Andy1

So Trumps tariff rate is actually based on our trade imbalance with that country. How stupid is this? Of course there is a large trade imbalance with countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and Bangladesh. During Trump 1.0 he screamed about his bad it was for businesses to manufacture in China. Well a lot of them left China and moved to Southeast Asia. So now that’s not good enough for Trump. What the hell is a business supposed to do? Furthermore, America is the biggest consumer nation in the world. We have trade imbalances with everyone because we consume so much, for better or worse. Trump seems to think that this is the worst thing for the economy. A country like Cambodia is producing low cost clothing which we buy. Are we trying to “even the playing field with them” so more Americans can work at non-existent Tshirt factories and out-compete Cambodia? And if the tariffs are big bargaining chips like MAGA believes, then what big deal is he going to strike with countries like Bangladesh to improve Americans lives? Either he is one of the stupidest presidents of all time or this is intentional destruction of our economy and trade relationships with the rest of the world.

More lies from Trump. The tariffs charged to USA in the poster are not tariffs on products from USA. We have a free trade agreement with South Korea. They don’t charge any tariffs on US products. Lies to justify stupidity. That’s where we are.

Its not just the tariffs Americans must pay. American businesses are seeing their international markets shrink as consumers in other countries will seek products not made in America. Brand damage will be huge from this tariff war. China and Europe are happy to provide alternative products.

That’s the most job cuts since pandemic days. Self inflicted economic pain caused by Trump. About 60,000 are Federal employees. There is no end in sight. Layoffs will continue as the tariff impacts kick in. No one is predicting economic growth this year. Odds of a recession now are way up. Recessions are one of the main contributors to national debt. Daddy Putin is very happy.

And it will rise even more due to higher cost of parts for repair.

This is the future according to Trump. Good manufacturing jobs.

And his insurance will be rising due to the Trump tax.

Great! So Trumps plan is to bring in cheap vodka to drown our sorrows while we help rebuild the Russian economy.

1. Renewal of the soon expiring Trump 1.0 tax cuts which mostly went to the wealthy. 2. Whenever he talks about no tax on tips, there is never an upper income limit on his proposal. If that happens, the wealthy will figure out how to claim their income as tips. 3. See below.

These tariffs will hurt the working middle class the hardest. Those young working families that are struggling, are the customers for low cost items sold at Walmart etc. A lot of them voted for Trump to lower inflation. Their standard of living is about to drop. They will either go further in debt or go without. Trump and Musk don’t give a crap about them. Let the pain begin. Now I bet it won’t be long till they start talking about a tax cut for the wealthy.

Just read what Trump wrote. His brain is toast. He thinks fentanyl is legal.

Sounds like we are at similar spots in life. I’m concerned about what we are leaving the younger generations of Americans. By every measure, they seem to be getting screwed compared to their parents. While none of us individually have responsibility for the decisions our government has made to drive up the debt, ultimately it is our collective problem. It is unsustainable. I wish our politicians had serious debates over how to tackle that than the stupid culture war crap used to divide us. Most Americans have the attention span of a flea when hearing about this stuff. Medicare and Medicaid costs are going to spike the debt even further in the next 20 years. SS is going belly up. I’m no economist but I know this all leads to something real bad eventually.

Nice to hear from you lehnerd. Interesting question. Our current debt is about $106,000 for every American citizen. First we need to slow the growth of the debt. Then bend the curve and begin paying it off. What I could afford and what I would want to do are two different answers. Everyone wants someone else to pay the bill. No one likes paying taxes. Are tariffs the way Trump is reducing the debt without saying so. A tax without raising taxes. Who knows. No one trusts him. Maybe Trump will be the austerity president who finally bends the curve on the debt. That would be an achievement but I doubt that he cares about it.

Principles be damned, whatever Trump wants they want. Very obedient sheep.