I recently moved from Colorado to Wyoming because I couldn't afford to live there anymore (and because the politics are resembling California more and more, but that's another story). I make over 100k a year and I could not afford to live there...let that sink in for a second.

Now imagine making $13 an hour at Starbucks or hell, even 60k a year in a office job. You're pretty much screwed. Why work for a system that doesn't reward your labor with anything meaningful other than basic survival and barely anything else? A new car costs over 40k on average, a new home is easily 8x the median income in most areas, and everytime you go grocery shopping everything you buy now costs more than a month ago.

Inflation is the primary cause of all this and you can thank over a decade of artificially low rates and money printer going bbrrrrrrrrr in order to pump the stock market and protect the rich and mega Corps. Meanwhile the rest of us were getting screwed with higher prices and no access to the American dream we were told our whole lives that hard work would afford us. I work 40+ hours a week, but I completely sympathize with anyone who isn't putting up with this bullshit anymore.

That's not the point. The point is inflation is so bad that the average new car costs more what 2/3 of the population can afford. Yes you can buy a cheap used car, but then you get to deal with the inflation attached to repairs, maintenance, registration, and taxes, pricing out a large chunk of the population as well.