I keep hoping the tariff trade war makes some kind of sense that’s just beyond my grasp.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow Not really. Just calling out lies is all. I never said tariffs are perfect, because let's face it, they never are. But at the same time, tariffs are an incentive to have companies make better quality products for their country instead of just ma cheap stuff that is made in China or Taiwan. We do not even make our own medicine anymore, dude. The last medicine manufacturer we had closed down 20 years ago and that was a penicillin plant. Point is tariffs suck for a bit but then yield good results eventually over time. Short term pain but eventually long term gain.

@Holden Except none of it is lies. You are making excuses for a completely insane economic policy.

And unfortunately for you that is not how tariffs work. THey have nothing to do with the quality of anything. And the "cheap stuff from Asia" idea is also largely racism. Every computer chip in your computer or phone comes from one of those two countries.

The point is tariffs will have zero impact on that without 20 years of rebuilding entire industries from scratch BEFORE you implement targeted tariffs.

Otherwise all you are doing is imposing a regressive tax on your own population because all it ends up doing is making everything more expensive.

There is no long term gain here.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow Absolutely correct Our friend here doesn't understand that manufacturing, heavy or otherwise, is dead and gone from the US and most developed countries and that's not a bad thing. There is simply no way anymore that the costs associated with making 100% American products - cars, clothing, electronics are feasible. That's costs for labor, materials, logistics (transport of materials), and distribution.

The costs, both short term and long term, for tariffs are carried by the middle class and poor. He obviously hasn't heard of Smoot-Hawley.

I'd also add that he's under the illusion that all US liberals watch CNN. 😂 Most of us get our news by reading. He's telling on himself. Anyone who watches TV for their news, no matter the source, is simply ill informed.

@Roundandroundwego The next time you say something that makes sense will be the first.

@carpediem I hope you’re right. It would feel less unstable if the person implementing the massive sweeping global changes wasn’t doing it with a shrug and a “We’ll see what happens” 🤷‍♂

@Zaphod42 I hope I'm right too. I'm used to Trump's style of negotiating. He rattles the world and comes to the table with a very strong negotiating position. I guess we'll see what happens 🤷🏻‍♂

@Zaphod42 I meaaan this has all been already happening since Joe Biden, but sure. Just blame Trump for everything even though the guy's only been in office for a little over 2 months, whatever floats your boat, dude.

@Zaphod42 What do you think being expected to provide aid to the world, military defense beyond what the individual countries provide for themselves, be at disadvantage to every country globally in trade tariffs on US goods vs that country, etc etc etc is doing to us? Look at the national debt.

DOGE and this are attempts to bring change and start addressing that. The DEMs ignored it for 12 of the last 16 yrs, offer nothing but more of the same even now.

Lets be honest .. the dems here and the rest of the world are gonna hate on Trump regardless of what he does. I'm not wild about some of this or other things he does either. BUT .. Its an attempt to change with no other in recent decades, its the only game in town.

The rest of the world seemed to have existed with unbalanced tariffs on us all these years. So they can take their turn and live with it without ramping theirs up further .. or negotiate something different.

@BrandNewMan The plan hinges on 185 countries not retaliating over it. What are the odds of that?

@Zaphod42 I said what I think its about .. not that its for sure to work. There will be some who try and play tough, the more that do the tougher it will get.

Time will tell. In the meantime, buckle up and try not to over react.

@pripyatamusementpark Thats OK. The country is already more bankrupt than he was.. How much harm can he do??😷

@pripyatamusementpark He bankrupted a casino. A casino…the only business model where the customer comes in, gives you all their money, and leaves with nothing. He bankrupted that.

@Zaphod42 oh well that's ok than

@swirlie That applies in some cases for sure, but what about components of US made goods that are imported? Such as auto parts, some of which cross back and forth across the Canada border multiple times before getting assembled into a domestic car? Or the rare earth minerals used in electronics such as iPhones that we simply don’t have enough of here in the states? Or the things we depend exporting (soy beans, pork, etc) to keep our farms operational and profitable?

@swirlie Unless they are manufactured in the USA from raw materials imported into the USA. Like iron or coal from overseas..😷

@Zaphod42

Just beyond your grasp? I think you're trolling your own thread here, Zaphod.

Anyone who says..
..is definitely someone who has MORE than just a grasp of the concept of tariffs.

@SomeMichGuy Well dressed criminals though 😋

@Zaphod42 That's how they ingratiate themselves!

@Zaphod42 "Oh, they'll NEVER suspect US, all dressed up like James Bond out for some baccarat!"

@Zaphod42 Just think of it--if we spend a dollar on researching them, and they buy NOTHING, there's a $1 trade deficit! 😉🤣🤣

@Zaphod42 AND this wil bring back all the factories there employing penguins, so we can regain all the jobs that fled there for cheap penguin labor!

Yeah!

@SomeMichGuy Ok, I see the solution! They need to each buy a McDonalds fish filet sandwich…at $2.50 each, deficit solved! 🤣😏

@Zaphod42 Lol sorry, were you thinking you were in a serious argument?

@Kuronekko I’m hoping someone can actually give a rational explanation for why any of this is necessary. Otherwise it’s just the delusional actions of a old demented man with no concept of the damages being done.

@Zaphod42 I would not hold your breath on that one. We've slipped into a crazy timeline.

@Thevy29 Oh I know! I watched Tennessee Tuxedo as a kid…I know just how devious a penguin can be 😂