What has Trump done now?

[rgmwa]

Facts don't matter to Trump. He clams the deficit is $200b-$250b. The unrelated border stuff is just another excuse to justify the tariffs. If Canada applies their own 25% retaliatory tariffs on certain imports, as they have said they will, Trump will probably threaten to go to 50% on his. True to his character, he wants to bully his way to domination of allies and enemies alike.  Subtlety is not one of his strengths. 

[facthunter]

A REAL DOPE using dope as an excuse. The Rotter is a natural BULLY BOY. They wouldn't buy stuff  from CANADA IF it wasn't good value. America is a run down Country and hasn't spent enough on infrastructure to keep up with the times.  Everyone is too busy lining their OWN pockets to worry about the Whole. Nev

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

What ever it takes to stop drug importation and illegals crossing borders ... oh, and cheap shoddy Asian imports with built in obsolescence.

[octave]

2 minutes ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

What ever it takes to stop drug importation and illegals crossing borders

In the case of Canada, the last year for which they have the figures (2023) showed more Americans crossing into Canada than Canadians crossing into the US.  Minuscule amounts of fentanyl cross the border from Canada 19 Kg seized compared to 9600 from Mexico and indeed fentanyl passes from the US border into Canada with 10.8 pounds seized that year. (I am happy to post the sources for these figures.   So how do tariffs on Canada which will cause damage to Canada and the US make sense? 

[facthunter]

You GET from China,  What you want to pay for. Remember when Jap stuff was considered Junk?  Nev

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

We have tariffs too

 

https://www.abf.gov.au/importing-exporting-and-manufacturing/tariff-classification/current-tariff

 

And what about our sneaky 10% GST, that's on second hand vintage cameras I buy, it's not only applied to the imported camera, it's also applied to the shipping cost.

[facthunter]

BLAME GERRY HARVEY for THAT. HE donates a lot to the LNP and It's a Great Investment (when they are in Power.)  Nev

Edited Monday at 04:45 AM by facthunter

[pmccarthy]

Panama just announced it will not renew the Belt and Road with China. Will pull out earlier if possible. Stupid Trump again?

[octave]

28 minutes ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

We have tariffs too

 

https://www.abf.gov.au/importing-exporting-and-manufacturing/tariff-classification/current-tariff

 

And what about our sneaky 10% GST, that's on second hand vintage cameras I buy, it's not only applied to the imported camera, it's also applied to the shipping cost.

I am not ani tariff.  tariffs are often used to protect local industries from cheaper imports such as the tariffs Australia had on imported cars to help our local car industry (when we had one)  Tariffs can also be used to punish such as tariffs on Russia. The tariffs on Canada seem to be not about protecting particular US industries but to punish Canada or perhaps to persuade it to become the 51st state.   What is Canada's crime?  Trump promised to end inflation on day 1, did he? No.  Will adding 25% to the things that Americans buy from Canada - No

[old man emu]

3 hours ago, octave said:

It is not clear to me what the tariffs on Canada are supposed to achieve.  

If you understand what I wrote today about tariffs, you will come to the conclusion that Trudeau has missed the point. IF Canada imposes tariffs on US goods, then it will be the Canadian people who will put up the money which the government collects from Canadian businesses that do the importing. Unless I'm wrong, Trudeau should set zero tariffs on US goods for the benefit of Canadians. There would be no change in prices for them.

 

Canada has a problem due to its involvement in the vehicle manufacturing business. It sells components to the USA to be used in USA brands of vehicles. If the US manufacturers fail, then Canada loses its sales.

 

I also said that tariffs are a good thing for a country trying to develop its own manufacturing industry, first to supply it own people, then to develop export markets. The major Western countries have gone beyond that stage and should be able to compete on equal footing with other countries. Therefore, tariffs should not be needed when these countries trade with each other.

[octave]

8 minutes ago, pmccarthy said:

Panama just announced it will not renew the Belt and Road with China. Will pull out earlier if possible. Stupid Trump again?

 

The article I read had that as a headline however reading the whole article it said.

 

"Mulino stated that the agreement is set for renewal in the next one to two years, and his government will evaluate the possibility of terminating it earlier. "We'll study the possibility of terminating it early," he said. Panama initially joined the initiative in 2017 under a previous administration.
"I do not feel that there is any real threat at this time against the (neutrality) treaty, its validity, and much less the use of military force to make the treaty," Mulino said, adding that it will be important to have face-to-face talks with Trump."

 

There is a real risk of this bullying buffoon driving some countries away from the West.
 

