Liberation Day

Plus: JAQ x Batya Ungar-Sargon, Amazon's bid to purchase TikTok, and more...

You've been liberated from feeling good about your stock portfolio and meeting your household budget! It's Liberation Day, can't you feel it?

Or at least that's what President Donald Trump wants you to believe. In reality, today is going to be a terrible bloodbath. Globally, markets have tumbled. Domestically, they will probably tank. I hope you didn't have any big purchases you wanted to make—like, ever—because shopping is over for now.

Yesterday evening, the president imposed universal tariffs that he calls reciprocal, supposedly based on the amount each country tariffs our imports. Vietnamese imports will now be hit with a 46 percent tariff. E.U. goods face a 20 percent one, Japanese goods a 24 percent one, and Chinese imports a 34 percent one—but it's looking like that's on top of the previous 20 percent tariff, so it's 54 percent total. (The White House press secretary has confirmed this.) The baseline 10 percent tariffs go into effect Saturday, and all higher tariffs go into effect April 9. Trump has so far made exceptions for a few categories of product—semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and lumber—but that's not because he wants them to remain exempt; it's because he's still in the process of drafting up his plan for how those goods ought to be taxed. Full list here.

There are roughly 60 countries on this list distributed by the White House that are being hit with reciprocal tariffs. (The others have a 10% baseline tariff.) pic.twitter.com/MxFusLaBF1

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) April 2, 2025

"If you want your tariff rate to be zero, then you build your product right here in America," said Trump. If he actually wants American manufacturing to be revitalized, it will take a very long time for such factories to be operational. And supply chains are global and interconnected; even American-made cars (previously the target of tariffs) source tons of parts from elsewhere. It will be very hard to fully produce every product right here in America, and it will be very costly, and it will be very painful.

Perhaps the most wild thing about all this is that these rates do not appear to have been grabbed out of thin air. The administration has claimed that they're discounted versions, proportional to the taxes levied on our imports to each country. But some Twitter sleuths have discovered that…those countries aren't in fact levying such high rates on us. The first column is not "tariffs charged to the U.S.A."; it's the trade deficit divided by imports. A White House official rebuts this…but offers a formula that corroborates this theory. See for yourself.

Holy crap.

Appears the left column isn't tariff rates at all. It's simply the trade deficit/imports. It has literally 0 to do with tariff rates of those countries.

So why are they listing it as "tariffs charged"???? https://t.co/v79anX58cd

— AG (@AGHamilton29) April 2, 2025

So for example for South Korea:

Listed tariff rate: 50%
Actual tariff rate 0.79%

Imports: 131.5 Billion
Exports: 65.5 Billion

Trade Deficit: 66 billion

So what they want isn't reciprocal tariffs, but exactly equal trade values.

— AG (@AGHamilton29) April 2, 2025

It's a shockingly stupid approach.

WH has now confirmed: this is insane https://t.co/Ozj8O4r7jY pic.twitter.com/JTJxC8L6rO

— Scott Lincicome (@scottlincicome) April 3, 2025

Trump, in his address announcing these tariffs, called it our "declaration of economic independence." Oren Cass, an anti-free trade policy wonk, said these policies "confirm the end of the disastrous [World Trade Organization] era and lay the groundwork for a new set of arrangements in the international economy that prioritize the national interest and the flourishing of the nation's working families."

Yeah, well my working family doesn't feel so great about how to make ends meet, contra Cass. This will make it harder for all of us to afford food, clothing, cars, and household goods.

That said, it's possible that they're essentially stunt tariffs, that they're made to be temporary, and that the economic pain will be more short-term than we fear. A good point by journalist Tim Carney:

This is key. The tariffs cannot cultivate domestic manufacturing, because they were made to be contingent, temporary, negotiable—because for our Quid Pro Quo President, everything is always on the table. https://t.co/RG6rUoLFlt

— Tim Carney (@TPCarney) April 3, 2025

 

Some of the administration's logic appears to be rooted in the president's personal disdain for trade deficits. "Trump's idea about using tariffs to reduce America's trade deficit with other countries" is terribly misguided, writes Reason's Eric Boehm. "To understand why, think about the transactions that occur between your household and your favorite grocery store. You buy lots of goods from the grocery store, but it never purchases anything from you—therefore, you're running a sizable trade deficit. Tariffs are nothing more than a tax on those transactions. Trump's logic says that you could be wealthy if you mailed $25 to the U.S. Treasury for every $100 in groceries that you purchase. That's ridiculous. You'd be poorer, and the trade deficit with the store would still exist."

More Boehm on how American exporters will also be affected: "America exports a lot of orange juice to Canada—because we have an obvious comparative advantage when it comes to growing citrus fruit. In 2023, Canada bought $281 million worth of fruit juice from the United States. In Trump's flawed way of looking at trade, that would mean America is somehow ripping Canada off, but this is actually a great deal for everyone involved. Canadians get orange juice that they can't produce on their own.…The impact of tariffs on exports is less direct than on imports, but no less serious. It happens in multiple ways. American industries—like orange farmers, to continue that metaphor—will face higher prices for inputs, such as farm equipment and fertilizer (much of which comes from Canada). Those same industries will have to deal with smaller export markets and less demand for their goods. Higher costs on the front end, lower prices on the back end." (The fact that American exporters will have a harder time makes "correcting" the trade deficit—the one that so bothers Trump—even tougher.)

This is all just very, very, very bad. I don't know any other way to say it. Here's something to cleanse your palate:

How it feels to have bought my PC two days ago pic.twitter.com/sAFqc1oIs4

— santos-inistas (@JDabknee) April 2, 2025

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Scenes from New York: I've never heard of a politician more obsequious than New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

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QUICK HITS

• Watch this explosive, highly contentious episode of Just Asking Questions—featuring Batya Ungar-Sargon, who describes herself as a "MAGA leftist"—on tariffs, deportations, and whether the Trump administration is actually a gift to the working class. There was a lot of conflict. Here's Ungar-Sargon on Piers Morgan, for a sampling of the pro-tariff view:

 

• I really enjoyed this New York Times interview with Megyn Kelly, in which the conservative media star really appears to complicate the interviewer's worldview and view of journalism.
• "President Donald Trump committed during a closed-door meeting Wednesday to publicly support Senate Republicans in their efforts to massively reduce the deficit—and directly engage with them in a legislative process for clawing back federal funds," reports Politico. This is very welcome news.
• Amazon has submitted a bid to purchase TikTok from its Chinese parent company, Byte Dance. "The company sent its proposal in a letter to Vice President JD Vance, who's heading efforts to help facilitate a sale of the US operations of the video platform ahead of a deadline later this week, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick," a source told The New York Times, as reported by Bloomberg. The administration is not seriously considering the offer, though, for reasons unclear.

Comments

[Chumby]

Russian to Conclusions

The US has imposed a 10% tariff on imports from Ukraine, which likely does mean the US taxpayer will feel that since we are probably funding the original manufacturing.

Russia is not on the list of tariffed nations. Folks will be putin that in their pipes and smoking it.

Russia does not need to fuss about new US tariffs – it is better to sit on the shore and wait for the corpse of the European Union to float by
- Dima Medvedev

[Moonrocks]

Russia is not on the list of tariffed nations

Do we even trade with Russia anymore?

[Chumby]

Yes, but it is down to a few billion dollars a year each way in part due to Biden’s sanctions. I think we sometimes also trade for tranny basketball players they export.

[SIV]

Russia got the best of us on that deal getting the world's greatest high-risk airfreight entrepreneur in exchange for a semi-pro basketball dyke.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

"Do we even trade with Russia anymore?"

For what? Russia sells harvested commodities and Vodka; can't think of a single Russian manufactured good anyone buys.

[Spiritus Mundi]

Processed uranium for power plants.

