Brooklyn resident Jimmy McMillan made a crucial contribution to American politics with six simple words in 2010: “The rent is too damn high.” McMillan’s party — the aptly named Rent is Too Damn High Party — never won its mayoral or gubernatorial bids over a decade ago. But the phrase, which McMillan shouted from a bullhorn on many a New York City street corner, caught on, because the rent is, indeed, too damn high.

With inflation on the rise, the situation has grown damn more dire. According to Homes Guarantee, a campaign of People’s Action, rents rose over 14 percent year over year in June, compared to 2 to 3 percent increases before the pandemic. June 2022 saw the biggest one-month increase in rents since 1986.

You could adapt McMillan’s phrase for the rest of the basic goods. The groceries are too damn high. The gas is too damn high. The utilities are too damn high. That’s because working people are being slammed by inflation. According to a recent survey from LendingTree, “40% of Americans say they’re less able to afford their bills than a year ago,” and “62% of Americans struggle to afford at least one bill.” Over half of those surveyed overdrew their account to pay a bill, and a third have paid a bill late in the past six months. Not surprisingly, inflation — at a four-decade high — tops the list of concerns among people living in the United States.