Ten Tariff Questions Never Asked
Posted By: Moritz55, 4/12/2025 2:51:26 AM
1. President Donald Trump's so-called "trade war." Many call the American effort to obtain either tariff parity or a reduction in the roughly $1 trillion trade deficit and 50 years of consecutive trade deficits a "trade war." But then what do they call the policies of the past half-century by Europe, Asia, China, and others to ensure asymmetrical tariffs, pseudo-health and security trade restrictions, and large surpluses? A trade peace? Trade fairness? 2. Do nations prefer surpluses or deficits? Why do most nations prefer trade surpluses and protective tariffs? Are Europe, Asia, China, and others stupid? Are they suicidal in continuing their trade surpluses and protective or asymmetrical tariffs?
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No one wants a “trade war” with China, or for that matter with any nation. Nonetheless, China has been waging one for years and is now locked in a tariff recalibration with the Trump administration. In this American effort to find trade parity and equity, China can do some short-term damage to the U.S., especially in terms of ceasing exports of some pharmaceuticals, phones, and computers. But ultimately, it cannot win—and will eventually lose catastrophically. It will likely accept that reality sooner rather than later. We are only in the first week of the escalating rhetoric and tariffs. But already China is appealing to its
HBO host Bill Maher opened his show on Friday by delivering a monologue on the details of his recent meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. Read the full transcript below.
"So meet up in person, maybe it'll be different," Maher described meeting with Trump. "Spoiler alert, it was. First good sign, before I left for the capital, I had my staff collect and print out this list of almost 60 different insulting epithets that the president said about me. Things like: stupid, dummy, low-life dummy, sleazebag, sick, sad, stone-cold crazy. Really a dumb guy, fired like a dog, his show is dead. I brought this
Imagine a world war that left more than seven million dead, hundreds of millions became ill, wrecked the global economy, and left a generation with lasting psychological and developmental injuries.
We have seen such wars in history. What is different in this circumstance, however, is that all of that happened, and yet, years later, we still have no agreement on the original cause or possible culprits behind a pandemic that ravaged the world.
After finding $382 million in fraudulent unemployment payments since 2020, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) identified California, New York and Massachusetts as the primary culprits. The three Democrat-led states accounted for $305 million in improper claim payments, DOGE said Thursday.
The group added that California also accounted for 68% of the benefits that were dispensed under former President Joe Biden to parolees identified by federal authorities as being on the government's terrorist watchlist, or who had criminal records. California, New York and Massachusetts all have a Democratic trifecta — meaning Democrats control the state House, Senate and the governor's office.
Ten Tariff Questions Never Asked
10 replies
1. President Donald Trump's so-called "trade war."
Many call the American effort to obtain either tariff parity or a reduction in the roughly $1 trillion trade deficit and 50 years of consecutive trade deficits a "trade war." But then what do they call the policies of the past half-century by Europe, Asia, China, and others to ensure asymmetrical tariffs, pseudo-health and security trade restrictions, and large surpluses?
A trade peace? Trade fairness?
2. Do nations prefer surpluses or deficits? Why do most nations prefer trade surpluses and protective tariffs?
Are Europe, Asia, China, and others stupid? Are they suicidal in continuing their trade surpluses and protective or asymmetrical tariffs?
Many have suspected that Dr. Jill Biden played a key role in saving the country by facilitating Donald Trump's long-awaited return to the White House. Many have assumed the former first lady (and acting president of the United States) was possessed of an insatiable lust for power, which drove her to insist that her enfeebled octogenarian husband, Joe Biden, run for reelection. The ill-advised decision nearly destroyed the Democratic Party when Biden's cognitive impairment became impossible to ignore. It forced the party to rally around Kamala Harris, the most incompetent presidential candidate since Hillary Clinton, all but ensuring that Trump would win a second term
It’s time for Wall Street to get a grip.
The Trump tariff policies are a calculated gamble that the threat of tariffs can fundamentally remake the global economy and retilt it in the direction of the United States — and away from China and other beggar-thy-neighbor countries.
But whether they work or not, Wall Street elites have convinced themselves that these tariffs are worse than the pandemic that stopped the entire economy, or the 2009 economic crisis that put 10 million people out of work. And so far, nothing has happened. It’s all speculation about what could happen.