[Chumby]

Until Obama sanctions, small arms. Have several and they are well-made and at an affordable price. They also export oil though that is not manufactured.

They also had been exporting titanium but nit sure if that is still a thing. Interestingly, the SR71 was built with Soviet titanium. A bunch of CIA shadow corps used to facilitate those purchases.

[Ajsloss]

small arms. Have several

Don't you mean you "had" several and now they're at the bottom of the lake?

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

As a personal protest against Putin, right?

[Ajsloss]

"I believe it was a boaking accident." -Principal Skinner

[Chumby]

When it looked like Biden might be auditing private food production, took the fields out in the boat and they too unfortunately sank to the bottom of a lake.

[Super Scary]

I'm just providing job opportunities for the magnet fishing Youtubers.

[Fist of Etiquette]

You've been liberated from feeling good about your stock portfolio and meeting your household budget!

You want manufacturing jobs back or not? Well, you can't have those, either.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Sarcasia’s disloyal opposition)]

Cheap shit cones with a cost as there are only trade-offs in life. Yes, you can have cheap shit, but then you wind up with McJobs, hollowed out cities, and having to rely on potentially hostile countries to make all your goods. Should we go to war with a Chinese ally, China can control what we do by controlling what we’re able to purchase such as steel or rare earth metals.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

We are told to ignore all the market effects and disruptions on supply chain during covid. It never happened.

[Overt]

I continue to scratch my head at this line of thought. Governments shut down shipping and manufacturing across the world and we are supposed to blame globalism? I was trying to buy American-made gym equipment and I couldn't get it because the Minnesota Governor wouldn't let workers into their warehouse. That isn't globalism's fault. All it proves is that government is an asshole.

People went for a week having to ration toilet paper, but we didn't have mass starvation? That seems a pretty good result considering how epically totalitarian the world governments became.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

It was more than just shipping lanes. Those actually continued.

But countries like China actually ordered goods in route, already bought, such as with PPE to be returned to China. Other countries also cut off foreign exports at the time.

This showed the US dependency on these chains leading to shit like the TP raids at Costco. This was also true of other industries.

The same things we saw then show the threat on if China decides to go after Taiwan. It gives them influence in actions we take against them.

[Overt]

The "TP Raids at Costco" were not caused by China. They were caused by the fact that TP is very bulky, low margin, and as a result difficult to stock on site. We tripled the demand of a product that isn't typically housed in warehouses, but instead produced by American factories who couldn't produce for 3x demand spikes.

I don't disagree that supply chains were disrupted. But if we had more supply chains domestic, we'd have been MORE FUCKED because (as I noted) American manufacturers were the ones shut down, not Chinese.

Globalism saved our ass during COVID- the weakness was not global trade, but the governments that thought they could stop a virus by locking 2/3 of their population in their houses. Again: at any time in our history, had a government done that, mass famine would have followed.

[rbike]

I was saved by a Chinese made mask.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

It was fun to see how average Americans thought toilet paper was the Most Important Thing, and that life would end without it.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

I was on site every day of work during the covid scares. This just isn't true of many companies that produce that they all shut down. Truckers also continued. I know it is the narrative but a lot of people continued working on site.

Company i work for continued. The sole disruptions we had were from foreign supply chains. Our domestic suppliers had the same issues due to dependency on foreign chains.

Supply chain risk is book kept as a cost. This was a realized cost during covid. Largely from actions of other countries.

I don't know why you pretend this isn't an issue.

[Bertram Guilfoyle]

The smartest commenter here said you were a government contractor.

[Square = Circle]

The sole disruptions we had were from foreign supply chains.

Because foreigners were holding up their goods, or because the ports were shut down and truckers weren't allowed to work because the longshoremen and the truckers were refusing vaccinations?

[middlefinger]

What saved us during the H1N1 pandemic?

What will save us from climate change, or ummm, aren’t we all supposed to be dead by now?

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Another reason to not trust Trump's economic policies, the Cares Act.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Hey, but that is a necessary step on the way to the WEF vision: cheap shit made in the bottom tier "nations" bought by people on the dole in the "first world", all managed by superior elites who hire servants and support a tiny middle class of artisans and plumbers.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

How about, I'm not interested in the government trying to micromanage the precise industrial portfolio of the nation?

[InsaneTrollLogic (Sarcasia’s disloyal opposition)]

Giving them a shield is not micromanagement, dingbat.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Giving "who" a shield? American manufacturers? Why should they get a "shield"? What about American farmers? What about American pharmaceutical companies? What about American banks? What about American real estate companies? Maybe they should all get "shields". Who decides? Maybe - here's the crazy thought - maybe the government shouldn't be handing out shields at all. What do you think?

[InsaneTrollLogic (Sarcasia’s disloyal opposition)]

Other countries give theirs shields. Are you arguing that we should be 100% open while others get to play games with closing off themselves to our goods?

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Yes. And then force you to call that arrangement a free market.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Sarcasia’s disloyal opposition)]

Exactly. In an ideal world, no one has tariffs or trade barriers. Unfortunately, we live in a far less than ideal world.

[middlefinger]

And then, after all that, live in public housing projects and enjoy food, energy and healthcare rationing based on income, race or gender identity.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

I encourage everyone freaking out to sell all their stocks. If they are screaming about it and not selling they are full of shit.

Ironically we are already in a bubble. Historically price to earnings has been around 16x. We are currently at 26x.

A lot of this is due to the flood of money generated during covid. Government handouts to flood the market.

[Overt]

This is true. The government has spent the past 20 years (basically ever since the 2008 Financiapocalypse) artificially pumping up the stock market, generally at the expense of young working people. Banks were turned into zombies working at the behest of governments that declared them Too Big to Fail.

This party has needed to end for years, and whichever president allowed the Market to correct was going to get a big pole rammed up their ass at midterms. Maybe we get the benefit of blaming it on Tariffs. But unless congress gets its shit together and rolls back some spending, all this will be rolled back in another year or two.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

My favorite is the screaming about GDP, which includes government spending. So if Trump is successful and cuts 1T from current spending rates, that is a -3.6% GDP effects.

A recession for cutting government spending.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Just the mirror image of the GDP "boom" under Biden.

ps. Don't you miss all the jokes about booms under Biden?

[Jefferson Paul]

Did you watch Timcast IRL last night? The guest talked about exactly that.

It goes to show, even the touted numbers about growth during the Biden admin, as bad as they were, were even worse when you consider how much more of the GDP was due to the increased government spending.

[Jefferson Paul]

And similarly, the "job growth" numbers (even after the inevitable revisions down) were almost entirely new government jobs and immigrant jobs. Surprisingly few new jobs for native-born Americans in the private sector.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

This is true. The government has spent the past 20 years (basically ever since the 2008 Financiapocalypse) artificially pumping up the stock market, generally at the expense of young working people.

Yeah, this is the foundation of all of this that's fallen completely off the radar, because none of the media bobbleheads really understand it, outside of exceptions like Taibbi whose beat it was to document all this shit back when everything blew up in 2008.

Bernanke and Yellen spent a decade and a half running the money printers non-stop. Everything costing more was inevitable. We recently had to replace some the windows in the house, and did a renovation on our rather small kitchen. Prior to 2020, those jobs would have been about $25,000, maybe, combined; they ended up costing $40K total. We couldn't even get all the windows replaced that we wanted to, because they were so fucking expensive. My my brand-new F-150 that I got for $26K in 2019 would be about $45K, minimum, today. And all of this is simply the result of their goddamn "quantitative easing" that didn't ease anything other than the money in my pocket.

[Fist of Etiquette]

It's idiotic to think the stock market won't be back in six months if not much earlier. But I need to buy a new truck so who will think of Fist of Etiquette?

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

I hear slightly damaged Cybertrucks are a bargain right now.

