Tariffs Catch-All

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Trumpers (and their hero) all seem to believe that America is so powerful and dominant that we can literally bully and bluster and threaten and other nations - even China -will just fold and give us whatever we want. And while we're powerful, we aren't that powerful, and bullying only makes other countries even less likely to negotiate with us. Trump really does seem to believe that he can treat other countries like he did contestants on The Apprentice and that it will work just the same. They're about to all learn the hard way that "reality show" television isn't like true reality at all.
 
Trumpers (and their hero) all seem to believe that America is so powerful and dominant that we can literally bully and bluster and threaten and other nations - even China -will just fold and give us whatever we want. And while we're powerful, we aren't that powerful, and bullying only makes other countries even less likely to negotiate with us. Trump really does seem to believe that he can treat other countries like he did contestants on The Apprentice and that it will work just the same. They're about to all learn the hard way that "reality show" television isn't like true reality at all.
This is what runaway, unconditional patriotism gets you. Thanks Rush. Thanks Lee (Atwater and Greenwood).
 
The two men tried to make Trump believe what they and every other single conservatives has believed their entire lives, but for some reason have to pretend for a short time that they don’t believe it because they are afraid of the lame-duck wannabe dictator manbaby.
I can’t stand this nonsense. Goodness we are led by a complete moron.
 
In the Harquahala Valley, hay fields stretch as far as the eye can see.

Alfalfa hay is mainly used as feed for cattle and is big business in Arizona, with Arizona farms exporting over $100 million of alfalfa overseas a year.

Shannon Schulz has been farming in the Harquahala Valley for decades.

"There's no better way to raise a family than on the farm," Schulz said.

Schulz is unique in the Valley, as he not only harvests his alfalfa but also is part of the export process overseas. His main customers are countries in the Middle East, and China.

“Usually, this warehouse is full of hay. It’s not right now because business is just slow," Schulz said.

Business is slow because Chinese dairy farms have all but stopped buying U.S. alfalfa to feed their cattle after the country imposed retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports. China makes up about half of Arizona's alfalfa export market.

“With the current tariffs in place, which is in total about 66% from China to us, it puts our product out of the marketplace," Schulz said.

Schulz says that now Chinese farms are buying from other countries in Africa and Europe. For the alfalfa now growing in Arizona’s fields, by the time it's ready to be harvested, there may not be a customer to buy it.

Losing about half of his business overnight has not been easy.

“It could break us," Schulz said. "It could break a lot of farmers.”

Schulz says he voted for President Donald Trump and believes in the goals of his tariff plan, to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. and expand exporter access to foreign markets.

“In the long run I think it will be a good thing," He said.


Also
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DHL Express, a division of Germany's Deutsche Post (DHLn.DE), opens new tab, said it would suspend global business-to-consumer shipments worth over $800 to individuals in the United States from April 21, as U.S. customs regulatory changes have lengthened clearance.
The notice on the company website was not dated, but its metadata showed it was compiled on Saturday.

DHL blamed the halt on new U.S. customs rules which require formal entry processing on all shipments worth over $800. The minimum had been $2,500 until a change on April 5.

DHL said business-to-business shipments would not be suspended but could face delays. Shipments under $800 to either businesses or consumers were not affected by the changes.
 


“… It took only a week before the backtracking began, on 9 April. This was in response to a ferocious reaction in the markets that his government was powerless to deflect or contain. The reversal was not however complete and the continuing turmoil threatens to force further retreats, still leaving the American and indeed the whole international, economy in a much weakened state.

We rarely have had such a clear-cut example of bad strategy.

This is not about objectives, for someone with terrible intent can be strategically adept, but about deciding on a course of action that will not only fail to achieve its stated intent but will have negative consequences that far exceed the positive. In this respect Trump’s tariffs policy is on the extreme end of the scale of badness, exemplary in its awfulness.

It has features that are common to most bad strategies but in key respects it was unique. This was a bad strategic decision that only Donald Trump could have made, not just because he had to be president to make it but also because it was necessary to believe things about international trade that only he and a few close advisers believed.

… Most of my work has been in the military sphere where bad strategy invariably involves underestimation of opponents and overestimation of one’s own capabilities. In many cases far too much emphasis is placed on catching the enemy by surprise with bold early moves and not enough on the later moves, especially if the surprise attacks fail to achieve their objectives.

… We can read across to Trump’s decision-making. He fits the model of a flawed military commander. He follows a worldview that reflects his prejudices, and he is surrounded by staff prized for their loyalty more than independent judgment. He lacks intellectual curiosity and rejects complicating evidence. His starting assumption is that he has the strength to impose his will. …”
 
On the rare earths part of this fiasco along, Trump should have to apologize to American citizems. Not in this article but there are rumors out there that US is so desperate now, CIA has been charged to smuggle rare earths from China if they can.
 
Not in this article but there are rumors out there that US is so desperate now, CIA has been charged to smuggle rare earths from China if they can.
Seems real big, if true. Where are these rumors? If this is truly happening, at this absurdly early state of the Trump autocracy, the US economy is heading towards depression in the next four years.
 
Typical wild Internet rumors. But given US industrial and defense vulnerabilities to REE. at least in the short term, they should be plotting covert opeations or concluding a trade deal with China ASAP.
Trump started an all-out trade war when theUS was wholly unprepared in key areas. And invdading Greenland won't solve this, nor will tickjing off all the other countries who have rare earth deposits
 
Typical wild Internet rumors. But given US industrial and defense vulnerabilities to REE. at least in the short term, they should be plotting covert opeations or concluding a trade deal with China ASAP.
Trump started an all-out trade war when theUS was wholly unprepared in key areas. And invdading Greenland won't solve this, nor will tickjing off all the other countries who have rare earth deposits
Yep. So we deliberately were going to piss off China with a trade war that we thought we could quickly win, China responds by cutting off our supply of rare earth minerals, so we were going to piss off Denmark by just taking over Greenland (easy peasy!) and use it for rare earth minerals, even though most of it is still buried under thick ice sheets. And even if we did all that it would likely still take years to be able to get enough raw materials to make up for losing China's supply which we had access to before our trade war and ridiculous tariffs. And apparently the geniuses in Trump 2.0 did not really think through the implications and consequences of any of their actions. Shocking, I know.
 
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