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Tuesday, July 31, 2018

tariffs 101

The republican party has become the Trump party.  Ninety percent of republicans back Trump, and no republican dares defy him.  During the primaries it was remarked upon that Trump was bringing all these new people into the republican party.  Well not exactly, they weren't republicans they were Trumpists, and they don't care anymore for the republican party than Trump does.  Well you know I always thought a good many republicans were touched in the head and with those and the new Trumpists, as Beagles has noted, republican primaries have become all about who loves Trump more.  Any republican who doesn't love Trump is a RINO.

Election day is only three months away, it's like Christmas, it is in the distant future and suddenly there it is right around the corner.  Kind of late for Michigan to be having its primaries isn't it?

And of course the November election will be all about Trump.  I read lately where all our local elections have become nationalized.  Used to be there was a lot of local media, newspapers and radio, and even independent local tv stations.  Anymore newspapers are dead and radio and tv stations are conglomerated and run from afar, so there is nobody much to kick around local issues, and everything is based on national issues.  I'm sure there are a lot of local things going on in Michigan, but none of them will be spoken of much, it will be Trump, Trump, Trump.

Remember that Asian trade deal, the TPP..  I had a friend of mine, a liberal, who raged against TPP, it would cost American jobs, inspire tyranny, just all this bad crap.  I am a real free trader (unlike those republicans who used to be free traders but now are for whatever Trump's last tweet was), and I asked my friend what exactly was in the agreement that would cause this and he didn't know.  He didn't know any of the details.  And now Beagles doesn't seem to know if other countries have tariffs against us.

I have to admit that I don't know much about existent tariffs myself, but I am sure they have always been around.  Every industry wants tariffs to protect its products, and every country subsidizes some of its industries and that looks unfair to other countries.  And then periodically there are conferences and things are hammered out.  Trump would have us believe that all of these conferences and deals were made by traitors to our country who in every case made the worst deal the world has ever seen.

The idea that if they are tariffing us, why we should tariff them right back is kind of silly since of course they have some tariffs against us as we have against them.  Tariffs are a pretty boring subject and you have to dig a little to find out what is going on, but it's probably wise to know some facts before you cast a vote.

Not that any of that bothers Trump at all,  It is just another fight, headlines and something he can stomp around about at his beloved rallies.  If everybody takes a hit because other countries don't want to trade with us (everything we are trying to sell they can get elsewhere), what does Trump care, he is getting way richer off his presidency from his emoluments.  Remember when that was an issue?  I think the case is still crawling up to the courts, but Trump's loyal lapdog, the republican party, will find a way to swat it down.

Right now looking at my Trib I like Dilbert and Mr Boffo.  Looking through the Sun-Times I like Pooch Cafe, Monty, and Peals Before Swine.  I liked Calvin and Hobbes and the Far Side, and that one with Bill the Cat, but the cartoonists stopped doing them, still not sure why, it's not like they went on to bigger things.  I liked Peanuts when I was a kid, but it didn't grow well with me.

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