

This year, the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal could cost as much as 75% more than it did in Biden’s first year on office. The cost of whole frozen hen recently reached $1.99 a pound, well in excess of last year’s $1.15.

“A typical Thanksgiving bird” in the 8- to 16-pound range “now costs $31.84,” the Post Millennial reported over the weekend, citing Agriculture Department data.

The large increase is due in part to an avian flu that has killed 3.6% of the U.S. supply, says the Post Millennial. But even without the thinning of the flock, the cost of a turkey would still hit altitudes far higher than the flightless birds can reach. We know this because the cost of other Thanksgiving meal items are also higher than in 2021.

For instance, the price of stuffing is $3.99 this year, says the Post Millennial, much higher than last year’s $2.29, while “sweet potatoes rose to $3.97 from $3.56.” The price of green beans and pumpkin pie mix are also inflated over 2021.  In a news story headlined “Rising prices set to gobble up Americans’ Thanksgiving budgets,” the Los Angeles Times says “flour is up 24%,” from a year ago while “butter and margarine are up 32%.”

In fact, the entire cost of the average Thanksgiving meal has gone up by 12% since last year, according to the Post Millennial.

A Personal Capital survey shows just how difficult this year’s holiday is going to be for many of us:

• One-fourth of those polled said they’re simply going to skip Thanksgiving to save money. It might be the only way they stay warm, given the steep cost of natural gas, electricity, and heating oil this winter.
• Thirty-four percent are planning smaller dinners. Only 15% expect their meals to be larger.
• More than half (53%) will serve fewer dishes, while 52% will defray costs by asking guests to bring food. An astonishing 42% plan to socialize their dinners, inviting their guests to “pitch in money” (if they have any left after paying for gasoline).

Of course the Democrats, who played a primary role in causing rising prices and have no plan or even idea of how to whip inflation now, are doing all they can to distract voters from their stretched finances and the stagflating economy. They need to pay a dear price on Election Day, just as Americans have had to pay higher prices for everything since the Democrats have had control in Washington.

— Written by the I&I Editorial Board