Washington Post's Eternally Pro-Socialist "Libertarian" Megan McArdle: Akshually, Eggs Are Cheaper Than They've Ever Been Before, Ingrates

I will never trust Megan McArdle again after she announced that she and all of her fellow policy analysts knew that the central promises of Obamacare and a lie -- but didn't inform the public (which is supposed to be their jobs as "journalists" and public-facing policy analysts) because... reasons.

But here's the "Libertarian" who is always pushing for socialism explaining that Joey Bidez is giving you the cheapest eggs in history.

The past 20 years notwithstanding, she means. But if you look at the long view...

"Truly incredible content," @greg_price11 says:

If you look at old cookbooks, you will notice that the authors seem to view eggs and chicken as almost a luxury good. My 1950 "Betty Crocker's Picture Cook book" contains recipes for making mock chicken dishes -- out of veal. Go back further and the 1896 Fannie Farmer cookbook sternly informs readers that, "eggs, even at twenty-five cents per dozen, should not be freely used by the strict economist." An odd assertion to the modern ear, until you realize that in 1896 a pound of round steak was about 35 percent cheaper than a pound of eggs. (Today, by contrast, a pound of eggs -- about 9 eggs -- would cost you roughly $3.21 at my grocery store, while a pound of round steak is $8.69.)

...

Almost all food items have gotten much cheaper, relative to our incomes, than they were a century ago. But some food prices fell faster than others, and chicken and eggs were among those that saw the greatest improvements, thanks to a combination of agricultural innovations. Raising chickens indoors helped protect them from disease and predators. Providing them with warmer conditions and artificial light helped extend a laying season which otherwise stops in winter. Farmers developed the raised cage system which has helped increase egg production, as have breeding programs. Modern hens have gone from laying about 150 eggs per hen per year in the 1930s, to 296 today.

...

But the benefits of this revolution have also been enormous. In 1905, an average male factory worker older than 16 took home $11.16 a week, enough to buy about 41 cartons of eggs. Today, the median man earns $1,176 a week, enough to buy more than 275 cartons of eggs, even at today's elevated prices. If you can't help cringing when you see the cashier ring up eggs that cost twice as much as they did a year ago, it might help to remember that however poor you feel, your ancestors would have taken one look at your grocery cart and declared you rich beyond their dreams.

What if we didn't look at egg prices 100 years ago, but one year ago?

She's eternally flacking for Obama/Biden, as all good "Libertarians" do.

A friend says:

When it's SOTU night and the media is basically forced to fall back on "at least you don't have scurvy like your ancestors" you know things are going swimmingly.

posted by Ace at 03:21 PM

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