dwy000

They care because their businesses export to the US of course! It doesnt mean theyre all unfairly limiting imports from the US. Again, UK and Brazil. The average tariff on US industrial products in the EU was 1%. The funny part is that if consumers just pay the tariffs (which they will as long as there are no cheaper alternatives), it doesnt impact them at all. They're still sending the same stuff over and Americans are just paying higher prices for the same goods.

They're complaining because there's no rhyme or reason behind it and it changes weekly and on a whim. Its Japan coming in and asking "what are looking to achieve" and Trumps team going "well what are you offering?". Its not trade policy its theater. And yes, any country that imposes tariffs is hurting themselves and their consumers. Some countries decide that is worth it to support local industry but most, over the past 50 years have been reducing tariffs because they recognize they are more harmful than helpful.

Thats all fine and dandy but how do tariffs help with that?

Huh?? They're not intended to. Like most tariffs (except for ours under Trump) theyre not there to punish but are intended to insulate local producers (at the expense of the local consumer). Kind of the reason we dont have cheap Chinese cars here. Explain how the 15% tariff on the UK or the 50% tariff on Brazil - both countries where we have a trade surplus- benefits the US?

Most of the tariffs literally kicked in yesterday. And businesses had stocked up massively in preparation (why the huge movement between 1q and 2q). The real test will be thru the rest of the year. And certainly if.youve visited a supermarket recently you can see it for yourself.

They dont tax us with tariffs. They tax themselves. And we aren't taxing them, we are taxing ourselves.

First, there are few or no candidates I've consistently supported so that's just wrong. Ive stated I used to vote republican consistently pre-Trump. And there's one thing we absolutely agree on and that is the current situation is unsustainable and can only be solved thru higher revenues for the govt. That being said, Trump has never argued that the reason for tariffs was revenues (he holds them up as benefits but never the primary reason). In fact he claimed for the longest time that Americans dont pay the tariffs. This is my biggest issue with Trump. There are many issues I support that he backed and I hoped for the best. Then thru stunning levels of incompetence and lack of execution he not only fucks up the goal but makes it worse! Despite the tariffs the whole finance bill is adding $4T to deficits!!! The complete opposite impact. DoGE was a great concept completely fucked up again that now appears to have cost more in dollars and inefficiencies than it saved. If Trump actually put.forward a coherent rationale for tariffs as a whole and how the individual agreement fit into that we.wouldnt have the complete chaos with it we do now.

When have I ever once commented on raising tax brackets? But if the goal is to raise taxes on Americans (which Trump has never admitted is a goal of tariffs) is making it proportionally harder on the lowest income segment of society (which is his primary base) really the best way to do if the country?

This is great for you and me but now ask Walmart shoppers how they feel about it.

Have you been to a supermarket recently? Just about everything is costing more. The $0.30 on the lettuce by itself isnt much but multiple that across almost every product. I wasnt surprised to see Costco sales up - just price increases alone would lead to that. Not buying a new car used to be a choice for most people - one that is no longer a choice for many. Taxing American consumers hundreds of $bns for reasons that have still never been explained by the administration is kinda dumb (how's that tariff on the UK where we have a trade surplus?). But hey, you dont need an explanation. If Trump says its good that enough for the cult.

So much winning!

How are tariffs a tax that is choice? When they are embedded in the shelf price of necessary products or in the price of manufacturing inputs that's not a choice.

Loyalty over competence.

REPORTER: You were the driving force behind Operation Warp Speed, these mRNA vaccines that are the gold standard. Now your Health Secretary is pulling back all the funding for research ... what is going on? TRUMP: Research into what? REPORTER: mRNA vaccines TRUMP: We're onto other things

Yes, I do and I am. Thanks for noticing.

Thank you. And I look forward to you explaining how none of this matters and its all noise and its all been explained before and how you ignore it all. Again.

Thats a Trump like reply. Long, rambling, all over the place, playing the victim, blaming the left for random things and little to no truth. And my post was neither addressed to you or referenced you but you assume its all about you. Epstein - Trump literally ran on the promise to release the Epstein files. And now? Doing everything including insulting his own base to ensure they aren't released. Puts Maxwell in a minimum security prison- for what reason? And yet you rally around him like he's the victim. For someone who multiple times has claimed to have better things to do and dont care about this you seem to have lots of time and care.very much

Well if you unconditionally support a leader making irrational decisions without reason, independent thought, evidence or question, its hard not to call that a cult.

None of that was confrontational, it was factual. You want a pretty please? Why not just answer so we can discuss?

So what's the tariff policy youre a fan of? Whats the goal and how do tariffs achieve that? And you immediately supported the firing of the BLS chief without cause, reason or evidence. Thats not policy, that's cult.

People are talking about it because it has a massive impact on prices, jobs, interest rates, spending etc. If it didnt, nobody would care and we could go back to focusing on the Epstein files. You used to have an independent view and would say that a lot of the actions were nuts or wrong but now youre arguing that firing the head of BLS isnt important because data is a "waste product of the US govenment", and are supporting traiff policy without being able to say why they make sense.

No, I haven't. Not a single rational response. I think 73 commented that it was the generic "to stop us from getting ripped off" (ie the party line). Yet nobody could explain how we were getting ripped off (from countries where we had a trade surplus) or how taxing US consumers could address that. It hasn't been answered. Either here or on TV or anywhere. People make crap up to justify why they think it must be but even the administration cant explain it.

If it was solely about policy people.could explain the rationale for the tariffs. Yet I still haven't heard a single plausible one. And if it was solely about policy, people wouldnt be defending the firing of the BLS head for doing her job. It starts with policy and then quickly devolves into cult because a lot of people, by backing him, are unable to admit that a lot of what he says and does is just dumb so they double and triple down and get so deep they cant reverse out.

+1 You had some great analysis on the stock side and some very reasoned analysis on the policy side (which, while I didnt always agree with it, it was based on independent thought). But lately that's been set aside to go down the rabbit hole and is sounding more cultish than reasoned.

Thats a process answer on the negotiation (if thats what it is), not a rationale for implementing tariffs in the first place. We have a trade surplus with the UK, why are we putting a 15% tax on goods we import from them? Why is Brazil (who we also have a trade surplus with) tariffednat 50% (because Trump doesnt like them prosecuting Bolisano). Why is Switzerland at 39%? Why are cars from Japan tariffed at 15% but steel imported to build them in the US tariffed at 50%. Because there's no expressed reason for tariffs in the first place, (that makes any sense whatsoever) nobody can explain how theyre determined, what the purpose is and how this is supposed to achieve it. Its hurting consumers thru the "tax" it imposes and it hurts business who cant plan around it. And it hurts long term US trade relationships as partners seek to establish international relationships around us.