In line at Home Depot

[HAB911]

garden center and an old couple is ahead of us, maskless, which is now optional, purchasing several items which included two very thin 6' trim pieces of what I think was pine. They get into it with the cashier, seems they thought each was $1.19, and find out each are $1.19 a foot, so they no longer want them. Old guy says to the cashier, "It's all Biden's fault, he stopped the lumber!" His wife says, "Shut up, no one wants to hear that stuff".

#1, what does "Biden stopped the lumber!" even mean?
#2. If I wasn't so chicken I would have asked her if she knew he was an asshole when she married him.
#3. If I wasn't so chicken, I would have asked him how he liked my new pair of Joe Biden Commemorative Aviators I was wearing.

#4. I'm so chicken because anyone so un-selfaware as to be yammering like that at the register probably is packing as overcompensation for low self esteem anyway. 😁

[Firestorm49]

1. Thanks. I had a good laugh over it. You can't fix stupid. Best you held your tongue.

[LakeArenal]

2. Old couple. One half of which told the other to shut up. Did he?

I think that’s progress actually.

Edit: I might have bought it for them and said, “Consider this from Joe Biden”

[MontanaMama]

3. Lumber was through the roof expensive

under TFG. There were significant supply chain issues during Covid and they continue to this day.

[Dustlawyer]

15. You are right but also add in the high demand due to all of last years hurricane and fire damage.

The old guy is brainwashed by RW media. He truly believes what he is saying because he is hearing nothing but negative comments about Democrats. Watching/listening to RW media all day who NEVER has anything good to report about Biden, or any Democrat for that matter, creates a Republican base who will never believe the truth.

Until and unless we do something about the propaganda we will continue to spiral down.

[JohnnyRingo]

19. Nah...

He's just sore that the Former Guy lost.

I imagine he gets up and complains about the Biden pains in his legs, goes to the refrigerator to find Biden spoiled the milk, and complain that Biden brought us another record hot day. Thank goodness he still gets his Donald Trump Security check every month.

[Diamond_Dog]

24. 👍👍👍👍

[Jedi Guy]

37. "Thanks Oba-... er, Biden!" N/T

[mtngirl47]

46. Same thought I had!

[Jedi Guy]

50. Great minds think alike! N/T

[lagomorph777]

20. We need to buy up Fux, ClearChannel, and FascistBook, then flip the management and message.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. Lumber prices have spiked due to COVID related shutdowns

Lumber mills shut down due to COVID but are re-opening and lumber prices are going down

[TexasBushwhacker]

53. There are also fewer trees to cut down because of the

wildfires on the west coast. 150 Million trees died because of drought and fires, and they just provide tinder for MORE fires.

[jonstl08]

5. Grad Party this weekend

Was at my sisters house this past Saturday for her daughters graduation party. Niece is my Goddaughter so had to attend. Full of Trump supporters including my sister, BIL and her older kids. Somebody brought up lumber prices and tried to blame Biden. In an instance I said it was Canada placing tariffs on lumber in retaliation against the US for tariffs the Trump administration placed against Canadian products. Biden has not done anything yet. They were silent then.

Walked out of the room with my head held high.

[Disaffected]

12. Actually it was the US

who placed tariffs on Canadian soft-wood lumber. This has been going on/off for many years.

[questionseverything]

52. Kinda scary that you are the only one on the thread that has a clue

I know because we’re in construction and when Biden’s team announced last tariff increase my spouse was really upset

I was thinking it didn’t go into effect until September though

Canada doesn’t import lumber at all, does it?

[Disaffected]

54. It looks like US tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber

imports will more than double in September to approx. 18%.

Canada does import a total about $12 billion worth of "wood products" per year, most of it from the US. I don't know what fraction of that is softwood lumber but I'm guessing it is quite low and most of it would in in the form of manufactured wood products.

The main reason US lumber mills are perpetually hostile to Canadian imports is that "stumpage" fees in the US are a lot higher than in Canada due mainly to most tree cutting in the US is from privately owned wood lots while in Canada it is mainly from "Crown" i.e. government owned lands (or so is my understanding).

[questionseverything]

55. I think they import doors, windows and cabinets

While we import more raw wood from them

[seta1950]

17. 👏🏼 bravo

Good for you, they seem unable to respond when faced with the truth

[calimary]

29. And seems to me it has to be said.

There are ways to do so non-confrontationally.

