Saturday afternoon I met with Melinda and a couple of the women from her ladies Bible study to discuss something happening the following day at church. As we later walked to the trolleybus stop together, Valentina and I had a conversation about how fast prices for food are rising here in Ukraine. Imagine my surprise when I got home later that evening and checked the news on the internet and there was an article on the inflation rate for food in the States. Listed were several foods and the inflation rate from 2006 to 2008.
Although I don't have the inflation rate or previous prices for food here in Ukraine, here are some current comparisons (the first two amounts are in Ukrainian grivnya:
Tomatoes here:
16.19/kg or 7.34/lb or $1.56/lb
Tomatoes States:
2006 = $1.65/lb
2008 = $1.84/lb
Hamburger (Ukrainian mix of beef and pork):
28.90/kg or 13.11/lb or $2.76/lb
Hamburger (States 100% beef):
2006 = $2.57/lb
2008 = $2.83/lb
Salad peppers (1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow in pkg, imported because local are not yet ripe):
24.79/pkg of 13oz or 30.56/lb or $6.44/lb
Sweet peppers States:
2006 = $1.62/lb
2008 = $2.71/lb
"Fresh" whole chicken Ukraine:
16.45/kg or 7.46/lb or $1.57/lb
30.90/kg or 14.01/lb or $2.95/lb for chicken breasts alone
Fresh whole chicken States:
2006 = $1.05/lb
2008 = $1.17/lb
Maybe this looks like a great deal to you, if you live in the States, except for the chicken of course, and the hamburger, and we won't even talk about hard sausage (which is a staple food here and is going for apx. $4.30/lb) or cheese (cheapest hard cheese goes for around $3.88/lb). Which means, if you eat protein, you actually pay less by quite a bit in the States than we do here. And in the States you get a much "nicer" product when it comes to meat.
Compounding this rise in food prices, for us and for many Ukrainians, is the devaluation of the Dollar. Not too many months ago, the exchange rate was $1=5.42 grivnya. Now it has dropped to $1=4.70-4.74 grivnya (the rate changes every day, but it's been averaging between those two numbers, mostly closer to 4.70). The Euro, on the other hand, has been increasing in value. This makes no sense to me at all because the European Union is basically bankrupt (compare national debt per person in France or Germany to the national debt per person in the States, and then look to see which economy is actually growing. Hint - the US economy has NEVER STOPPED GROWING no matter what certain political parties keep saying, while Europe is stagnant or decreasing). But then - I'm not an economist, am I? Nor am I trying to run for political office in the States.
But I digress once again.
If you think these prices are not too bad, think about what you pay compared to your salary. Consider the fact that the poverty level here in Ukraine is around $300 per month. One person I know has a pension of 1000 grivnya per month, or $211 per month. She gets her pension, works full time, has several students that she tutors each week and receives some money from her son who lives in a different country. She is doing ok financially, unless she gets sick. Consider the elderly who live on only their pensions, and many get less than this woman does per month. Now - try to buy meat or cheese as well as pay for transportation, utilities, rent, medicines and so forth.
I haven't even mentioned gas prices - and I won't go into that here, other than to say most Ukrainians would be happy to be paying ONLY $4 per gallon when they fill up their vehicle.
I don't understand how all of this works. I don't understand how people are surviving here. I do know that in many ways Ukraine is much better off than many other poorer countries in the world.
I do understand that as an American, I am richly blessed. I thank God for that, and God alone. I also realize that I have a responsibility to the rest of the world. My eyes are opened, at least a bit, and I cannot close them again.
Does this make me a political liberal? No. I laugh as I write that because I live right now in a country which had a socialist government (where the US is headed very, very fast) and I see every day what the outcome of that form of government is. God help us and protect us in the United States from our ownselves!
Too much to go into in this post. I'll have to save it for a rainy day when I am feeling particularly politically stident. Right now I just want to go and think about something else for awhile. This is all way too depressing if I dwell on it.
No comments:
Post a Comment