Peace,

You are certainly right that higher prices mean that it costs more to buy things. However, this thread is about profit, not prices. Prices and profits are related, but they are not the same, as many a business owner has learned to his sorrow. Some businesses (think Target or WalMart) have low prices but are still profitable. Others may have high prices but still are not profitable.

By the way, since you pointed out that single mothers are real people, I hope you won't think it amiss if I point out that Exxon Mobil's employees (including many single mothers), and the many elderly people whose pension funds hold Exxon Mobil stock, are real people too.

Kent