Unconventional Indicators

How's the inflation rate? Sure you could go out and check the government's Consumer Price Index. But maybe there's another way to check it.

There's a homeless man that sits on the west side of North Michigan Avenue above Illinois street. He has his cup. sometimes he rattles it. Most times he just sits there with it at his feet. A buddy of mine once dropped some change in it. It was just a few pennies that he had recieved at lunch. The homeless looked at it and threw the pennies away.

Today, crossing a bridge over the Chicago river there was a different homeless man. He had his McD's cup and was begging. "Spare quarters. Got any quarters." He apparently had no use for anything smaller.