Inflation

I read the Aug. 21 editorial in which you discuss the PacBell proposed increase to $1.10 for a directory assistance call. (That is a request; the PUC-approved plan at the moment is an increase from 25 cents to 50 cents.) I also note that AT&T; plans to impose a $3 a month minimum on residential customers. In the last decade the cost of a new car has roughly doubled (from $10,000 to $20,000). Since Ralphs bought out Alpha Beta a few years ago, my grocery bill has increased by about 50%. The government says there is no inflation (2% or 3% a year, at most). And certainly the government--like its leader, our president--is truthful and beyond question. A flat inflation rate fuels stock price increases and holds down the government payout for Social Security and other programs. When I asked my stockbroker about the seeming contradiction between what the government tells me and what I see with my own eyes, he assured me that the government was computing correctly. It must just be that my individual circumstances are different than the model.

So I take cheer. It’s just me.

R.J. WAGNER

Van Nuys