A new reason to deny you a raise

According to the government inflation for the year 2008 was .1%.  The lowest inflation for our country since 1954.  

Think about what the number is saying:  A year ago you spent $100 to buy stuff.  On average you will now spend $100.10 to buy the same stuff.    Prices, on average, have not changed.

Really?

Economic textbooks list reasons why the government's inflation rate is too high:  Inflation doesn't measure the fact that $500 today will buy a better computer than $500 a year ago.  Inflation doesn't measure people who substitute.  If the price of bananas goes up you stop buying as many.  Those who measure inflation assume you buy the same number of bananas each and every month.

OK, so there are problems in measuring inflation.  

But I'm not convinced that if the average family in America totaled all of their bills that they are only paying .1% more this year.  

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Most employers use the inflation rate as the base for deciding how much of a raise to give their employees.

I hope you weren't planning on a raise in 2009.