But it seems to me something needs to be said. A brainless blurt in a checkout line ought not to be left unchecked.

They say it openly because they figure it’s some “word of god” or otherwise unchallengeable. Maybe because they’re watching Pox “News” in a nice insulated echo chamber at home - where that bent viewpoint is their little cloistered world. When they’re out in public, all those bets are off. That’s MY world TOO. And if I were in line I’d smile at him and say something like “Biden’s terrific” or “God bless for President Biden - helping those who really need it.” Or “so good to be proud of our President again!”

Seems to me, anyway, that maybe they need to be made aware of a different point of view. Especially since there are more of US holding that different point of view. And if they’re not exposed to it, or presented with it in a general “average citizen” way, MAYBE-just-MAYBE it’ll give them a glimpse of a different reality than the specially-edited-and-redesigned bubble world they inhabit.

To me anyway, fact-checking can be a very good thing. Even a patriotic thing.

[duhneece]

38. I agree.

MOST of the time I do but sometimes it’s so unexpected that I think too slowly to speak. Lol

[aggiesal]

39. And because they don't have a critical thinking skills, ...

they would have not figured out that the tariff on lumber that Canada imposed, does not affect
the price of lumber on this side of the border.
But I loved what you did and it got them thinking and shut them up.
Now if we charged a tariff on Canadian lumber, then yes the lumber prices would be affected on this side of the border.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding something, but bravo on your part.

[dalton99a]

6. Lumber prices have begun to adjust downward. If it's not an emergency repair, WAIT.

[zuul]

7. I went to my local Lowe's yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to find

that 5' dog-eared cedar fence boards are the exact same price they were pre-pandemic.

I paid $2.97 per board in 2019 and I paid $2.97 per board yesterday. I was afraid the price was going to be double that.

And there was no shortage. I bought about 50 boards and there were plenty more on the shelves.

Thank you, President Biden!

[RainCaster]

10. Cedar prices are almost reasonable

I need some hem-fir to build a screen door, so I went to the Home Despot nearby yesterday. Prices were very high, and the stock picked over. So I went to the local owned Lumber yard instead and ordered fresh stock. (they did not have enough pieces to suit me) Slightly better pricing, but still high, maybe double what I paid last year. Much better quality, than HD carries.

[TheBlackAdder]

8. babylonsister wrote this OP yesterday about prices starting to fall now.

.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215549243

.

[Niagara]

9. Old guy has been indoctrinated into believing everything is "the democrats" fault

by their RW "news sources".




I have several family members that think like this guy. I recently had a cousin the blamed Biden for the gas shortage and the increased gas prices. I could have told my cousin that there was a gas shortage in certain areas due to gas hoarders and the price of gas always increases during summer months. I didn't bother correcting my cousin because there is no reason or logic inside their head.

[redstatebluegirl]

16. There is a young guy and his wife behind us who

are just as bad. Not all old people are nuts and not all young people are woke.

[Elessar Zappa]

22. No, not all, but

according to opinion polls, most youngsters are more liberal than their elders.

[Evolve Dammit]

26. Yep. sounds right.

[geardaddy]

11. Home Depot is crap

I avoid shopping there at all costs. The staff are useless and it's a Republican-owned business.

[seta1950]

18. Yes

I agree, a small hardware store where I live is much better and they’ll get anything I need, that they don’t have. It’s a small family owned business.

[geardaddy]

35. Yep, I agree

Even if it's a little more expensive, I like to shop at mom and pop hardware stores.

[Evolve Dammit]

27. yes, yes and yes. Home Diablo. Then there's Lowecifers, next to Satan Mart.

[geardaddy]

36. We don't have a Lowe's near us

but we have Menard's, an Upper Midwest chain. They're repukes too.

[sarchasm]

13. Krugman had a great piece on this in the Times yesterday.

Basically, these temporary spikes due to pandemic supply disruptions will work themselves out soon.

IMO much faster if everyone gets vaccinated.

