I have to agree with them to a certain extent.the statisticians could even argue that a person buying Pennzoil at $18.84 instead of the old SuperTech at $16-17 is equally happy as the buyer of $16 old Super Tech. This is how someone at a spreadsheet in DC can say that there is no inflation in the real world with a straight face (substitution effect w/statistical hedonic adjustment).
Buyer: "A new truck is over $50,000? That"s to much".
Dealer: "So you don't want it?"
Buyer: "No. I want that one over there with the top trim package that's $90,000."