The dollar skyrocketed, further collapsing the currency and causing prices to rise even more. A state of hysteria has taken over people in the villages, making monitoring the dollar’s movement their primary concern and focus. Discussions about a suffocating economic crisis dominate the scene, and all indicators suggest that the country is entering a more severe crisis. The dollar has not left any room for quick remedies, and even the monitors from the Ministry of Economy will not be able to control prices, which are rising "like a rocket." The entire scene confirms that the madness of rising prices has begun to terrify people; everything has gone up, from gasoline to electricity, water, meat, chicken, and even vegetables. As for sweets, they have become out of reach, with prices skyrocketing two or three times under the pretext of "the rise of the dollar," while the truth is that they jumped crazily on the eve of the holidays.
The dollar has frozen the market, halted buying and selling activities, and everyone is anticipating the country entering the worst economic tunnel in its history. Even amid the Civil War, the economy did not deteriorate in this way, a reality that most economists and financial analysts struggle to explain, as everyone confirms that the dollar is heading toward 50, feeling the danger and fear of losing goods and medicines. Perhaps the latter has entered a dangerous spiral, becoming nearly unavailable, just like baby milk, and companies are not supplying pharmacies under the pretext of awaiting the dollar’s movements.
Everyone has sounded the alarm; the rapid collapse signals catastrophe, while the ruling authority stands idly by. People are dying; even dying has become expensive. The poor struggle to provide even the price of their shrouds, which has exceeded one and a half million, not to mention burial costs, which have surpassed 4 million. People are in one valley, and the authority is in another, as the latter has not provided any roadmap for solving any crisis. All the promises made were false; vital sectors are collapsing one after another, and public sector salaries have melted away in the dollar’s fire. Strikes have returned to the forefront; the professional sector, considered the backbone of state-building, has gone on strike, as teachers demand their rights. The state has filled them with empty promises that do not feed them; they have become unable to reach vocational schools. The speeches do not fill their cars’ fuel tanks nor provide them with their severed medicines or enable them to secure their food. Yes, the situation is difficult and harsh.
Not only will vocational education be caught in the storm of strikes, but other sectors may follow suit after the New Year’s holiday. All indicators confirm that the country is entering a dangerous economic chaos that the state will not be able to contain. Do the leaders know that many citizens are sheltering from the cold with blankets because diesel has become available only to those who can afford it? Do they realize that water is cut off, and people are burdened with buying it at the price of 500,000? Yes, the reality is tragic, and no one shows mercy.
Everyone's eyes are on economic monitors and their rounds to control prices; even sweets have not escaped from this scrutiny after their prices have become "bitter" for citizens. The inflation is "out of control" in Nabatieh, which is considered the most expensive in Lebanon and is being described by many as the "Monaco of the East." This has prompted Mohammad Baytar, the head of the economy section in Nabatieh, to take "action" against sweet shops exhibiting price discrepancies in order to limit them. The dollar has soared, taking everything with it; what awaits the people next?