[Alberto Balsalm]

I encourage everyone freaking out to sell all their stocks. If they are screaming about it and not selling they are full of shit.

Anybody smarter than Jesse already sold most of their stocks a month ago when it became clear Trump was determined to go full retard. Only people as dumb as Jesse think this is a normal market correction or that, somehow, covid is responsible. Anybody smarter than Jesse will now watch to see how the world reacts before re-entering the market. People as dumb as Jesse will remain in the market and whine and moan (their trademark) if the world doesn't fall-in behind Trump. Only people as dumb as Jesse, who once read a book about game theory, cannot foresee countries who once considered us an ally, forming alliances to take advantage of the fact that Trump has single-handedly hamstrung the USA. Don't be as dumb as Jesse. And here's a peremptory fuck off to Sevo, who is actually dumber than Jesse.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

cannot foresee countries who once considered us an ally,

The FVEY and EU alliance needs to end anyway.

[Alberto Balsalm]

If the EU decides it wants high-quality cheap goods from China, they will put us in check. Throw in a couple dozen of the other countries Trump is waving his dick at and it's checkmate.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

EU. They are the countries who crippled their own energy sector and became dependent on Russian energy right?

Fucking idiot.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

If the EU decides it wants high-quality cheap goods from China, they will put us in check. Throw in a couple dozen of the other countries Trump is waving his dick at and it's checkmate.

This kind of hilarious wishcasting is what I come to HnR for. You really think they're going to fire up the Silk Road again or that Egypt won't charge them out the wazoo to bring that low-quality cheap shit through the Suez?

[Alberto Balsalm]

I agree. The EU is far too disorganized and even more economically illiterate than Trump. Still, we are in uncharted waters, or at least waters that nobody has attempted to navigate for about a century.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Still, we are in uncharted waters, or at least waters that nobody has attempted to navigate for about a century.

The UK and EU are too busy cancelling election results and throwing their citizens in prison for silently praying to be bothered putting together any kind of open trade agreement with China.

[Jefferson Paul]

Egypt may decide to give a discount for passage through the Suez as a favor to fellow Muslim-majority nations like the UK and France.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

"Anybody smarter than Jesse already sold most of their stocks a month ago when it became clear Trump was determined to go full retard."

1) You actually did this and you are a raging ignoramus.
2) You didn't, but don't mind bragging about being a raging ignoramus.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

3) He never actually had any stock, and never will.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

This.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

He didn't. We asked him last week and he went radio silent.

This is the usual leftist provocation. He is lying.

If everyone sold months ago the drop would have been months ago. He is so retarded as to not understand this.

[Alberto Balsalm]

I did. Just started buying back in today. Great deals on world class chip stocks. Will continue to buy in until we hit bottom, which could be a while, but the bandaid's been ripped off.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Lol. No you didn't.

And if you bought in today prior to the tariffs even having an effect you're now agreeing they will have no effect.

How retarded are you? You can't even make your narrative consistent.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

See you in 3 months buddy!

We know you don't have stocks as you avoided the questions on if you sold last week. Lol.

[Incunabulum]

So . . . you sold your stocks - for cash, I assume? Cash that will rapidly depreciate because of the massive inflation because no one is making anything for sale anymore?

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

"I encourage everyone freaking out to sell all their stocks."

I will give them 10 cents on the dollar, cash American money, right now.

[middlefinger]

Yep. Are the Bloomberg EcoNoMiSts shorting the S&P?

[Fist of Etiquette]

In reality, today is going to be a terrible bloodbath.

Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

[Don't look at me! (No longer muted!)]

Or a buying opportunity.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Shhhh

[Spiritus Mundi]

Buy the dip!

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

It's more than buying dips. It is buying the corporate mefia fueled hysteria.

An example I use often is two instances. The BP oil spill. The market way over reacted due to the corporate media obsession with it. Was easy to see knowing it was a large government connected firm producing a need. Was easy to make good money on it. Another Was the American airlines threat of bankruptcy. Again government protected. They got bailed out. Even though I wish they were allowed to bankrupt I knew they wouldn't be allowed to. Easy buy and sell.

Now Tesla is havent. Despite the liberal and corporate media. But that is solely because it was propped up the decade prior due yo the same media. Over valued prior to the drop.

[Chumby]

Recall when a Reason editor called for a Red Wedding on conservatives.

[Mother's Lament - (Sarcasian Meanister of Foreign Affairs)]

Welch still dreams of the day they will slaughter every conservative he knows at a giant party.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Sarcasia’s disloyal opposition)]

Welch would do well to remember the ultimate fate of the Freys, after that wedding.

[Dakotian (descendent of Kulaks)]

Welch and the 5 Column guys have a weekly spot on Megyn Kelly's podcast. I wonder if she knows Welch fantasizes about the bloody deaths of conservative journalists. Maybe she is one of the "good ones" and is not on his Red Wedding invite list.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Hitler like language.

[Chumby]

Liz Wolfenstein, Ober Führerin

[EISTAU Gree-Vance]

You know who else warned of a bloodbath?

[Fist of Etiquette]

If he actually wants American manufacturing to be revitalized, it will take a very long time for such factories to be operational.

You know who else thought that?

[InsaneTrollLogic (Sarcasia’s disloyal opposition)]

Wilhelm II of the German Empire?

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

The Teamsters, on their Union mandated break?

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Green Peace?

[Chumby]

Globalist Seoul Searching

South Korea's Constitutional Court is set to deliver its verdict on the Conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment this Friday.

In response, the National Police Agency will raise to its highest alert level and deploy 14,000 riot police officers, including specialized units equipped with anti-drone systems.

Authorities are implementing extensive security measures in anticipation of potential unrest, with police officials not ruling out the possibility of attacks on critical infrastructure, including targeted actions against the court and its judges.

- Bellum Acta

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Anyone who's never seen a video of a South Korean protest riot is really missing out. They're absolutely amazing to watch and practically a national pasttime.

When I was stationed in the country 20 years ago, there was a protest one day right outside our part of the base that featured protestors throwing flaming debris over the security fence.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...even American-made cars (previously the target of tariffs) source tons of parts from elsewhere.

WELL THEY SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Trump, in his address announcing these tariffs, called it our "declaration of economic independence."

He needed to make that speech that Bill Pullman (or was it Paxton?) made in Independence Day and then send Randy Quaid up Canada's butt.

[Quicktown Brix]

All we need is Trump's picture under a big "mission accomplished" banner.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Or perhaps take a page from the late great Senator Blutarsky.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

From his speech about when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

That and/or downing a fifth of Jack.

[Fist of Etiquette]

To understand why, think about the transactions that occur between your household and your favorite grocery store.

Grooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaan.

[Fist of Etiquette]

You buy lots of goods from the grocery store, but it never purchases anything from you...

The fuck I do. I grow my own toilet paper which they refuse to purchase, so they don't get my business.

[Chumby]

Sarc used this analogy yesterday (Tuesday?). The grocery store pays someone that pays me for a good/service I provide to each of them. I also grow a bit of food and hunt for some more of it. No, I’m not a vaping tatted writer in NYC. Maybe Reason should work to get their magazine on grocery store shelves.

[Quicktown Brix]

Services don't count. Only goods.

[Chumby]

I provide both.

[Incunabulum]

What's funny is if you talk about government debt then he'll also tell you that 'the government isn't like your household stupid!'

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Gonna be a dental floss tycoon

[InsaneTrollLogic (Sarcasia’s disloyal opposition)]

"Trump's idea about using tariffs to reduce America's trade deficit with other countries" is terribly misguided, writes Reason's Eric Boehm. "To understand why, think about the transactions that occur between your household and your favorite grocery store. You buy lots of goods from the grocery store, but it never purchases anything from you—therefore, you're running a sizable trade deficit.

