Rampant Inflation Diluting Dollar

The following commentary comes from an independent investor or market observer as part of TheStreet's guest contributor program, which is separate from the company's news coverage.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- As we saw recently during the May take-down of the gold and silver markets, not only was there a large cast of buffoons referring to the silver market as a "bubble," but an even greater number were asserting that at the least there had been a "top" in these markets.

When I head to the supermarket to do my grocery shopping, the same loaf of "premium" bread which I could purchase for about $2 a loaf three years ago today costs me roughly $4 today. Obviously since it is the same loaf of bread, there can be no argument that I'm getting a "better" loaf of bread for twice the price. Instead, it is unequivocal that the purchasing power of the paper in my wallet has fallen by half in just three years.

I could come up with numerous other examples of items with such massive "price increases," especially with respect to food items. This broad-based price explosion totally rebuts any possible argument that particular items are getting expensive. The only exception to that would be with respect to goods where there are now acute shortages. In those cases however, prices have tended to explode by an even greater amount.

What this translates to is that the rampant inflation which has already sparked rioting (and revolution) in many poorer nations is totally a phenomenon of out-of-control currency dilution, which is the same thing as saying out-of-control money-printing. Yet we observe the inability of practically the entire body of "experts" to understand the concept and effects of currency dilution, despite the fact that these same individuals have no problem understanding the concept of "dilution" when it is applied to the share structure of a corporation.

Should the experts in our markets spot a company which is printing-up new shares at an excessive rate, these analysts will tell you to dump that stock faster than you can hit the "sell" button on your trading platform. And they won't hesitate to tell you that only a "fool" would hang onto a company which is undermining shareholder value in that manner.