Way to go, Canada!

[uwe]

Tariffs hurt those who have little the most. If you are affluent enough to consider buying a Porsche, slapping on an extra 25% or even 50% is not going to deter you. There is always money for luxury goods, wealthy people are the most economic crisis-resistant.

But if the price difference between a Chinese and an US refrigerator is what forces you to buy the Chinese one, then adding a prohibitive tariff will f*** you big time. In that case it's no refrigerator at all then.

You guys know me, yeah, I'm a lefty, I believe in social advancement, I'm too old for that to change. But I'm also a globalist - global trade with as little prohibitions as possible leads to the optimal allocation of production and market regions. The age of globalism saw national poverty decline - worldwide. Just take a look at what it did to China. The US didn't get any poorer either, actually the opposite - it is just that its allocation of wealth across the population became more top-heavy. But that is something you can't solve with tariffs.

All tariffs do is preserve inefficiencies for a while.

And the US has one other issue. Your huge domestic market. That is a blessing and a curse. A curse, because US production of goods tends to concentrate on the home market. Those goods, however, are often so specific they are rarely competitive in other markets. Sure, Europeans or Asians will buy an iPhone, a Harley-Davidson, a Levi's denim jeans or a Gibson Les Paul. Those are all arch-American brands, you acquire the mythology and social status with it. But no one looking for a space to park his car in London, Paris, Rome, Berlin or Warsaw needs a Dodge Ram, and no European farmer dreams of a John Deere or Massey Ferguson combine harvester. Your industries are not really used to adapting to other markets, that makes them susceptible to attacks from foreign brands who are. Again, tariffs won't cure that type of trade deficit.

[Dave W]

He doesn't understand anything about tariffs and how they work. But whatever, it's not his fault. It's never ever his fault. Someone or something else is always at fault.

Life is hard when you're brain dead.

[patman]

The first thing I remember in Econ 101 was analyzing tariffs, and how they were almost always bad for everyone except possibly the protected manufacturers.

[uwe]

It's an archaic instrument of medieval robber barons. Or going even further back to antiquity: one of Biblical publicans and tax farmers, not exactly popular figures in scripture IIRC ... Trump has become a re-publican. 

Immediately after the election "tariffs" was the most googled term in the US, no joke.

[uwe]

Life is hard when you're brain dead.

Ignorant derision at intelligence, education, experience and generally knowing what you are talking about has really become a thing in the era of social media, hasn't it? It has helped people overcome all shame about outing themselves as having no idea about anything.

If you listen to fools ... the mob rules !!!

[Highlander]

Ah... living the dream in Scotland...
Also having a mother that was born in Vancouver BC before being repatriated to Scotland because of some financial fracas in 1930, gives me the right to claim Canadian citizenship...!
My sister holds duel nationality...
Presently awaiting Bernie Sanders to ask the good people of Vermont if they wish to stay in the Union or become a Province, as was discussed in the State prior to Biden's win...
No idea of the political leanings of the other 12 States that border the Provinces but wouldn't that make a pretty flip of the switch...   

[Ken]

Ah... living the dream in Scotland...
Also having a mother that was born in Vancouver BC before being repatriated to Scotland because of some financial fracas in 1930, gives me the right to claim Canadian citizenship...!
My sister holds duel nationality...
Presently awaiting Bernie Sanders to ask the good people of Vermont if they wish to stay in the Union or become a Province, as was discussed in the State prior to Biden's win...
No idea of the political leanings of the other 12 States that border the Provinces but wouldn't that make a pretty flip of the switch...   

Yes please.

[uwe]

I'm so happy to see America embrace Taliban culture politics!

States really know best in such matters.

[uwe]

Finally, some real country:

[gearHed289]

Ha! Hard to tell if that's satire or not. He needs to be sent into space.

[uwe]

A lot of people ask that question, is this satire? Have we really reached a stage already where it could be deemed as serious even in any alternative universe?

She's a comedian and currently feeding the take that it's sincere in its mock-devoutness, but I believe it's all part of the spoof to carry on for a while. To me it cries SNL. Or maybe I'm just one of those jaded and cynic libs that don't recognize true, unquestioning faith when they see it.

But then ... things can take a life of their own, can't say? This iconic Vietnam War pic here



is largely seen as a media turning point of the war, a depiction of an atrocity. But that is not how the photographer intended it. He took the shot after the interrogation of the tied up man, a suspected Vietcong member, had apparently revealed that he had murdered a South Vietnamese family collaborating with the Americans, women and children being among the dead. The shootist, a higher ranking member of the South Vietnamese police, became so infuriated that he seethingly delivered what he thought was ultimate justice himself and executed him on the spot. The photographer, an American, thought nothing wrong with that given what the VC suspect had supposedly done - the rest of the world, however, did - and would decades later still belabor how the intended message of the pic could have gone so awry (from his point of view).

[4stringer77]

Well, at least it was nice of Elon to finally rescue those stranded NASA astronauts whatever else you may think of him. Personally, I'm happy to see DOGE trimming down the bloated bureaucracy. Speaking of Canada, I've had some of the happiest moments of my life there and I wish Canadians the best. I'm optimistic things will work out eventually.

[uwe]

No one is denying that Musk has real, selective talents and can be a driving force of innovation - but through all of history people like that have not been the right ones to wield significant political power. You wouldn't have wanted Thomas Edison or Henry Ford to be Presidents either. Musk can spend his zillions all he wants on flying to Mars, letting him buy a social network was a mistake under any rules-based order preventing concentration and misappropriation of powers.

[4stringer77]

If he can afford to buy it and it's for sale, it's a free country. If someone doesn't like him owning the product, they don't have to use it. It's not like Twitter is an essential utility. I don't use twitter but from what I understand there's less censorship now there than before and freedom of speech is more important than whatever the corrupted established order was allowing for. Hopefully some day most Europeans can say what they want without fear of having a knock on their door for expressing views contrary to what their establishment prefers.

[doombass]

Hopefully some day most Europeans can say what they want without fear of having a knock on their door for expressing views contrary to what their establishment prefers.

As being a Swede I don't have any fear of speaking my mind (well, yet. Give Sverigedemokraterna some more slack and then we'll see). I'm not sure which European country you are referring to in that statement.