False equivalency and definitely a strawman argument from Boehm. People also earn money by working at the grocery store and then spend that money either at your business, or even at that grocery store they work at. Of course, as we already knew, Boehm is a fucking retard.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Does your local grocery store earn a profit? I'm going to assume yes for the purposes of this discussion. If that is the case, then the total of all of the wages that your grocery store pays its employees, is less than the total of all of the grocery store's customers give to the store to buy goods. In fact, it's probably quite a bit less since the grocery store also has to buy product, pay utilities, etc. So even considering a grocery store at a semi-macro level, it is still running a "trade deficit" with the rest of the town. The rest of the town gives the grocery store more money than the grocery store's employees spend in the town.

Clearly this is unfair, and the town mayor should slap a tariff on the grocery store so that the trade deficit goes to zero. Sound good to you?

[Don't look at me! (No longer muted!)]

Holy crap.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Sarcasia’s disloyal opposition)]

More strawmen, Jeffy? Yes, they make a profit, but they’re also part of the local economic ecosystem, paying wages and taxes, buying food products, and taking in money from willing consumers. For some reason you and the Reason writers seem to like to conflate individuals buying and selling with nations trading with each other. One is within that system, internally, and the other is between systems that make the rules for their systems whether you like it or not. Some play fair and try to adhere to the rules. Others try to game the system,

[chemjeff radical individualist]

For some reason you and the Reason writers seem to like to conflate individuals buying and selling with nations trading with each other.

Is that like conflating national borders with individual property ownership of a house, like you all like to do all the time?

You did not understand at all the argument that I was making and now just want to obfuscate your way out of it. Which is typical for a low IQ retard like yourself.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Sarcasia’s disloyal opposition)]

I get your “argument”, and it’s a crappy false equivalency.

[Overt]

The idea that Canada is not part of our "local system" is just wrong. If you can justify a tariff on Canada as a bad actor, then basically everyone is a bad actor, and the term has no meaning.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

If tariffs are a sign if a bad actor then canada is a bad actor. They have tariffs on many US products.

And we could have been to an equal free market state by going to 0% tariffs. Which even Ford publicly stated they were considering.

ALX

@alx
BREAKING: Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he is willing to drop ALL of Canada’s tariffs: “We’d be willing to take those off tomorrow… he knows… we’re going to take these tariffs off in the next minute if he said he’s taking their tariffs off”

So for a short term shock you get a better long term outcome. Or is this not a good thing? They've never offered this prior.

[Quicktown Brix]

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he is willing to drop ALL of Canada’s tariffs

Is Trump taking that offer?

[Overt]

That's my point.

Tariffs are a transfer from American buyers to some protected class in America- steel workers, car producers, food producers, you have it. It isn't a punishment for "Bad Actors"- it is a subsidy for certain Americans, paid by other Americans.

The fact that Canada engages in the same protectionism for its own citizens is immaterial. They are protecting some industries with the wealth of their own citizens just as the US does. Neither is a bad actor. Typically this balance of interests occurs as part of a negotiation ("I'll protect my auto workers, and you protect your maple syrup producers"). That doesn't make the two countries a pair of bad actors engaged in a criminal conspiracy. It is two countries pursuing their own interests.

If you feel it is so important for Americans to pay a subsidy to domestic steelworkers or car producers, then defend that. Don't claim it is because Canada is a "Bad actor". That's the lazy "Tax the Rich" rhetoric of the Left.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

You seem to be intentionally ignoring the actual long term response in what I said.

How do you get an advantaged market actor to change their behavior? Ignore the behavior that gives him an advantage? Or respond to it?

This is very similar to the NAP.

[Rev Arthur L kuckland (5-30-24 banana republic day)]

Why do you concider Canada a good actor?

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Keanu Reeves, the Sutherlands. Nathan Fillon...

[Chumby]

Corey Haim…uh, can I withdraw my comment?

[Rev Arthur L kuckland (5-30-24 banana republic day)]

Beiber checkmate

[InsaneTrollLogic (Sarcasia’s disloyal opposition)]

Now, now, the Canadian Government has apologized for Bryan Adams on several occasions!

[Marshal]

In fact, it's probably quite a bit less since the grocery store also has to buy product, pay utilities, etc.

In fact grocery store gross margin and profit margins are so small they are literally the textbook example of small margin businesses.

[mad.casual]

"If my local Aldi or Whole Foods was genociding Uighyrs, enslaving black people, and kidnapping Jews in surprise attacks from the river to the sea, I'd continue to shop there because going down the block to Kroger or Jewel is just... [shudders] ick. I mean, where else are you going to get low prices and/or pesticide-free grain?"

It's like, in 2025, Boehm has never heard a libertarian or other satirist say, "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong,"

[Fist of Etiquette]

This is all just very, very, very bad. I don't know any other way to say it.

Long term bad? That remains to be seen, but it could very well be the Democrats' way back plus the groundwork for the protectionist policies the party used to espouse.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Yup.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I've never heard of a politician more obsequious than New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

To the NYC citizen?

[Rev Arthur L kuckland (5-30-24 banana republic day)]

She hasn't read reason enough to know about polis

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

So dreamy.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

The first column is not "tariffs charged to the U.S.A."; it's the trade deficit divided by imports.

Wait wait, you mean, the government lied to us? No way!

So you mean, when Jesse said yesterday:

Yet Vietnam has 90% tariffs on US goods.

https://reason.com/2025/04/02/the-senate-just-passed-rand-pauls-bill-to-block-trumps-tariffs-on-canada/?comments=true#comment-10987192

he was just regurgitating White House propaganda, and did zero independent research for himself to see if that was true or not?

[Mother's Lament - (Sarcasian Meanister of Foreign Affairs)]

Speaking of regurgitating propaganda, here's Lying Jeffy.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Does Vietnam levy 90% tariffs on US goods?

[Don't get eliminated(Lying Jeffy is king of the liars)]

Does the president have the authority to revoke a law firm’s security clearance?

[Don't look at me! (No longer muted!)]

Funny how you supported everything the government said during Covid.

[Spiritus Mundi]

He used 'consider the source' reasoning to accept or deny what is being said. If only there was some word to describe that......

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

But he thinks that word means something else.

[Medulla Oblongata]

Heavy hitters in Washington State getting fed up with being forced to pay more and more for less and less.

https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/04/03/0253238/microsoft-amazon-execs-call-out-washingtons-low-performing-9-year-olds-in-tax-pushback

From the letter: "We have long partnered with you in many areas, including education funding. Despite more than doubling K-12 spending and increasing teacher salaries to some of the highest rates in the nation, 4th and 8th grade assessment scores in reading and math are among the worst in the country. Similarly, we have collaborated with you to address housing and homelessness. Despite historic investments in affordable housing and homelessness prevention since 2013, Washington's homeless population has grown by 71 percent, making it the third largest in the nation after California and New York, according to HUD. These outcomes beg the question of whether more investment is needed or whether we need different policies instead."

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Duh. MOAR MONIES!!!

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Turns out standardizing Frierian pedagogies isn't good for anything other than creating marxist activists. to wit:

“Our kids didn’t lose anything. It’s OK that our babies may not have learned all their times tables. They learned resilience. They learned survival. They learned critical-thinking skills. They know the difference between a riot and a protest. They know the words insurrection and coup.”--commie vermin Cecily Myart-Cruz, president of United Teachers Los Angeles.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Yeah, well my working family doesn't feel so great about how to make ends meet, contra Cass. This will make it harder for all of us to afford food, clothing, cars, and household goods.

How reliant are you on the 11% of the us economy that is imports are you?

Why is there still refusal to acknowledge the countries agreeing to 0% tariffs as part of the reciprocal tariffs? Nothing on the hundred billion plus in domestic investment announced?

Meanwhile there is a continued ignoring of the debt and ever growing welfare state born through the advantaged trade markets you claim to be free markets.

