posted April 07, 2025 10:29 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Randall:
There's no blind allegiance in a savior. With me, it's just obvious as to what will happen. The only question for me is exactly how great things are going to be? The sky is the limit. We won't recognize this country in two years, and that is a very good thing. A little short-term pain for a lot of gain is a great trade-off. Meanwhile, Harris popped out from under a rock and said, "I told you so." She would rather the country go down in flames than for President Trump to be right. Good things are coming. Just hang on.

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I agree we won't, but these things don't happen in a vacuum, unexpected moves elsewhere can force unexpected changes. Internal upheaval can make things go n unexpected ways. I'm not against suffering with reward, this isn't about that. It's that the way you speak makes it sound as though you believe every move Trump makes will unopposed meet its highest potential, and nothing will knock that off course or could possibly. Your words in that first post are that of someone who sees guarantees and has absolute trust in someone else, and power wielded over you that you're embracing wholeheartedly as saving the country from the NWO etc etc etc on the grounds that moves that were just made will work out perfectly and so will continued moves and no pushback from elsewhere will cause friction or threaten it. That's absolute trust in the idea that absolute power is both wielded in the first place and purely with your best interests in mind following that.

I fail to see how that's not blind in terms of a lack of zooming out. I assume your allegiance was thought about a good deal and these are the conclusions you've reached, not blind allegiance... blind faith in what you align yourself with. I'm fairly sure I said "faith" specifically and spoke about the various cause and effect outcomes of each move made and the risks of other parties making moves and so on. So I'm unsure why we've switched terms to continue that train of thought here, are we on different pages here? I tend to choose my words in such a way that there's nothing to really interpret under the surface, so there was no underlying subtext just so you know.

posted April 07, 2025 10:33 AM            

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Originally posted by teasel:
Why are the fences back up around the White House?

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posted April 20, 2025 12:53 AM            

I've just seen this:
http://x.com/rooster_ohio/status/1913756962988106209

"Domestic freight out of LA is at the weakest levels (seasonally adjusted) it has been since 2020.

Up till now, the "Liberation day tariffs" have not been a factor in declining volumes out of S. Cal.

It is going to get worse."

posted April 29, 2025 02:56 AM            

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It's going to be sooner.

My husband is an OTR trucker and freight is already imploding. He just sat near 24 hours without a load, and all they were able to find him was 1 load with 460 miles. As of tomorrow morning he'll be sitting again. The dispatcher told him the load boards are starting to dry up.

All indicators are that shelves will go empty in around 2 weeks. People are going to freak out, especially when no re-supply is coming. We're in for major pain. I'd give it very generously 4 weeks before people are out in the streets screaming.

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I'm getting scared. If the trucks have nothing to deliver, my dad has nothing to deliver. A lot of people are going to lose their jobs, and I'm also wondering what we're going to eat. And what about our pets???

This comment is from a thread in the Military subreddit, about a new executive order that will be challenged, I'm sure - but our Attorney General has stated that the possible arrest of SCOTUS, is not off the table. If they don't agree with what Trump wants to do.

I have a few friends - including some gorgeous friends in Canada - who have offered to help us, if we need it. But damn.

posted April 29, 2025 10:22 AM            

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Originally posted by Randall:
As I said, you are addicted to fear. That is complete and utter nonsense. You should find a hobby to occupy that idle mind of yours. You just let anyone pour crazy ideas into it. Seriously.

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Those are not crazy ideas. Trump is making a big mess right now. It's going to lead to trade issues. It takes 30 days for stuff from China to reach California. Wallmart and Target have resumed their business with China but have warned for empty shelves. Give it a couple of weeks and you'll notice. And it's not very consistent to say you don't need anyone, while also claiming you have a problematic trade deficit and are too dependent on other countries. Trump is isolating the U.S. and it will have a long term impact.

Trump is also very authoritarian. How will he deal with mass protests if the results of his policies are turning people against him? He's likely going to use martial law. He already published an executive order to use the military for law enforcement. This fits a dictator playbook. It's very concerning.

posted April 30, 2025 03:12 AM            

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Originally posted by Randall:
China needs us. That is why they offer zero tariffs on several American products. They can keep their cheap trinkets and knock-offs and stolen IP. Someone had to force them to play by the rules and obey international law. They are about to have a currency deflation. What do your economists think about deflation?

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You think China only produces cheap trinkets? You have absolutely no idea how things are actually made and where everything in the supply chain comes from. Even if Boeings are "made in the U.S.", they're only assembled in the U.S. They're mostly made from parts that are manufactured in China and India.

posted April 30, 2025 09:25 AM            

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Originally posted by Randall:
China does sell a lot of crap to us. Their factories are shutting down. China steals IP. No comment on that?

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You mean the U.S. buys a lot of cheap crap from China. Nobody is forcing these products down your throats. They're produced because you provide demand. Making these products more expensive doesn't mean the quality gets better, it might even get worse to keep margins up. The tariffs are a consumer tax paid by U.S. consumers to the U.S. government. It's a regressive tax because lower income households will pay relatively more than high income households. And that's exactly how it's intended because Trump wants to use the tariff revenues to lower the taxes on high incomes even more. Ultimately, this will turn into a wealth transfer from low income to high income. None of this is to force China to provide better products, it's all about making the rich even richer.

In addition, low incomes are always more affected by recessions than high incomes. The already historically high wealth gap in the U.S. will increase even further under Trump.

posted April 30, 2025 11:52 AM            

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Originally posted by Randall:
You missed my point. China depends on us buying those trinkets. When we're not, their economy suffers and factories close. What's wrong with the rich getting richer? Who do you think provides the jobs?

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You missed my point. Is China dependent on U.S. customers or is the U.S. dependent on cheap Chinese products? I'm pretty sure the Chinese economy will survive. It will take a hit, but other countries can fill the gaps. African and South American countries are becoming wealthier and provide new customers for China. The U.S. has no serious alternatives. You can't magically start producing these products when you don't have factories or the right knowledge. Trump will cave and then present it as making the "best deal ever" with China. And it will all be lies.

A growing wealth gap erodes cohesion in society. The rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer isn't sustainable. The rich don't get richer because they work harder, they get richer because the return on capital is higher than the return on labor. When the inequality gets too big, it breeds violence. There's a reason why revolutions happen.

And "trickle down" economy has been disproved many times. Rich people getting richer does nothing for the economy. Hoarding wealth actually damages the economy because it flows to locations like the Cayman Islands and Bermuda to evade taxes. Rich people also aren't better at allocating money to investment projects. They actually have an incentive to increase barriers for investing so they can keep hoarding wealth themselves. The game is rigged. You're too easily fooled if you think "trickle down' economy is real.

http://fee.org/articles/there-is-no-such-thing-as-trickle-down-economics/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trickle-down_economics