**paywall**

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/opinion/inflation-economy-biden-fed.html?referringSource=articleShare


“…recent data and recent statements from the Federal Reserve have, well, deflated the case for a sustained outbreak of inflation. For that case has always depended on asserting that the Fed is either intellectually or morally deficient (or both). That is, to panic over inflation, you had to believe either that the Fed’s model of how inflation works is all wrong or that the Fed would lack the political courage to cool off the economy if it were to become dangerously overheated. …

… economists have tried to distinguish between transitory fluctuations in the inflation rate driven by temporary factors and an underlying “core” inflation rate that is much more stable — but also hard to bring down if it gets uncomfortably high. The idea is that policy should largely ignore transitory inflation, which is easy come, easy go, and worry only if core inflation looks as if it’s getting too high (or too low).”

[ProfessorGAC]

49. Spot On!

From my reply to the OP below:

on May 7, lumber futures were $1,670 per 1,000 board feet.
Yesterday, they were under $900, with 12 straight days of dramatic drops. 40 something percent in 6 weeks. And, still trending down.

This is likely the outcome of the data Krugman referenced.

[sarchasm]

51. Yeah, I have an architect/builder friend in CO ...

… said his supplier quoted lumber for his last project at 2.50 a board foot, and the current project was 6 bucks!

[forgotmylogin]

14. "Biden Stopped the Lumber!" might be the new "Thanks, Obama!" n/t

[luckone]

25. Thinking the same ..

[Duppers]

44. They indeed are about that bad!

Nice gif ⬆⬆

[Duppers]

21. Wish I'd been there.

Of course hubby says I'm going to get myself killed one day.

[Niagara]

41. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

We like having you around, Duppers!

[Duppers]

42. Aww, thank you, Niagara.

I'm flattered. 😁

[marieo1]

23. Right On

You did the right thing..........you aren't going to win with idiots like that. They all just run at the mouth and very little of it is correct.

[Dukkha]

28. Perople without an ounce of personal responsibility

Always need a scapegoat to blame for their own personal failures.

[aggiesal]

30. Yup, blame it on Biden ...

I would have said, I agree!
Biden got more people vaccinated at a faster pace that we got to open up earlier than expected,
and the labor force and the supply lines couldn't keep up.
Bad Biden for making sure we could take our masks off!
Said sarcastically.

They would have never figured it out.

[MiHale]

31. Sounds like the older gentleman...

“Stopped the lumber”.

Stopping numerous 2x4’s to the back of the head will cause problems as you described.

[lpbk2713]

32. He was deflecting his own stupidity.

He should have known the price before he even arrived at the register.
The price would have been clearly marked on the shelf.

[RKP5637]

33. An example of people saying stupid things who only know half the story or less. n/t

[Initech]

34. I'm guessing Alex Jones has something to do with this.

[BootinUp]

40. Got wood?

[NoMoreRepugs]

43. Neighbor was complaining his daughter was giving up her job here in Jacksonville, FL CUZ the price

of gas was too high cuz of Biden - I asked if she commutes daily from Miami. Shut him up and he turned and walked away.

[twodogsbarking]

45. Amazon bought all of the forests in the world.

People will believe that one.

[ProfessorGAC]

47. Just So Those Here Know...

...on May 7, lumber futures were $1,670 per 1,000 board feet.
Yesterday, they were under $900, with 12 straight days of dramatic drops. 40 something percent in 6 weeks. And, still trending down.
I wonder how this old fool would explain prices falling back to normal in a month or 2.

[Warpy]

48. Being chicken these days is a good thing, Dumdum's fan club is unhinged

and likely to turn violent at the drop of a fact.

My own policy is to wait until assholes of any type have gotten close to the door is to use my stage voice and say to the cashier, "It's OK, I've worked retail, too." It gives a clerk who is embarrassed by bad behavior a boost and I've always had the satisfaction of watching the bad actor(s) stiffen up as they leave the store.

Mr MAFAt is his own worst enemy, too stupid to know what "board foot" means and too stubborn to accept he was wrong about something trivial. Likely he could well have afforded the $12 or so, but now he doesn't have what he needs to finish a project and I strongly suspect his sensible wife isn't going to let him forget it for weeks.

[southerncrone]

56. Typical Southern geezer comment. I've witnessed several similar comments from older Southern men

myself.
They sit home all day watching Faux Noise NoiseMaxx, or some other right-wing media brainwashing tool.

(Note: I'm an older Southern female, so I unfortunately encounter many of these geezers.)