Andy1

Our entire economy, the world economy, retirement portfolios of millions of Americans depend upon the whims of this unstable idiot. What a mess.

The entire way Trump has implemented these tariffs will cause extreme financial stress for businesses. The concern I have heard from business owners is if the tariffs are here for months, it will force smaller businesses to close, other successful businesses will be forced to sell out to the big boy billionaires in their respective markets, resulting in the big fish getting bigger and ultimately less choice for consumers. Once prices go up, they probably won’t come down. This is winning for Trump and his billionaire buddies.

No one in the history of the earth has done more economic damage in one week. It is now likely that a Trump recession is coming. This is economic suicide. This is winning for MAGA.

Well lehnerd, you certainly know how to present an issue in a way that activates the grey matter. I appreciate that. It’s better than the mindless insults so common here at times. I sense that my comment about collective responsibility for the national debt has rubbed you the wrong way a bit. To my primitive way of thinking, our government is itself a collective enterprise. As in “We the people….” and all that jazz. Without the collective “We” paying taxes, voting, participating, etc, our government does not function. Maybe this concept is now passé in the age of Trumpism when many are convinced that the “I alone…” concept may be a better way. I’m a late adopter of new tech and new ideas so call me old fashioned or a traditionalist believing in democracy on this matter. For better or worse, we are all in this together. Now with respect to the concept of lightening Fergs wallet a bit to fund those in need and boost social programs above and beyond what he currently contributes to Uncle Sam - I’ll preface my comments with the admission that I have just enough knowledge of tax policy to understand my form 1040. The idea of having the wealthy out-of-towners pay extra in taxes is already happening here as it isn’t unusual for local communities to bill owners of seasonal use vacation homes at a higher rate than locals in the same community. I would bet that if the question were on a ballot, I and most Americans would vote for billing Fergs the extra 60k or whatever when he buys his villa in Portugal. It’s certainly an America First type of policy concept although Trump and his billionaire buddies probably wouldn’t favor it. Now the big question is what is that extra money used for. I have mixed feelings on government funded social programs you mention. There are some who are truly needy and depend on those various programs. On the other hand, I see a lot of people doing irresponsible things with their lives, seemingly unconcerned about their future since they know or expect the government will take care of them. People with almost no money who waste what they get on stupid stuff instead of working and saving to get out of depending on the government. People who don’t care enough about their health to change their behavior but who then expect government to pay for health care. Other people don’t seem too concerned about working but sure are expecting social security in their retirement. Same issue with people living in high risk areas who expect a government check when the predictable disaster hits. And same for corporate welfare to people like Musk. Everybody thinks they deserve the check from the government. When I was a kid, my parents needed food stamps for a while to help feed our family, so I understand and support benefit programs helping those who are truly needy. Personally, I’ve been working since I was 16 and continue to work, paying my full tax bill each year. I’ve lived beneath my means, saved/invested a lot, and have been blessed to be financially comfortable as I near retirement. I support government social programs helping immigrants who want to work and adapt to America. I think there are plenty of people evading taxes who then expect government programs. Government seems to take care of the irresponsible bottom earners and bail out the irresponsible corporate wealthy, and making sure there are plenty of loopholes so they can avoid paying what they should. The middle class is left to pay the bill. I think social security benefits should be capped based on what you have paid in taxes. SS also has the math problem you’ve mentioned that needs to be addressed some way - new revenue source, more workers paying or less benefits. Huge amounts of government money are spent on health care with poor return on investment. There are moral issues to grapple with in that department. The IRS should be enforcing the tax law, especially on the uber wealthy. I’m sure there is plenty of stupid government waste but I have no faith that Trump is dealing with that in an intelligent manner. The concept of those who have more should pay more has long been a part of our tax code. Just look at the historical tax rates in the first half of the 20th century, back “when America was great”. When the need was greatest, the wealthy paid their share. That concept seems to have disappeared when Bush went to war after 9/11 and gave a tax cut at the same time. Our entire government is dis functional and the inability to do rational taxing and spending exemplifies it. My original comment about collective responsibility referred to the need to pay down our national debt. If the collective we, as Americans aren’t responsible for that, then who is?

Another bloody day on Wall Street coming. Imagine if Obama had done what Trump and his clown crew are doing. MAGA world would be in histrionics over it. If Trump does it, they are all quiet, obedient sheep.

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.

Americans about age 50 and up have benefited from the policies that have led us to our budget deficits today. They/we have voted for politicians who gave us unpaid for tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, we have spent 20 years in war sinking money into the sand, we have given expanded health benefits to seniors and the poor. Both parties are at fault. Our kids are now saddled with a huge deficit as the 50 plus age group says - “not my problem”. That is just wrong. Im all for a logical approach to reducing the deficit. But the Trump tariff tax just doesn’t seem logical. They don’t know what they are doing. There is no consistent explanation for the tariffs. The official white house fact sheet on the tariffs only references Canada and Mexico because of fentanyl smuggling and illegal immigration. So is it about that, or manufacturing, or reducing the deficit? No one can explain the need for it. No real economists support it. Businesses are in chaos. They can’t plan for the future. Doing something just because it’s different is a real dumb idea. That sounds like why people do drugs the first time. Well, we are about to feel the joy of being liberated by an idiot so this too will be interesting. Who cares about the economy. America is about to get what they voted for. Sometimes you have to taste it to decide if you really like it. If it’s really about the deficit, let’s tax the rich and corporations like they should be. I’d also be for capping social security for what you paid into the system. As a general principle, age 50 and older should be shouldering the burden and reduce taxes on young Americans when they are poor.

If trump isn’t on the ballot, republicans have a tough time getting turnout.

In the end, what you or I think doesn’t matter much. What matters is what Ukrainians want and when Putin is willing to stop killing them. Last time I saw, about 50% of Ukrainians still wanted to fight. Their president had well over 60% approval rating. Ukrainians will accept giving up some land but want a security guarantee in exchange since they rightfully have no trust in Putin. Putin is an evil butcher. He doesn’t care how many Russians or Ukrainians die. No one thinks he will stop after his Ukraine war. He may pause, rebuild his bomb inventory and then launch another offensive against another former Soviet country in the name of “evicting the Nazis” there. Ukrainians are not asking for American troops. They are quite willing and able to do the fighting. The vast majority of the support we have given Ukraine goes to American military weapons manufacturers to make bombs etc to send over there. That’s supporting a lot of American jobs. We all wish those businesses weren’t so busy and there were less killing in the world. It’s definitely not ideal. If Putin would stop the slaughter, it would end. European countries are investing in their militaries and aid to Ukraine. If Ukraine wants to continue the defense of their nation, they will have access to weapons. Putin doesn’t seem ready to stop the meat grinder. The only viable solution seems to be a DMZ between the sides with NATO troops at the new border. Let there be peace.

So tell us what you think about Russia. Friend or foe? Trustworthy? Do you support them or Ukraine? Is a USSR sticker on you car?

As Trumps America chooses isolation and a retreat from International trade and engagement, China will happily move into the vacuum to form alliances, trade agreements etc. to become the dominant world power.