Offshore production. Import low wage workers. Raise welfare for workers laid off. Generate 37T in debt.

This is the system you're defending.

When record number of Americans are dependent on government handouts, you demand no change, keep the status quo.

It is amazing.

[Overt]

This is a bunch of false choices. One can like some of the stuff Trump wants and still dislike Tariffs. One can seek to eliminate bad parts of the "system" without supporting Tariffs. There is zero reason why eliminating debt, stopping the welfare state, and stopping inflation requires Tariffs. And in fact, concentrating on those problems (especially the scourge of Inflation) is a great way to reduce the purported need for tariffs in the first place.

In fact Americans, especially young salary earners, tend to disproportionately depend on imports. That's because they are still trying to acquire things, and their inflato-bucks have less purchasing power against american goods (where inflation has already eroded the value of their dollar) vs foreign goods (where the inflation lags behind).

[Mike Parsons]

"One can like some of the stuff Trump wants and still dislike Tariffs. One can seek to eliminate bad parts of the "system" without supporting Tariffs. There is zero reason why eliminating debt, stopping the welfare state, and stopping inflation requires Tariffs. "

^this.

I think Trump has already done significant good, and is on the right side of a lot of issues. Tariffs, I dont support. Tax cuts and spending cuts, I do support.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

2nd that.

[See Double You]

+1,000,000

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

It isnt a false choice. This is the entire reasoning behind reciprocal tariffs or tit for tat strategies.

The current status quo doesn't present these outcomes.

Even the deals labeled free trade are far from free trade. It is the narrative switch to call managed trade free trade. It is invasive.

Prove me wrong. Show one time in the current system there has been agreements to go to 0 tariffs.

It is the same thing we see with the NAP, where people like Jeff argue there can never be a response. Instead it is not to be the aggressor. Here he is going after counrries that already often have higher tariffs. Is he using the best percentages, no, but it doesn't mean those tariffs dont exist.

Again. Show me an example of our current unilateral trade theory leading to 0% tariffs or free markets. Just one.

We already have Argentina and Israel on board. Canada has offered. India in negotiations. Same with Vietnam.

Yet many of you are against the strategy producing these things. It is amazing.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Ill even add im against all market manipulations including the US dolla4 being the current reserve currency which gives the US an advantage. They should stop that as well.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Sure, but the A or B (D or R) candidates we got to vote for last year did not include your desired option.

Is shrinking the government, dismantling the welfare state, and defying the WEF worth the own-goal of excessive tariff politics?

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Depends on the purpose does it not?

The fact Bessent has repeatedly said these tariffs go away when other counrries remove theirs show they are not protectionary.

So does purpose and intention matter or not?

Will there still be complaints next year if average global tariffs have actually dropped? Or will it be an "ignore the outcome" situation?

[MT-Man]

Why though do these groups uniformly vote in, levies and tax increases at the local level if the message I keep hearing through these articles is omg the cost increase? They keep voting yes to every other taxation/cost item why is this the sky is falling moment and not every vote before and to be had that says yes let me have less monies?

[middlefinger]

I’m noticing Amazon is slashing prices, at least with Amazon in particular, prices are coming down and I’m shopping!

[Mother's Lament - (Sarcasian Meanister of Foreign Affairs)]

2025 WI Supreme Court election - Republican Brad Schimel 1,063,244 votes he lost, by 10% points

2023 Democrat Janet Protasiewicz 1,021,370 votes
she won, by 10% points, 2 years ago.

The data I'm looking at is showing absentee ballots being fed into the system to keep liberal Susan Crawford ahead at a certain rate.

... almost as if an algorithm was at work.

The graph below tells a story. From @RealSKeshel thank you! His comments:

"Brad Schimel's 1.063mm votes last night was higher than any Democrat vote total in the history of any WI Supreme Court race. He lost by 10.

Turnout ain't the issue, folks. Dems have mastered ballot harvesting over a lengthy early voting period and can figure out with basic math where their opponent is likely to wind up in order to get over the top.

The country can't survive with mail-in voting." Seth Keshel.

[Mother's Lament - (Sarcasian Meanister of Foreign Affairs)]

What a neat trick! GOP turn out is off the charts and mobilization “did succeed” but, vouila!, they still lose!

It’s not a turnout issue, it’s a fraud issue

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Ballots should be forced to be returned with an ID check. Why is it harder to vote in person than mail one in?

Especially with the known number of cases now about mail in ballots buying or even generating.

This is why Milwaukee doesn't allow observers in their collection center.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Hey, requiring any effort or personal imposition for voting (The Most Important Thing) is unfair and racist.

Note: that will be the public justification for the next phase, when the Blob announces they will vote for us. Of course, the real reason is that too often we vote incorrectly.

[Mother's Lament - (Sarcasian Meanister of Foreign Affairs)]

Fun how voting is treated like a sacrament by the Dems, but the resulting ballots are treated like used toilet paper by the same.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Sarcasia’s disloyal opposition)]

What’s odd about the Wisconsin election is that the voter ID requirement passed by a wide margin, yet apparently there were ballots for the Wisconsin Supreme Court yet did not have anything marked for the voter ID requirement.

[Don't get eliminated(Lying Jeffy is king of the liars)]

What should be the appropriate recourse, if any?

“Woah...

On CNN Trump is Orange, on Fox he isn't

This is the scam

Holy shit”

https://x.com/Timcast/status/1907782186612257259

[Moonrocks]

CNN giving Trump the Rogan treatment?

[Randy Sax]

Embrace it. Be the Orange Man.

[Super Scary]

We can go oranger!

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

When Canada embargoes OJ, we will have to.

[Chumby]

I think OJ died a year or so ago.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Sarcasia’s disloyal opposition)]

How much longer until he looks like a freaking Valencia on CNN?

[Don't look at me! (No longer muted!)]

A day without orangeman is like a day without sunshine!

[Medulla Oblongata]

A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.

https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osec/osec20250331-0

U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer today announced $1.4 billion in unused COVID-era funding has been returned to taxpayers through the U.S. Department of Treasury’s General Fund, with action being taken to recover the remaining $2.9 billion.

The roughly $4.3 billion was intended for states to use for temporary unemployment insurance during the pandemic. Instead, several states continued spending millions of dollars despite no longer meeting necessary requirements, which was uncovered in a 2023 audit conducted by the department’s Office of Inspector General.

“Any money still sitting around for pandemic-era unemployment funds is a clear misuse of Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars,” Secretary Chavez-DeRemer said. “I’m keeping my promise to be a good steward of your money by rooting out waste to ensure American Workers always come First.”

“It’s unacceptable that billions of dollars went unchecked in a program that ended several years ago,” Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling said. “In a huge win for the American taxpayer, we’ve clawed back these unused funds and will keep working to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse.”

Although TFFF was closed in 2021, the OIG’s 2023 audit found four states were allowed to access the funding “despite not meeting program requirements,” totaling over $100 million in spending.

[Don't look at me! (No longer muted!)]

Now his car will get keyed.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

This morning my local liberal small town newspaper had a piece about the county public health department losing some federal pandemic funding. And a quote about how devastating this will be, since they have to cut back on free COVID boosters. Really.

[Chumby]

Hopefully folks hoarding the rest of the money will soon cough it up.

[Its_Not_Inevitable]

That amount is nothing to sneeze at.

[Stupid Government Tricks]

"It's a shockingly stupid approach."

It's Trump and tariffs. As shockingly stupid as giving a 5-year-old a bazooka and wondering what happened to your house. Just as bazookas have a deadly back blast, so do tariffs tax Americans and give the government more money to spend, which, ha ha, they claim will replace income taxes, even though that tariff rate to do so would reduce imports because the whole point of protective tariffs is to reduce imports and raise prices.

