Train Wreck. Clown Show.

[Ihaveswag29]

You are fine with being dependent on a country that uses child and slave labor, not to mention conducting a genocide against its Uyghur Muslims? If so, you a perfect Martha Vineyard dem -- as long as it doesn't impact you, you are fine with it (just like illegal immigration).

@Katscratch (also known as DG) has gone off to sulk, but when he returns he will be proud of you.

U.S. Shale Industry Braces for Increased Saudi Oil Production | OilPrice.com

Saudi Arabia is increasing oil production, a move that could drive down prices and put pressure on U.S. shale producers.

oilprice.com

I'd be fine if what we were doing was intended to force China to stop those practices. But is it? I haven't seen that discussed in any of the policies or rhetoric.

Regardless, we have taxes on US companies that manufacture in many countries outside of China that are causing these economic issues. Those are problems too.

And thanks for the link. This only looks bad for the U.S.. how does squeezing U.S. shale producers tie into an agreement between the Saudi's and Trump to squeeze Russia on gas prices?

 

[mediaexpert]

It might help me understand the big picture if you explained these problems. Maybe that's what I am missing. Here are two questions:

- When you say redo the one-sided deals, what do you mean? Which deals need to be redone?
- Same with the one-sided tariffs. Which ones are you concerned about?

Within two years huh. Well, we will be able to track those things, so time will tell in time for the next presidential election.

Again, I don't know the specifics. He renegotiated the deal with Canada and Mexico, and he is doing it again.

He had severe sanctions on Iran and Russia, but Biden did not enforce them. Thus, they became rich.

I was genuinely troubled that we were giving foreign aid to countries that we chanting, death to America. I also saw we were giving foreign aid to China.

This has been an ongoing nightmare for me since I started paying attention to politics again.

As far as I know, Trump is placing tariffs on about thirty countries. He is redoing them because several other factors are involved. A big one is how different countries manipulate their currencies to their benefit. Trump is also trying to get other countries to be loyal to the US, and distance themselves from Russia, China, and Iran.

 

[Ihaveswag29]

Again, I don't know the specifics. He renegotiated the deal with Canada and Mexico, and he is doing it again.

He had severe sanctions on Iran and Russia, but Biden did not enforce them. Thus, they became rich.

I was genuinely troubled that we were giving foreign aid to countries that we chanting, death to America. I also saw we were giving foreign aid to China.

This has been an ongoing nightmare for me since I started paying attention to politics again.

As far as I know, Trump is placing tariffs on about thirty countries. He is redoing them because several other factors are involved. A big one is how different countries manipulate their currencies to their benefit. Trump is also trying to get other countries to be loyal to the US, and distance themselves from Russia, China, and Iran.

You said the country is in serious trouble because of all of these one-sided tariffs and deals.. and yet you can’t name a single tariff that is a problem and can only name a single deal with Canada and Mexico as a problem, and that deal is one that Trump negotiated himself. That is.. tough.

And Trump added a 10% tariff on every single country in the world except Russia, Cuba, Belarus, and North Korea.. is Fox News really saying it’s only 30 countries?

 

[Riveting-]

I'd be fine if what we were doing was intended to force China to stop those practices. But is it? I haven't seen that discussed in any of the policies or rhetoric.

Regardless, we have taxes on US companies that manufacture in many countries outside of China that are causing these economic issues. Those are problems too.

And thanks for the link. This only looks bad for the U.S.. how does squeezing U.S. shale producers tie into an agreement between the Saudi's and Trump to squeeze Russia on gas prices?

Greater supply of oil on the world market, lower price of oil - including Russia's oil.

The Trump policy is to keep other countries from ripping us off. I don't know if it will work, but one positive side effect could be less reliance on China - a country that has admitted it is at war with us.

 

[mediaexpert]

You said the country is in serious trouble because of all of these one-sided tariffs and deals.. and yet you can’t name a single tariff that is a problem and can only name a single deal with Canada and Mexico as a problem, and that deal is one that Trump negotiated himself. That is.. tough.

And Trump added a 10% tariff on every single country in the world except Russia, Cuba, Belarus, and North Korea.. is Fox News really saying it’s only 30 countries?

I am saying it is a problem with EVERY country that their tariffs are higher than ours. Even after Trump raised tariffs by ten percent, the vast majority of countries have a higher tariff than the US. I looked at the numbers a month ago, and was amazed. The country that comes to mind is South Korea. Their higher tariffs are not killing us, but it is not nice. It was like when I was young; my friends and I would go out, and some expected me to pick up the tab because I was rich. Later, after my child was murdered, I expected some to pick up my tab, and it never happened. We were Santa Claus for eighty years, and Trump is slowly raising tariffs because countries don't want to stop the gravy train.

