Two often-overlooked factors support the idea we are headed down a path of inflation even if the economy drastically slows.

• The first is many laws have been set in place to raise the minimum wage. The recent agreement workers made with UPS screams wage inflation.
• The second is the fact that so many Americans work for the government. These are mostly full time and workers seldom get laid off without pay. Figures from the National Debt Clock show just under 150 million workers are in the workforce and nearly 24 million of them are employed by the government. That is almost one in six.

The government’s oversized role in today’s economy which is much larger than it was during the Great Depression has put a net under the ability of prices to fall.