Trump is an idiot. Sure, he's going to kill a few wasp nest and obliterate a few flies on the wall. But anyone who ignores the collateral damage is a bigger idiot than Trump.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Anyone who takes your blathering as other than the raving of a TDS-addled shitpile is a yet bigger idiot.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Still raging at attempts to actually get to free trade I see. Those offers of no tariffs must frighten you.

Cute how you pulled the classic Jeff argument rhetorical trick yesterday to try to change my argument though.

[Rev Arthur L kuckland (5-30-24 banana republic day)]

Did you complain when Biden imposed 1.6 trillion a year in regulatory costs, increese tarrifs, and destroyed the energy sector?
If not then kill yourself

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

And if you need help with that, sneak into Canada.

[Medulla Oblongata]

Leftists can self-justify pretty much anything.

https://hotair.com/david-strom/2025/04/02/of-course-liberals-stealing-from-bezos-because-he-isnt-sufficiently-leftist-n3801393

Lee insists he's "famously" a very good Catholic. He's a moral person — his mother raised him right. And by his internal calculation, it's OK to shoplift from Whole Foods. Why? Because of Jeff Bezos.

From about 2020 to 2022, Lee, a 20-something communications professional living in the Washington, DC, area, engaged in what he describes as "grand theft auto-ing" from his local Whole Foods store. He would cheat the scale at the hot bar, pocket spices, or take home four lemons in the self-checkout aisle while only declaring two. Lee has never shoplifted from anywhere else — not Safeway, not a local store. He's largely stopped taking from Whole Foods because he moved to a different neighborhood that doesn't have one. However, he told me, there's one by his gym he'll pop into — and steal from — from time to time.

Lee has weighed the ethics of what he's doing. At one point, the guilt got to be so much that he confessed his misdeeds to his mother. Once he explained his reasoning — Amazon's market power, Bezos' wealth, what the billionaire has done at The Washington Post — she came around.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

So his mother is a big a scum-bag as he is.

[Super Scary]

"what the billionaire has done at The Washington Post"

Ah yes, the classic "a rich guy bought a newspaper so I am going to steal from the grocery store" story. A tale as old as time.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

So brave.

[Medulla Oblongata]

Fascists gonna fascist.

https://hotair.com/david-strom/2025/04/02/of-course-liberals-stealing-from-bezos-because-he-isnt-sufficiently-leftist-n3801393

In January 2022, about half of Democrats supported fines, prison, and quarantine camps for the unvaccinated.

• 55% backed FINES for refusing the vaccine.

• 59% supported permanent HOME CONFINEMENT for the unvaccinated.

• 48% backed PRISON for questioning vaccine efficacy on social media.

• 45% supported placing the unvaccinated in QUARANTINE CAMPS.

• 47% backed surveillance and TRACKING of the unvaccinated.

• 29% supported the government TAKING CHILDREN from unvaccinated parents.

The Democrat Party's corporate media labeled the unvaccinated as dangerous scum, and many Americans believed them.

So, is it really surprising that a new poll shows 28% of Democrats are rooting for President Trump’s assassination?

[chemjeff radical individualist]

So Team Blue and Team Red aren't that different after all.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Sarcasia’s disloyal opposition)]

Not quite, dumbass. One side, to which you are a party to, is stuck on authoritarianism.

[Overt]

Team Blue was, and continues to be, uniquely Authoritarian in a way that the rest of the country is not.

Democrats- as opposed to independents and Republicans- overwhelmingly supported (65%) notion that the government should stop misinformation even if it infringed on 1st amendment rights. Since 2020, Democrats have trended far more authoritarian than the general public.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/08/18/more-americans-now-say-government-should-take-steps-to-restrict-false-information-online-than-in-2018/

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

That bear don't hunt.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Not in a trunk he don't.

[Chumby]

BoAf SiDeZ

[I, Woodchipper]

^ good lord this is the dumbest comment you've ever posted here.

[Mother's Lament - (Sarcasian Meanister of Foreign Affairs)]

Oh no, not at all.
Sure it's dumb, but he's gone waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy dumber before.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Makes me happy; that I resisted their bullshit. No jab for me.

[Mike Parsons]

I remember distinctly our resident shitlibs at work (healthcare) stating "I dont see why people that refuse to wear masks dont get fined or thrown in jail" and were in full support of the Biden vax mandate.

The left is full on fascist. If there was any question, think back to any of the recent times someone was burning businesses or property for a political cause, and what side they were on.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

"You've been liberated from feeling good about your stock portfolio and meeting your household budget!"

OMG!!!!!!!!!! The Dow is down 3%! We're all gonna DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Don't look at me! (No longer muted!)]

It’s up one day and down the next! This has never happened before!

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

If only the government ran the stock market.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Article I, Section 8, Clause 1:

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises,

No Taxation without Representation!

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

And no representation without taxation!

[Stupid Government Tricks]

It's bullshit.

"President Donald Trump committed during a closed-door meeting Wednesday to publicly support Senate Republicans in their efforts to massively reduce the deficit—and directly engage with them in a legislative process for clawing back federal funds," reports Politico. This is very welcome news.

We have been told over and over to judge Trump by his deeds, not his words.
Tariffs are his deeds and they are tax increases. His words are worthless. Isn't that right, Jesse?

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Go whine to your mommy; tiresome.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

So why are they listing it as "tariffs charged"????

Because Donald Trump is a politician and politicians lie for a living.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

No no no no no. Trump is not "a politician". He is TRUMP, the Lightbringer, the Truthgiver. He IS the will of the people. He deserves the infinite benefit of the doubt. Like the Pope, he in infallible. Trump never lies and is the biggest patriot ever since George Washington.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Sarcasia’s disloyal opposition)]

TDS much, Lying Jeffy?

[Longtobefree]

What is frustrating the political class is the fact that Trump is no longer a politician, he can just do what he thinks is best for America long term.
He can't run again for President, and will not run for anything else. He will return to 'private life' and leave the professional politicians to try and sell us into slavery again.

The really sad part is that we will vote for subjugation.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Trump is no longer a politician

See? I rest my case. QED

he can just do what he thinks is best for America long term.

Trump's motives are PURE. Trump is only doing what is best. Don't question Trump, his heart is in the right place.

[Chinny Chin Chin]

"words have meanings"

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

The story of USIP, the semi quasi private federal agency that tried barricading the building against DOGE, is even more wild.

Money laundering to private accounts. Funding the Taliban and other ME coubtries. Destroying records (not with big balls on the case)

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/big-balls-rescue-doge-saves-terabyte-data-destroyed-exiting-usip-employees

These are the sacrosanct federal agencies we can't shut down per Jeff and sarc.

[MollyGodiva]

USIP was a private non-government organization. DOGE illegally destroyed it and stole their entire building. You like the idea of the government destroying private organizations at will? Trump is going after the Smithsonian which he has zero authority over.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

"The United States Institute of Peace is an American independent, nonprofit, national institute funded by the U.S. Congress"

Sounds very "non-government".

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

MG ain't real bright.

[MollyGodiva]

What part of "independent, nonprofit" do you not understand?

[Minadin]

What part of 'funded by the US Congress' don't you?

[MollyGodiva]

Many private profit and non-profits are funded by the US government. That does not make them under the control of the President.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Wanna bet?

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

What part of "independent, nonprofit" do you not understand?

LOL, sort of like "independents" who persistently parrot Democratic propaganda like you do.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Trump is going after the Smithsonian which he has zero authority over.

LOL, the Smithsonian has thousands of federal employees. He absolutely has authority over them.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

You like the idea of the government destroying private organizations at will?

Sucks getting your own Marcusian "liberating tolerance" shoved down your throat, doesn't it?

It's war now. It's just a matter of when the shooting starts.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Lol. You probably actually believe this.

