The Baked Potato

I spent most of a day this past week at the Wisconsin State Fair and I had a wonderful time.  Ran into some old friends, heard some music, saw some animals, did some people watching.  Grand.  I used to work at the fair park, back in the late 70's/early 80's.  It was a fun job actually, and I learned a number of skills that I have used over the years.  When I started in 1979, my pay was $3 per hour.  I did get a raise to $3.10 after a couple of weeks.......

But back to the baked potato.  The potato is a big draw at the Wisconsin fair.  You get a good sized spud, and pretty much anything you could want to top it off--butter, chives, sour crème, whatever.  The workers used to be all volunteers (potato farmer families--daughters and wives if I recall), but I really don't know who mans the boot now.  Anyway finally to my point.  In 1978, a baked potato cost you a quarter.  Two bits.  We would live off those things while we were working there.  We would say you could get a dozen potatoes for an hours wages.

Not many of us could say that any more.  A baked potato will now set you back five bucks.  Looks like the same potato to me.  Still good sized, still the same toppings---little bigger booth, but it's been that way for years.  You'd need to be making $60 an hour now for a dozen of those spuds.  Not me.  The guy making the minimum wage now is dropping a whole days wages now instead of an hours worth on a dozen baked potatoes.  Sad.

I'm no economist.  I suppose I could check the prices on other things that have been hit by inflation, like beer or beef or those mops every third person seemed to be walking around with.  I just remembered the price of the lowly spud back then, and saw what it costs now.  And I remember what it was like making minimum wage back then, and can only imagine what it must be like now.  And with that, I will let you draw your own conclusions about things.....