 

[mediaexpert]

You can see their alleged "tariff rate", and Trump staying under for now with the "big boys".​

​

Bilateral Trade Balances (2024) and Trump’s Tariff Rates, Selected Countries​

ExcelCSVPDFPrint

Country	Trade Surplus (Deficit) in Goods	US Exports in Goods	US Imports in Goods	Alleged “Tariff Rate”	US response
China	-295,401.6	143,545.7	438,947.4	67%	34%
European Union	-235,571.2	370,189.20	605,760.4	39%	20%
Japan	-68,467.7	79,740.80	148,208.6	46%	24%
Vietnam	-123,463.0	13,098.20	136,561.2	90%	46%
South Korea	-66,007.4	65,541.80	131,549.2	50%	25%
Taiwan	-73,927.2	42,336.90	116,264.0	64%	32%
India	-45,663.8	41,752.70	87,416.4	52%	26%
United Kingdom	11,856.9	79,941.30	68,084.5	10%	10%
Singapore	2,828.9	46,032.60	43,203.7	10%	10%
Brazil	7,350.7	49,667.00	42,316.3	10%	10%

 

[Ihaveswag29]

You can see their alleged "tariff rate", and Trump staying under for now with the "big boys".​

​

Bilateral Trade Balances (2024) and Trump’s Tariff Rates, Selected Countries​

ExcelCSVPDFPrint

Country	Trade Surplus (Deficit) in Goods	US Exports in Goods	US Imports in Goods	Alleged “Tariff Rate”	US response
China	-295,401.6	143,545.7	438,947.4	67%	34%
European Union	-235,571.2	370,189.20	605,760.4	39%	20%
Japan	-68,467.7	79,740.80	148,208.6	46%	24%
Vietnam	-123,463.0	13,098.20	136,561.2	90%	46%
South Korea	-66,007.4	65,541.80	131,549.2	50%	25%
Taiwan	-73,927.2	42,336.90	116,264.0	64%	32%
India	-45,663.8	41,752.70	87,416.4	52%	26%
United Kingdom	11,856.9	79,941.30	68,084.5	10%	10%
Singapore	2,828.9	46,032.60	43,203.7	10%	10%
Brazil	7,350.7	49,667.00	42,316.3	10%	10%

I am so confused. These are differences between exports and imports.. not tariffs. And this has been litigated nationally to death and is literally in the title of the table. I am asking for the tariffs that other countries placed on the United States that you say keep you up at night.

I am sorry to hear about your child. That is extremely sad.

 

[mediaexpert]

I am so confused. These are differences between exports and imports.. not tariffs. And this has been litigated nationally to death and is literally in the title of the table. I am asking for the tariffs that other countries placed on the United States that you say keep you up at night.

I am sorry to hear about your child. That is extremely sad.

I interpret the alleged tariff rate to be the rate at which other countries charge the US for selling its goods to them.

Thank you. I retired, but I researched what are the best life insurance companies to sell, and I do that now. I am not a salesman, though, so I don't do well, but I help some people, and I feel good about it.

 

[Ihaveswag29]

I interpret the alleged tariff rate to be the rate at which other countries charge the US for selling its goods to them.

But that’s not the correct interpretation of the table..

Also.. your interpretation is not a tariff either..

 

[mediaexpert]

But that’s not the correct interpretation of the table..

Also.. your interpretation is not a tariff either..

What I am interpreting from that chart is that when we export a good worth $10.00 to South Korea, they levy a tariff of 50% on that good.. A South Korean can buy that good for $15.00. The US receives $10.00, and the South Korean government receives $5.00.

Under Trump's tariffs, when the US imports a good from South Korea, it sells it for $10.00. The US will levy a tariff of 25%. The US citizen pays $12.50, with $10.00 going to South Korea and $2.50 going to the US government.

I see this as the manufacturer saying, with shipping costs and the rise in tariffs, it may be better to have our plants in the US and build a higher-quality good. South Korea will think that their tariffs have dropped their production to the US, and since they are a large consumer, we will lower our tariffs.

What am I missing?

 

[Ihaveswag29]

The chart shows how the “alleged tariffs” were calculated, not the actual tariffs. It’s pretty simple. It’s the trade deficit divided by the total imports. Would you consider that a tariff?

And yes, that description of what a tariff is is correct.

And ehh, yeah, but Trump is using the tariffs to negotiate, not bring back manufacturing. It can’t be both. But it’s not clear what he’s trying to negotiate when there are very few tariffs to begin with.

 

[tjreese]

I am saying it is a problem with EVERY country that their tariffs are higher than ours. Even after Trump raised tariffs by ten percent, the vast majority of countries have a higher tariff than the US. I looked at the numbers a month ago, and was amazed. The country that comes to mind is South Korea. Their higher tariffs are not killing us, but it is not nice. It was like when I was young; my friends and I would go out, and some expected me to pick up the tab because I was rich. Later, after my child was murdered, I expected some to pick up my tab, and it never happened. We were Santa Claus for eighty years, and Trump is slowly raising tariffs because countries don't want to stop the gravy train.

My condolences on the loss of your child. I can’t imagine anything more painful to a parent to losing a child.

 

[mediaexpert]

My condolences on the loss of your child. I can’t imagine anything more painful to a parent to losing a child.

