this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2025
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how was this possible? was there a deflation?
or was it the specificity of the product sugar that was made so expensive due to wartime restrictions on maritime trade?
The sign says "O.P.A. Ceiling Prices," so WWII-era price controls were probably the subject.
Between taxing the wealthy, nationalisation of key companies and assets, and this, seems like they had some really good policies back then.
Okay, but what about their freedom?
If you don't have the right to price gouge, how long until the government steals all your other liberties?
Sure, you'll enjoy a higher quality of life. But is it really worth it, knowing that the mega-wealthy will suffer?
Gonna have to say, had me in the first half there.
Beltalowda na animals!
sasa ke
Damn i wish i was witty enough to remember belter dialect. I can read it just fine but using it is beyond me.
sta calm, kopeng
The answer is in the photo (well the reason I guess)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Price_Administration
Its so funny how the US despises socialism when its best economic time period had full on government controlled industry production and pricing requirements.
Took a good 40 years of far right propaganda, red scares, bigotry, and conspiracy mongering to get from FDR's New Deal to Reagan Economics.
American fascists poisoned the minds of their children and their grandchildren in order to reach this point.
American fascists have been used as tools by the rich to undo the gains of the new deal, and ultimately the gains of the Enlightenment to bring us back into some type of feudalism where owing money leads to Virtual slavery. And the entire system is fixed so you cannot avoid owing money to somebody.
We hate socialism so much we bought part of Intel.
I actually support government/public shareholding. It’s a natural path to UBI that maps effective taxation directly to shareholder value (prohibiting tax loopholes) and reflects public backing of commercial entities proportionately with public stake.
Honestly it’s absurd that major stimulus initiatives proceed without requiring public equity in return for the funds. And that’s doubly true for corporations that would crater otherwise, since such a bailout would then result in a controlling stake. Public centralization via such an acquisition would be logical for any entity that’s “too big to fail.”
I’m sure this administration’s motivations are corrupt and we should be wary, but the precedent itself is progressive IMHO.
That’s facism
America was great when it was communist.
You just gonna ignore that America stood by, didn't enter the war, built the finest war machine Earth has ever seen, deployed it, WON, and suffered no loses at home?
But hey, if you want a war economy, and think you can sustain it, Putin would like some tips.
i was so busy looking at the prices that my adhd brain didn’t register the opa part! thanks for the explanation
In addition to the WWII rations and OPA stuff that others have mentioned, there was a fair amount of general deflationary pressure during the Great Depression in the 1930s.
I haven't looked at what happened to sugar specifically.
Later on, after the Cuban Revolution I know we subsidized sugar partly out of spite for Cuba. That would not be at play here though.