 

[octave]

3 minutes ago, old man emu said:

If you understand what I wrote today about tariffs, you will come to the conclusion that Trudeau has missed the point. IF Canada imposes tariffs on US goods, then it will be the Canadian people who will put up the money which the government collects from Canadian businesses that do the importing. Unless I'm wrong, Trudeau should set zero tariffs on US goods for the benefit of Canadians. There would be no change in prices for them.

 Yes but whole industries that rely on exporting to the US will be in serious trouble. It is not just about what Canadians pay for US products it is about industry and jobs.

[octave]

Here is an interesting explainer on how tariffs work

 

 

[old man emu]

1 hour ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

cheap shoddy Asian imports with built in obsolescence

FFS! Where do you think that the products of Asia are designed? They are designed and the specifications for the materials used in them are set in Europe or the USA or Japan. In many cases manufacturing plants are in Asia. They simply are given the design package and told to make whatever the package describes.

 

I agree that there are levels of quality in the products bearing a company's logo. This is because those levels are based on who the expected user will be. Take a power drill from a company like Makita. You can pick up two drills that from the outside look identical, but which are priced differently. It is most likely correct that the cheaper drill will use polymer material for its gears, while the dearer one will use metal for the same gears. The cheaper one is aimed at the DYI-er who would use the drill infrequently. The dearer one is for the tradesman using it daily.

 

If you want built-obsolescence, just look to your computer's operating system. I'm told that I should move to Windows 11 because Windows 10 won't be supported after the end of this year, However, my computer, which chugs along happily with WIN 10 might not be able to handle the built-in complexities of WIN 11. I might have to throw out a functioning computer just to do the simple things it does now.

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

I bought a mini SD card with an adapter for dual use. The mini SD wouldn't slip into the adapter all the way, so I pressed it harder and it split the adapter. It's a kit in the same bubble pack, popular well known brand but made in China. Going back for a refund soon.

 

I suspect there's a lot of import dumping going on as well. Then there's imported products that are dangerous to babies and toddlers, they get through Customs somehow.

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

Buy a Mac, OME

[onetrack]

There's a whole lot of backlash on the site below, from Canadians who see America and Trump in a whole lot different light, now.

 

The initial article written by Robert H. McKinney, the professor, is actually from 2018, when Donald Trump was in power previously and screwing up the U.S. farm sales to China.

 

 

Edited Monday at 06:44 AM by onetrack

[old man emu]

8 minutes ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

Buy a Mac, OME

That would mean I'd also have to change from Ford to Holden.

[red750]

[facthunter]

Holden is no more. It's KAPUT. Nev

[facthunter]

Trumps WAY is making China look Good (by comparison) At least they plan ahead and use their intelligence. Trump is deranged and unpredictable and It's ALL  About HIM.. HE will DAMAGE AMERICA. by allowing the crazies with ALL the MONEY to prevail and SEIZE control.  Nev

[red750]

Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance explained how she believes the Trump White House’s buyout offer to all federal employees will backfire.

 

President Donald Trump “summoned the sleeping giant” of the civil service with the proposal that has drawn skepticism over its validity from critics, Vance warned in her “Civil Discourse” email newsletter.

 

Vance noted how in some cases ― detailed in online posts by federal workers ― it had actually appeared to spur them into staying in their roles to “hold the line” against Trump.

 

“On Reddit last night, it was clear that a sizeable number of federal employees are digging in for the fight,” wrote Vance.

 

“Donald Trump has always fantasized about a deep state inside of government that opposes him, something that didn’t exist,” she added. “Now, he is well on the way to creating one. It turns out federal employees take their oath, their job, and their duty to serve very seriously.”

[red750]

[old man emu]

I'm getting a headache from the noise of all the sabre rattling going on between Trump and the rest of the world. 

[kgwilson]

18 hours ago, old man emu said:

If you want built-obsolescence, just look to your computer's operating system. I'm told that I should move to Windows 11 because Windows 10 won't be supported after the end of this year, However, my computer, which chugs along happily with WIN 10 might not be able to handle the built-in complexities of WIN 11. I might have to throw out a functioning computer just to do the simple things it does now.

That is a complete CON by Microsoft. Any computer running windows 10 will run perfectly well on Windows 11. Microsoft puts a message on the security settings that say the computer does not have the resources to run Windows 11 & if you try to upgrade it won't. BS. I have an old office Dell 9020 with 8GB of RAM & 512GB hard drive & it installed and runs perfectly. There are a number of youtube video instructions on how to install windows 11 on ANY computer. This is just one