Do you want to see a very clear sign that our standard of living has gone way down?  When I was growing up, middle class and low-income Americans flocked to fast food restaurants such as McDonald's and Wendy's.  But now we are being told that high prices have "driven away lower-income customers" from McDonald's, and Wendy's is being forced to close hundreds of locations.  Most of us just can't afford it anymore.  U.S. consumers are being squeezed financially to a degree that we have never seen before, and as a result most of them have very little discretionary income to spend.

I clearly remember a time when it was very common for parents to stop at McDonald's on the way home and pick up Happy Meals for their children because they were so inexpensive.

Needless to say, that wasn't a very healthy choice, but at least the food was dirt cheap.

But now it is being reported that "Happy Meals at McDonald's are prohibitively expensive for some people, because there's been so much inflation"…

McDonald's executives say the higher costs of restaurant essentials, such as beef and salaries, have pushed food prices up and driven away lower-income customers who are already being squeezed by the rising cost of groceries, clothes, rent and child care.

With prices for everything rising, consumer companies concerned about the pressures on low-income Americans include food, automotive and airline businesses, among others, said analyst Adam Josephson. "The list goes on and on," he said.

"Happy Meals at McDonald's are prohibitively expensive for some people, because there's been so much inflation," Josephson said.

This makes me so sad.

If you are old enough, you still remember when fast food chains couldn't open up new locations fast enough because there was so much demand.

But now the cost of living crisis is forcing Wendy's to permanently close down hundreds of locations…

Fast food giant Wendy's plans to close hundreds of its U.S. stores next year as part of a broader effort to revive its domestic business, which has been under pressure from slowing sales.