A Fox News host’s claim he spent $90 on a Thanksgiving turkey is getting tremendous pushback and mockery as economists note the price of turkeys, gas, airplane travel, and even complete Thanksgiving Day dinners have all dropped in what one jovially declared a “Thanksgiving miracle.”
“We went to go buy a turkey today — it was $90 for a turkey,” former Republican U.S. Congressman turned Fox News host Jason Chaffetz said Monday (video below).”The price of stamps is up 32% in the last four years. But it’s all a choice by Joe Biden. That is what Bidenomics is.”
The first of a first class stamp today is 66 cents. Four years ago, in 2019, it was 55 cents — that’s a 20% increase. (For the record, here’s the price 0f stamps since 1885.)
Chaffetz was roundly mocked, with many posting ads from their local grocers showing the price of turkeys this Thanksgiving, which CNBC and others report is actually lower than last year.
“On average, Americans can expect to pay $35.40 for a 15-pound turkey this year — an average of $2.36 per pound,” FinanceBuzz reports. “At more than $50 per bird ($52.85), Hawaii has the highest average turkey prices of all the states. In the contiguous U.S., Minnesota and California tie for the highest average price at $41.85.”
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“Almost everything on the Thanksgiving menu is lower – prices for cranberries have dropped 18%,” CNBC reports. “But the main reason for the decrease is due to the star of the show — the turkey. This year, a 16-pound turkey is averaging $27.35, down 5.6% from a year ago.”
Inflation dropped from 9.1% annually in June of last year to 3.2% annually last month — inflation in the month of October was zero.
Indeed, prices are dropping, in some cases tremendously. The price of eggs is down 22%, TVs down 9.4%, butter is down 3.7%, and gas prices are “tumbling,” possibly to under $3/gallon before the end of the year.
Professor of economics Justin Wolfers, who often provides information in a more interesting form than some, served up several charts declaring “turkey prices are crashing,” heralding “turkey deflation,” and celebrating the “Thanksgiving miracle” that “Airfares are plummeting just in time for the holidays.”
Last week Wolfers noted that “Real wages are above pre-pandemic levels.”
Meanwhile, the Chaffetz mockery continues.
“We just bought a ginormous fresh local turkey (a lot pricier than frozen store turkey) and it didn’t cost 90 bucks, so apparently Chaffetz is buying turkeys covered in bling,” wrote The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols. “Because, you know, turkey and Halloween candy are why we need an unhinged dictator in the White House.”
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“WHAT?” snarked writer and filmmaker Melissa Jo Peltier. “You mean @POTUS is going around to ALL the poultry farms AND ALL the grocery stores in America, ordering them how to mark up their turkey prices? Phew! That must be exhausting. I couldn’t keep up a schedule like that. Joe sure has stamina!”
One social media user took a look at Chaffetz’s local grocery store.
Another social media user checked out another Utah grocer. They correctly note a full turkey dinner that serves 6-8 people, ready to cook, costs $175. They also sell frozen turkeys for $1.29/pound.
Watch Chaffetz below or at this link.
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