‘Hands Off’ Irony Is Lost On The Left
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We were bemused at the Orwellian doublespeak of the weekend protests, which were waged under the banner of “hands off.”
Hands off? What the protesters really want is for the government to keep its hands on – on our throats choking out our freedoms and in our pockets stealing our money.
Naturally, the protesters describe themselves as “defending democracy” and the current situation a “crisis.” What else is new?
But this particular effort – reported by most of the press to be “massive,” encompassing, said CNN, “scores of people” (20s of people?) – was more mindless than usual.
Two strange phenomena now characterize the political landscape. One, opposition to the Trump administration’s initiatives has reached a near-unprecedented fever pitch. The frenzy is manifested in strange ways. At the bottom end, there is an epidemic of street terrorism, including the keying of Teslas, bullying their owners, firebombing dealerships, or vandalizing charging stations. All that is mostly the logical but dirty reification of those in the media and the Democrats who brand Elon Musk as a foreign-born counterfeit citizen and a disloyal un-American foreigner, thus deserving to be “taken down,” in the words of Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
“We should replace our piece of crap Constitution.”
Those words from author Elie Mystal, a regular commentator on MSNBC, are hardly surprising from someone who previously called the Constitution “trash” and urged not just the abolition of the U.S. Senate but also of “all voter registration laws.” But Mystal’s radical rhetoric is becoming mainstream on the left, as shown by his best-selling books and popular media appearances.
There is a counter-constitutional movement building in law schools and across the country. And although Mystal has not advocated violence, some on the left are turning to political violence and criminal acts. It is part of the “righteous rage” that many of them
Trump’s Multipronged Tariff Strategy
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After being criticized for saying in an October speech to the Chicago Economic Club that “‘tariff’ is the most beautiful word in the dictionary,” Donald Trump puckishly acknowledged his critics had a point about his priorities. “Let’s put God number one. Let’s put religion number two. Love, I don’t know, we gotta put that number three, I guess, right? And then it’s tariff, because tariffs will make us rich as hell!”
Not everyone shares President Trump’s faith in tariffs, notably the stock markets. The aggregate value of U.S. securities traded on U.S. exchanges is some $6 trillion lower after “Liberation Day,” as the administration’s calculation of the amount
If Trump’s Tariffs Work, It Will Be Epic
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We have no doubt that Leavitt’s prediction will come true. Whether it’s remembered for being a success or as Smoot-Hawley 2.0 remains to be seen.
“It is going to work,” Leavitt said. “And the president has a brilliant team of advisers who have been studying these issues for decades.”
That’s a bit of an odd boast, given that the economists who have been studying tariffs and trade policy for decades had long ago decided that tariffs are a sledgehammer approach that rarely work as intended, that they are a wildly expensive way to create jobs, don’t spur economic growth, protect uncompetitive U.S. firms, and are an ineffective diplomatic tool.
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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were forced to evacuate the governor’s mansion after an arsonist set it on fire overnight while they were sleeping, he announced.
The blaze broke out just hours after the governor posted a picture of his family celebrating the first night of Passover on Saturday, ABC 27 reported. (X) The arson attack remains under active investigation, police said.
“Last night at about 2AM, my family and I woke up to bangs on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police after an arsonist set fire to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg,” Shapiro wrote on twitter.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Congress had to take away the tariff authority from President Donald Trump.
Warren said, “It is a mistake to have the President of the United States out there just playing red light, green light and saying, oh, this morning I woke up and think the tariffs should be this big. Now, I think they should be this big; now, I think they should be somewhere else. And I got to say, saying, well, I will continue to make those decisions and I’m going to hold off on these tariffs for 90 days,
ESPN hot-take artist Stephen A. Smith says he must consider a presidential run because he is ” disgusted” with both parties.
“I have no choice, because I’ve had elected officials — and I’m not going to give their names — coming up to me,” Smith told ABC’s Jonathan Karl on Sunday. “I’ve had folks who are pundits come up to me. I’ve had folks that got a lot of money, billionaires and others, that have talked to me about exploratory committees and things of that nature. I’m not a politician. I’ve never had a desire to be a politician.”
No, I'm still not tired of winning yet.
