Since Mr. Cuomo took office in 1983, state spending has been growing, on average, at a rate that well exceeds inflation.

Social Security payouts are indexed to wages, which historically have exceeded inflation.

But many expect Congress to balk at increases that exceed inflation.

In Washington, attention is focused on a proposal to penalize colleges, public and private, for increases that exceed inflation by a designated amount.

Those increases far exceeded inflation and came despite growing landlord profits, with an average net operating income over expenses of about 34 percent, critics said.

The benchmark interest rate now exceeds inflation, which has been running about 2.5 percent a year, by a small amount.

In 1980, college tuitions began rising year after year at a rate that exceeded inflation.

Many executives say they are offering raises that do not exceed inflation.

In recent years, inflation in health care has substantially exceeded inflation in the rest of the economy.

Managed care programs helped purge the health care system of cost increases exceeding medical inflation, he said.