Why the cost increase?

I used the potato chip story just to point out how skewed everything has become these days....of course there were other brands for sale at all price points (I gave up potato chips for the most part about two years ago). I try to be the glass half-full kind of guy, but it's hard to be an optimist in the face of a poisoned political environment that pits 45% of the country against the other 55% over made-up or imagined grievances, while climate change is making it progressively more dangerous for everybody (but very few seem to take it seriously). I am not a member of the greatest generation, but am not far removed chronologically, having been born in the mid-20th century. I do believe that as a nation we will overcome most of the challenges facing us, IF we can manage to retain a civil, considerate, and moderate tone for dealing with our differences. Lacking that, we will continue to travel down the road that leads to real trouble. 

I was at the local Publix grocery store recently and saw some boutique brand of potato chips for sale at $7.00 a pop. The bag appeared to have maybe 5 ounces of product, judging by its size. When there are families that are struggling to pay $3.00 for a loaf of bread, this is insane. The cost of living has steadily spiraled toward the stratosphere going back to the mid1970s and personal debt is now multiples of what it was back then. I think it's possible we've already forgotten the lessons from 2008-2009 and could be headed towards another bursting bubble in the next couple of years. Government fiscal policy plays a part, but Congress controls the purse strings and spending, not the President.