In another new development on the energy front, it looks like oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of America is going to be on the upswing - and one report indicates that there's a lot more oil and gas than estimated. This is good news for the energy sector and for those parts of the economy that are reliant on affordable, reliable energy. In other words - all of it.And, as have so many great things, it starts with the reversal of a Biden-era policy.
Reversing Biden administration policies that halted offshore leasing, prompting lawsuits and restricting
Pennsylvania Judge Faces Up to 60 Years
in Prison After Shooting Ex-Boyfriend
While He Slept 15 replies
in Prison After Shooting Ex-Boyfriend
While He Slept 15 replies
Suspended Dauphin County Magistrate Judge Sonya McKnight was convicted Wednesday of attempted murder and aggravated assault for shooting her ex-boyfriend in the head as he slept.
McKnight, a Dauphin County judge since 2016 and a Democrat, carried out the heinous act days after her ex-boyfriend, Michael McCoy, ended their relationship.
The incident, which unfolded in February 2024, stemmed from a bitter breakup. McKnight, 58, had been living in her ex-boyfriend Michael McCoy’s home but refused to leave despite his repeated demands after their relationship ended.
In an ongoing effort to curb illegal immigration, the Trump administration has quietly begun invalidating Social Security numbers of illegal immigrants who are in the U.S. unlawfully, effectively pushing them to "self-deport." This action is part of a broader effort to crack down on illegal immigration and ensure that only those who follow legal procedures can access the benefits and rights associated with a Social Security number.This week, the Trump administration instructed the Social Security Administration (SSA) to add over 6,300 illegal immigrants to its list of deceased individuals, effectively blocking their ability to work.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump said his administration will “work with [illegal immigrants who self deport] right from the beginning on trying to get them back in legally.” While that may sound like a clever strategy to encourage self-deportation, it misses the bigger picture — and sends the wrong message.
(snip)
Such statements completely undermine the seriousness of violating our immigration laws and insult every single American. Allowing aliens who broke the law to have a second chance at coming to the U.S. legally is like rewarding someone who broke into your home by handing them the front door key.
Assassination culture comes for America
14 replies
The Left doesn’t know what a woman is. Actually, that’s not quite true. For them, a woman is whatever mentally ill men say it is, (Snip)
Now we’ve discovered, according to the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), many Americans are stark raving mad. Their study reveals what they call “assassination culture,” an acceptance of premeditated murder for political purposes.
The NCRI study links this cultural shift to the December 2024 assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by Luigi Mangione. In the aftermath, researchers observed a disturbing surge of viral memes glorifying Mangione, which effectively turned him into a folk hero among certain corners of the internet.
After sitting back for four years while the leader of the Democrat Party allowed millions of illegal aliens to invade the country, 208 Democrats voted against legislation Thursday that would keep foreign nationals out of American elections.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired back at House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries Sunday after the New York Democrat called him and other Trump appointees "Dumb Effing Individuals," a play on the DEI acronym, in an X video on Saturday.
"That's how far they have fallen. It's astonishing, not surprising," Hegseth told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo.
"Of course, they don't like the fact that we're ripping DEI out of the military and making it colorblind and merit-based." (Photo) "If their whole strategy is… minute-long videos on TikTok to call us names while we secure the southern border, kick out Chinese influence, revive the warrior culture inside our military, that's why
The Supreme Court’s order on Monday granting the Trump administration’s emergency request to lift a lower court stay on deportations of certain Venezuelan nationals was unsigned, swift, and unmistakable in its signal—or signals.
For now, the executive branch retains its sovereign authority to enforce immigration law. And for President Trump, now in his second, non-consecutive term, the ruling marked an early victory in a week that would yield several more.
But if constitutionalists interpret this as a decisive turning point, they misread the terrain. The Left’s lawfare brigades remain dug in
San Francisco was once a shining example of a great American city, but now it is mostly a punchline. The metropolis that gave us epic Mark Twain quotes, Levi’s, an iconic music scene, the Golden Gate Bridge, and so much more is now known more for excrement on the street, crime, mass drug addiction, and homeless people sprawled across the sidewalks. Given that, you’d think they’d figure out what to prioritize to improve the lives of their citizens.
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Their answer, though, will make your head spin. They’ve decided to erect a 45-foot statue of a woman in Embarcadero Plaza to “jazz up” downtown. They might certainly achieve their