[Longtobefree]

The part I love the most is how economic "experts" are projecting ten years into the future, while the actual value of the tariffs will vary over that entire time span based on how OTHER countries respond.
We have absolutely no idea if the tariffs (at least the reciprocal part) will go up or down or sideways, because that depends on tariff changes in place we don't control.
My second source of amusement is how "experts" contend that tariffs are revenue generators and not behavior modifiers. They assume no one at all will stop buying the imports and buy American instead. Or even (gasp!) not buy stuff they don't really need.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Dems sue to stop proof of citizenship for voters.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-dems-sue-trump-over-executive-order-requiring-proof-citizenship-federal-elections

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Now, why would they do that?

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

1900 fed funded scientists demand the ged funding to continue.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/2000-scientists-call-trump-administration-stop-assault-science/story?id=120382558&cid=social_twitter_abcn

[Chumby]

Deport them!

[Don't look at me! (No longer muted!)]

Depends on the tattoos they have.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Tramp stamps?

[SIV]

I voted for chaos and disruption over Reason's preferred political brand of technocratic central planning.

[Mother's Lament - (Sarcasian Meanister of Foreign Affairs)]

Nothing more libertarian than corporatism and a one world imperial government. Just ask Jeff and Plug.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

As long as that one-world imperial government provides free weed and allows ass sex (open borders assumed), then Reason is happy.

[Truthfulness]

ENB would be so proud.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Reason has become a protector of the status quo. Their "abolish" articles for a month after an election are just lies.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Thank you for your service.

[Chumby]

The Bumpersticker Brigade has added you to “the list.”

[Mother's Lament - (Sarcasian Meanister of Foreign Affairs)]

I wonder how many Jeffys would be vandalizing Teslas if they weren't equipped with cameras?
Anyway, here's today's Chemjeffs:

Just received this video. Woman throws brick through Tesla windshield in South Boston.

Ryan Lyle Williams has been caught and charged with felony criminal mischief after keying a Tesla Cybertruck in West Fargo, North Dakota.

[Mother's Lament - (Sarcasian Meanister of Foreign Affairs)]

56-year-old Rafael Hernandez was arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief after he vandalized a Tesla at DFW airport

The owner of the Tesla is suing Hernandez for $1 MILLION. The lawsuit argues that the vandals not only mean to cause physical damage, but to cause "mental and emotional injury and harm to Tesla vehicle owners.”

62 year old David Moller has now been ARRESTED and could face up to a 1 year in prison after allegedly scraping a Tesla with his key, on camera, in Arizona.

The owner of the car, Shant Janesian said:
"Was it worth it dude? You don't know anything about me..."

[Mother's Lament - (Sarcasian Meanister of Foreign Affairs)]

Five Tesla trucks were vandalized in Kentwood. [video]

Matthew Reynolds has been arrested and is facing FELONY VANDALISM charges for allegedly scraping his keys along the side of a young woman’s Tesla, on camera.

[Mother's Lament - (Sarcasian Meanister of Foreign Affairs)]

Florida woman learns the hard way: vandalizing a Tesla will get you slapped with a felony.

Osvaldo Torres-Rodriguez, 63, a Cuban migrant, was caught on video vandalizing a Tesla vehicle with a pair of pliers in a Walmart parking lot on March 28. Torres-Rodriguez has an active arrest warrant for felony vandalism.

Left-wing activists and Democrats have been encouraging attacks on Tesla property to damage the company’s stocks so that @ElonMusk will leave the federal government.

[Mother's Lament - (Sarcasian Meanister of Foreign Affairs)]

Tesla Vandalized in Columbus, Ohio by Elon Musk protester. Costs are $3,000 in repairs

[Minadin]

Left-wing activists and Democrats have been encouraging attacks on Tesla property to damage the company’s stocks so that @ElonMusk will leave the federal government.

Funny thing is, isn't he already scheduled to leave that position in something like mid-to-late May?

I wonder if the lefties will try to claim victory when that happens according to the prescheduled arrangement.

[Super Scary]

"so that @ElonMusk will leave the federal government."

Pretty funny that they think that the attacks will stop when/if Musk leaves. The programming has been set.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Maybe they are just "peaceful tourists".

[InsaneTrollLogic (Sarcasia’s disloyal opposition)]

And maybe you’re a skinny runway fashion model.

[Mother's Lament - (Sarcasian Meanister of Foreign Affairs)]

Remember when your J6 terrorists burned a historic church near the Capitol, attacked the Whitehouse and forced the President to evacuate, rioted in six cities burning government buildings and cars because of the inauguration, invaded the Senate to stop a Supreme Court Justice confirmation, started riots across the nation because an addict OD while being arrested, and attacked people for having the wrong type of car?

Oh no, wait, that was you evil fucks.

What did the J6'ers do again aside from trespassing, watching the Fibby's break a window and getting shot?

[Chumby]

J6ers were peacefully delaying the coronation of a serial child groper, sniffer, and kisser.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Plus they murdered AOC. Twice.

[Randy Sax]

This is all just very, very, very bad. I don't know any other way to say it.

When is lent over and Liz can swear again?

[Ska]

I could use some mint jelly that isn't colored Fallout 3 green.

[Ajsloss]

directly engage with them in a legislative process for clawing back federal funds," reports Politico. This is very welcome news.

Until it starts happening. Any wagers on how many articles will be spent explaining how they're doing it wrong?

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

They will do it even after the recissions.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Sigh.

Once again, the choice we have is not WEF-globalist one-world authoritarian society and economy or free world and free trade libertarian utopia. The choice is disrupt the globalist system or not.

Personally, I am willing to try disruption--with far from optimum tactics--and hope for better outcomes in the next phase.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

This is where I've been at for decades.

Status quo or try to actually get to a free market.

What i refuse to do is call the status quo a free market when it isnt.

[Chumby]

Domestically produced Colt 45 shouldn’t be affected by this.

[Gaear Grimsrud]

This guy does a pretty deep dive and explains why the Smith/ Mises world may no longer exist.
https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/trade-war-tariffs-are-needed-defeat-globalism-they-come-cost

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

I actually don't think Mises would fully disagree. For example in his book Planned Chaos he touches on and discusses the marriage of government and corporations which is largely what the WEF global elites are doing.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Looks like even the author noted it.

After the Bretton Woods conference Mises would go on to question the motives of the new “global order” and the trade agreements being put in place. He would also oppose at least some aspects of globalism before his death, leaving Austrians to debate the merits of “good globalism” vs “bad globalism”.

Sae similar evolving in both Hoppes and Rothbard as well.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Sarcasia’s disloyal opposition)]

Makes sense. Also why we should “end the Fed”.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Very good article. Agree with most of it.

[Dillinger]

>>The choice is disrupt the globalist system or not.

dear fucking reason ...

[mad.casual]

Once again, the choice we have is not WEF-globalist one-world authoritarian society and economy or free world and free trade libertarian utopia. The choice is disrupt the globalist system or not.

+1 It's like Reason learned the lessons of Bastiat and I, Pencil and similar by placing the respective works on their head and striking them with a hammer.

Global trade was taking place before Bastiat was born, it will take place long after Trump is dead. Every last Trump-supporting American having three kids each all working 80 hours a week for 50 yrs. of their life for 3 generations couldn't possibly kill it. Even if they manage to shut down every last airport, shipping lane, and border crossing, radio waves will still carry the information economy around the globe as it has practically since Marconi. Starlink satellites will still circle the globe.

What is far, far, *far* less clear, is that the principles in the BOR and in ideas like "I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." will survive even just the current generation.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

"America exports a lot of orange juice to Canada—because we have an obvious comparative advantage when it comes to growing citrus fruit."

