Something called the Ludwig Institute has put together something called called the Minimal Quality of Life Index, which they say tracks the true cost of living in the U.S. better than other measures. It shows that costs for working parents in particular have just become crushing. And this feels right to this somewhere-above-the-median working parent. If politicians are listening to economists using more traditional measures that do not capture how real voters are experiencing the cost of living, this may explain some of our problems.