Twelve people close to me died within an eight-year period, including three sons. One was in the womb. Another had the same symptoms as my wife. This time, I picked him up like a rag doll, threw him over my shoulder, and punched him as hard as I could, and he started gasping for breath. Years later, I told that to the doctors and they said that he had an electrical problem with the heart, and that it had no effect. My son, who was murdered, was autistic, and between the two of them, I was in the ICU three times and the ER about eight times. My son is now doing great and has had no problems.

That is why I am a metaphysical Christian; it is the best way to explain what I went through. However, in reality, I am a pretty pitiful Christian, and I let this affect my health. It sums up my life. I see the overall picture pretty clearly, but I am terrible with the details. I excel at advising people on how to purchase life insurance tailored to their specific situation, but I struggle with following up.

I did write what can be a very effective book on evangelizing, but I have to find time to explain it to Churches.

 

[Riveting-]

The chart shows how the “alleged tariffs” were calculated, not the actual tariffs. It’s pretty simple. It’s the trade deficit divided by the total imports. Would you consider that a tariff?

And yes, that description of what a tariff is is correct.

And ehh, yeah, but Trump is using the tariffs to negotiate, not bring back manufacturing. It can’t be both. But it’s not clear what he’s trying to negotiate when there are very few tariffs to begin with.

The operative is 'trade barriers', not tariffs. It is very difficult to calculate the cost of trade barriers, but consider this example: Google, one of the biggest US-based companies, is not allowed to operate in China.

How do you determine the opportunity cost of that trade barrier, which must be astronomical?

Likewise for Twitter, Facebook, etc, all illegal in China.

How would you retaliate to seek a fair playing field - or would you?

 

[tjreese]

Twelve people close to me died within an eight-year period, including three sons. One was in the womb. Another had the same symptoms as my wife. This time, I picked him up like a rag doll, threw him over my shoulder, and punched him as hard as I could, and he started gasping for breath. Years later, I told that to the doctors and they said that he had an electrical problem with the heart, and that it had no effect. My son, who was murdered, was autistic, and between the two of them, I was in the ICU three times and the ER about eight times. My son is now doing great and has had no problems.

That is why I am a metaphysical Christian; it is the best way to explain what I went through. However, in reality, I am a pretty pitiful Christian, and I let this affect my health. It sums up my life. I see the overall picture pretty clearly, but I am terrible with the details. I excel at advising people on how to purchase life insurance tailored to their specific situation, but I struggle with following up.

I did write what can be a very effective book on evangelizing, but I have to find time to explain it to Churches.

I'm sorry you have endured more hurt than anyone should. I could give some of the more usual comments from a religious point of view, but will only say that the horrible circumstances give you a perspective foreign to those that had an easier road to travel. Consequently, you have a perspective that can be helpful to others that may need it down the road.

 

[BB62]

 

[Riveting-]

You often seem far more concerned with personalities than policies.

I have asked you numerous times to indicate your news sources, but you have always been afraid to. Is it because your main source is People magazine?

 

[BB62]

You often seem far more concerned with personalities than policies.

I have asked you numerous times to indicate your news sources, but you have always been afraid to. Is it because your main source is People magazine?

Personalities? You mean Elon has nothing to do with trumps policies? After the border and whatever trump says today that the tariffs are going to solve, DOGE was the sh!t. Now the richest guy that ran it is trashing the BBB and fighting like 10 year olds with the POTUS on social media. And the fued is like a day old.

It doesn't just seem like you ignore embarrassing and utterly ridiculous actions and words by trump. You really do it. And then in round two you always move to some old argument or question to deflect YET AGAIN. You're a wuss of the highest order but you are consistent.

 

[BB62]

You often seem far more concerned with personalities than policies.

I have asked you numerous times to indicate your news sources, but you have always been afraid to. Is it because your main source is People magazine?

Yeah, trump isn't impulsive or short tempered. Don't believe what is in your face obvious, just believe what the VP says. Jesus.

 

[Riveting-]

Personalities? You mean Elon has nothing to do with trumps policies? After the border and whatever trump says today that the tariffs are going to solve, DOGE was the sh!t. Now the richest guy that ran it is trashing the BBB and fighting like 10 year olds with the POTUS on social media. And the fued is like a day old.

It doesn't just seem like you ignore embarrassing and utterly ridiculous actions and words by trump. You really do it. And then in round two you always move to some old argument or question to deflect YET AGAIN. You're a wuss of the highest order but you are consistent.

A wuss on this forum would be someone who is afraid to list his news sources.

My primary sources, in order, are WSJ, Fox and NPR.

What are yours? Don't wuss out again.

 

[BB62]

Nah. It's too much fun watching you have a hissy about important stuff like where I get my news. Talk about rent free JFC.

 

[Riveting-]

Nah. It's too much fun watching you have a hissy about where I get my news. Talk about rent free JFC.

Asking you to stop being a wuss qualifies as being in a 'hissy' in your view?

Lols. Using the word 'hissy' is something a wuss would say.