OK then. We will have to pour orange syrup on our waffles, and the Canucks will start the day with a glass of maple juice.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

'This is all just very, very, very bad. I don't know any other way to say it. Here's something to cleanse your palate'

(image of 1975 helicopter evac from the roof of the US embassy in Saigon)

Uh, sure. Because paying 20% more for a PC is exactly like you and your family spending a decade in a concentration camp for defying a communist government.

[mad.casual]

And as I indicated below, a not-insignificant number of people at the tippy top of AI research are saying that A) AI is already being used to generate fake news to influence public opinion and B) the current chip embargo can't outstrip cheap Chinese manufacturing permanently and another means of preventing communist expansion (via artificially-generated disinformation on level Orwell couldn't have dreamed of) has to be worked out.

But I'm sure the opinions on the extra 20 fps at 4K in COD from a less than no-name on Twitter personality is way more important.

[Spiritus Mundi]

You buy lots of goods from the grocery store, but it never purchases anything from you—therefore, you're running a sizable trade deficit.

And when the grocery store becomes the sole source for an essential good, then what? They own you. Market forces go out the window and they can charge whatever they want. Trade is only mutually benefical if you have a healthy domestic market to compete with imports. It is best not to be beholden to foriegn nations for essential goods that you might go to war with you, or suddenly stops manufacturing/exporting because the sniffles are going around, or there is an election in your country and they want to influence the outcome...etc.

[Randy Sax]

This kind of thinking is how you end up with the Jones Act.

[Spiritus Mundi]

It isn't thinking, it is reality. China invades Taiwan and our economy is fucked. So is our defense industry. People not thinking is how you end up with the Jones act. Deregulation and lower domestic taxes will make our industries more competetive with foreign markets.

[Randy Sax]

If deregulation and lower domestic taxes will solve the problem, then why do you need the tariffs?

[Spiritus Mundi]

Never said you did. But competing in a system where your product starts at +10, 20, 30% cost to import and the local product is zero is pretty untenable.

[Minadin]

You buy lots of goods from the grocery store, but it never purchases anything from you—therefore, you're running a sizable trade deficit.

This isn't true for everyone. One of our primary clients is a regional grocery store chain. I'm certain that they've spent more money on me than I have on them.

[Sarah Palin's Buttplug - Jan 6 = 9/11 (same motive)]

On Bloomberg - China, France, Germany urging everyone to halt all US investment.

Stupid Fatass Donnie has set off a world wide depression..

#DonnieHoover

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

turd, the ass-clown of the commentariat, lies; it’s all he ever does. turd is a kiddie diddler, and a pathological liar, entirely too stupid to remember which lies he posted even minutes ago, and also too stupid to understand we all know he’s a liar.
If anything he posts isn’t a lie, it’s totally accidental.
turd lies; it’s what he does. turd is a lying pile of lefty shit.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

"San Francisco HHS worker "devastated" and "heartbroken" after getting laid off"
[...]
"Julie Fong worked as a regional program manager for the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program at the Health and Human Services Region 9 office in San Francisco for the last 25 years. She told CBS News Bay Area that all 65 people who worked in her division were let go Tuesday.
When asked how she was feeling, Fong replied, "Devastated. Heartbroken. I worked with some of the most dedicated, amazing people over the last 25 years. This is a group of people who serve the community; who serve the taxpayer."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/san-francisco-hhs-worker-devastated-heartbroken-after-getting-laid-off/ar-AA1C66oT?ocid=BingNewsSerp

Hey, we're gov't employees! We're not supposed to get fired!

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

They were definitely dedicated to spending taxpayer money.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

"To Serve Taxpayers"

It's a cookbook!

[MollyGodiva]

The ultimate sign of the Trump tariffs stupidity is that they put a 10% tariff on an island near Antarctica inhabited only by penguins.

[Minadin]

So, what's the harm in that, then?

[Randy Sax]

The penguins know what they did.

[Ska]

Tuxedo imports plummeting.

[Mike Parsons]

Trump is an ice cold negotiator for causing the opposition to waddle away from the table.

"That shit won't fly with me", Trump could be heard saying

[Randy Sax]

They are scared the proposal is predatory. Trump stated it was a whale of a deal. Killer, really.

[Don't look at me! (No longer muted!)]

We shouldn’t be supporting penguin slave labor.

[SIV]

Perhaps the penguins prefer to be flightless avian residents of a US Territory or autonomous protectorate in the far Southern Hemisphere.

[Super Scary]

Almost as stupid as people thinking Trump is in Best Korea's pocket because they didn't get any tariffs.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Ran onto this on a TDS-addled YT site; the guy found what is obviously a 'typo' and is trumpeting it, making himself look like a cherry-picking ignoramus.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...the conservative media star really appears to complicate the interviewer's worldview and view of journalism.

She looked dumbfounded.

[Dillinger]

there's an "aren't most people after three minutes with Megyn Kelly?" joke here but I'm sure it's a personal thing.

[Minadin]

"President Donald Trump committed during a closed-door meeting Wednesday to publicly support Senate Republicans in their efforts to massively reduce the deficit—and directly engage with them in a legislative process for clawing back federal funds," reports Politico. This is very welcome news.

We should do more stuff like this.

[Dillinger]

>>It's Liberation Day, can't you feel it?

be less childish than Boehm please. it's unbecoming unless you're seeking that unfunny blonde chick's seat on the Daily Show in which case bonne chance

[Minadin]

I thought Samantha Bee left years ago.

[Dillinger]

lol yes. this one looks about 6'2" and is every inch unfunny

[Dillinger]

>>I've never heard of a politician more obsequious than New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

soldier shot in back. changes uniforms.

[Dillinger]

>>Watch this explosive, highly contentious episode of Just Asking Questions—featuring Batya Ungar-Sargon

did you quote the Hamas numbers to her, too?

[Incunabulum]

>There are roughly 60 countries on this list distributed by the White House that are being hit with reciprocal tariffs. (The others have a 10% baseline tariff.)

We're just supposed to keep taking it, I guess, Wolfe?

[Incunabulum]

> If he actually wants American manufacturing to be revitalized, it will take a very long time for such factories to be operational.

Will it though? We were told it was effectively impossible to build chips in the US - it took 5 years (and that's with delays) to open a factory that is estimated to produce chips for only about 10% more cost than they could in Taiwan.

The biggest obstacles to building *in the world* are local governments - planning permissions. A lot of shit could be nearing completion within 4 years if there was a will and a dearth of bureaucrats to obstruct.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

We aren't allowed to talk about the regulstoons that are far more harmful. We can only focus on tariffs.

[mad.casual]

Bastiat, negative railroads, that which is unseen, I,pencil... Trump's tariffs are an existential evil, QED. But diversifying public education at Columbia by subsidizing Palestinians to shout at Jews just makes sense domestically from both and economic *and* a free speech perspective. The Free Speech Political Action Shyster Group Who Shall Not Be Named (FIRE) agrees with Cato who also agrees with us on this economically *and* legally! Libertarian consensus science!

[Dillinger]

it's a special torture I seek to be brightly gaslit every weekday and only Reason delivers to my desktop monitors

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Pretty sure the tariffs are the worst of Trump's efforts; they are an attempt to 'plan' an economic activity, which never helps.
But compared to what we've had for the last 100 years, he still seems to be an improvement; I'll take it compared to the last offered alternative (which is a low bar).

[Dillinger]

I'm enjoying the disruption.

[mad.casual]

How it feels to have bought my PC two days ago

There are a number of AI-industry-leading people who think that, thanks to favorable manufacturing and trade, the current (pre-existing) embargo on chips to China is already too little too late:

Microsoft has warned that China is using AI to influence elections in the United States, South Korea, and India with AI-generated false content, including deep fake videos, audio, and false "news reports" complete with AI-generated phony news anchors aimed at influencing election outcomes.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Just looked:
DJ -3.6%
Oil -7.6%
I'll make it up at the pump until the Dow jumps again.