I have been a huge supporter of the TFP and most of their contributors, especially as it relate to the push back on Woke culture and support of Isreal...but now that the Trump is in power and the Fox is loose in the Hen house, they need to protect their Mast head and hard work and not allow unqualified partisans like Batya who know nothing about economics or running a business to make grandiose statements with absolutely no data to support her views...it's nothing more then propaganda and has little to do with Journalism or truth seeking. As someone that has spent the last 40 years designing, importing, marketing and manufacturing products throughout the world, I can tell you without any hesitation that Trumps economic policies as it relates to Tarrifs and taxes will crater our supply chain and injure everyone other then the billionaires that will buy it all back for Penny's on the dollar. All this man cares about is money, the idea that he cares supports working people is beyond ubsurd...he's game show host looking for ratings and willing to say or do anything to get them.
Ungar-Sargon has a PhD in English literature. As a former lefty English major myself with a master's degree in it, I appreciate her research and writing skills to report on the mythical American Dream. She makes nice arguments fighting for the working class. With that said, I will leave the economics to the actual economists. While I believe her instincts on culture are correct, I don't plan on following her to understand the math.
America’s single greatest threat is our climbing deficit. We cannot continue with excess spending without bankruptcy. In what way are Trump’s tariffs a strategy to decrease Americans spending and reduce debt? I have ready many commentaries from the right and left about the tariffs increasing the cost of goods but nothing about reducing our spending and deficit. Americans are willing to experience the pain of paying back our debt from generations of government overspending but without doing so, we need a government plan to shift this reality. Whose talking about this?
No question, this Administration has gone off it's rocker. Tariff wars have historically lead to increased prices for consumers, retaliatory measures, supply chain disruptions, economic uncertainty and market volatility, and small job gains in protected industries. That is the good news. The bad news is that in the long term they lead to economic slowdowns and recessions, less competition, and geopolitical instability. Not exactly what our new President promised us. You made your bed now lie in it.
I loved all of the thought provoking ideas and topics in today’s edition. Love being a paid subscriber!
But the most eye-catching sentence was found in the lead-in sentence in the last item, paraphrased closely here: “A powerful springtime storm began yesterday . . .” Excuse me? That storm you just now discovered chewed its way onto the west coast, and dropped copious amounts of snow on the Sierra, closing the major east/west highway corridor over Donner Pass closed, for all intents and purposes, from Sunday night through Tuesday night. The snow also saved the seasonal snowpack essential to 44 million Californians, same story in Utah where 95% of available water comes from winter snowfall.
I question assertions starting with "all the experts say." Free market economists are completely anti-tariff but I want to see how Trump's plan works in practice. I'm concerned about a 1,600 point drop in the Dow today but there are still over 45 months left in Trump's term. Let's see how this plays out.
I love Batya's clear articulation of her position, her courage to seemingly go against orthodoxies on both sides, and her compassion. I'm not sure of every detail of her credo, find myself confused about the whole tariff controversy, but in the large picture, she is very persuasive.
Hmm, who should we trust on the tariff analysis… Batya… a nepo carpet bagger for the working class who wrote a perfectly woke graduate thesis that no one seems to acknowledge:
One more very important act by Congress that helped to destroy your knowledge and information. It is the Fair Trade Act of 1975. Before that if you imported an item for $5 it could only be sold to a retailer for $10 and he could only sell it for $20. The Fair Trade Act which is still in effect allows the imported item of $5 to be wholesaled at whatever and priced for sale by the retailer at whatever price they feel they can obtain. Example: a pair of jeans brought into the country for $5 could be wholesaled for $25 and sold for $100. How do I know this is fact……through the family knew a man who did exactly that. And it is called Fair Trade. So, when cheap goods came in from China and India the consumer, completely unprotected by his own government ran to consume. Do away with the Fair Trade Act.
Tariffs have become the Rights version of rent control. Its not controversial that tariffs don't work, and in fact are quite harmful. Yet just like the Left the Right just cannot help itself. It has to touch the stove.
Watching MAGA justify how the economy tanking and the start of a recession is "just part of the pain" and how the tariffs will be "good in the long run" is so parallel to the way democrats deflected inflation as "transitory" and how increased government spending would be good for it is remarkable. The New Right is aping the Left, using the same tools and tactics that caused such a brisk downfall of the Left would be hilarious to me if it wasn't all of us touching the stove together. Instead I have to watch ass people who, as recently as 3 years ago, knew this was a Bad Idea write articles about how its a Good Idea, No Please Ignore The Burning Building Around You and This Isn't "Inflation" its an "Adjustment."
Its like the Right just cannot wait to give power back to the Left and they are doing everything in their capacity to accomplish it.
This is completely contradictory to what Trump claims the goals of the Tariffs are. He has claimed:
1. They're just a negotiating tactic to extract concessions
1a. Those concessions are to reduce reciprocal tariffs.
2. Its to shift manufacturing back towards America.
3. Its to generate revenue to replace the IRS.
These are irreconcilably different goals and only one of them can actually be the primary goal. If its negotiating tactic the tariffs are to be removed in response achieved goals: then Tariffs aren't going to accomplish #2 or #3.
If its to shift manufacturing back to America then the theory is that the tariffs drove this shift and thus we aren't importing anymore. Then it didn't accomplish #1 or #3 because its only useful as a negotiating tactic if its removed, and no one is capitulating for no benefit, and if were not importing anymore then its not #3. But that doesnt' matter because Tariffs won't drive manufacturing back to the US, all that will happen is US prices will go up.
If its #3 it didn't accomplish #2 or #1. Even then, if it instead of just burdening Americans with more inflation, at 100% tariff on all imports and absolutely no change in how we spend money (a aboslutely ridiculous assumption) then such a tariff would race ~$2.5T. The IRS revenuded $5T.1B last year.
$2.5T << $5.1T. You have turned your brain to the "Anything leader Trump says" setting despite the obvious lies.
I’m not against tariffs, but I’m not a fan of Trump’s approach to this. My wife and I argue about it, she says give him a chance, I say it doesn’t make good sense. But I try and give way to her opinion, you see she is a very good cook, and I like to eat!
Tariff outrage: some people sure fear change and cling to the safety of the status quo no matter how rotten it is. Give it time; let's see what happens.
I grew up in a manufacturing family. The wonderful clothing industry which was union and
and proud to be American Made. All gone now. Destroyed by Clinton, et al., giving away our country. We did not understand what lay ahead. The why is sadly simple. Until the advent of the internet we did not know. Clinton is an example of a serial psychopath who enters government where he can use his charm. Obama was similar. Forget Bush, let him paint by numbers eternally. I want unions back as well as fabric, buttons, seamstresses, designers, cutters, and yes, I will pay more but did we really need a dozen blouses at $5 each? The journey will be painful as we return to a normal position of workplace ethics but how wonderful to wear something that says “ made in America by union workers” . One other important thing none of you know…..those workers were every color and nationality but first and foremost they were Americans.
You've hit on an important point. If you buy half as many blouses at $10 as you would have at $5, you still have the same amount of money and twice as much space in your closet.
Consumerism driven by cheap crap from China has not enriched our lives. It has bankrupted our souls
I have been a huge supporter of the TFP and most of their contributors, especially as it relate to the push back on Woke culture and support of Isreal...but now that the Trump is in power and the Fox is loose in the Hen house, they need to protect their Mast head and hard work and not allow unqualified partisans like Batya who know nothing about economics or running a business to make grandiose statements with absolutely no data to support her views...it's nothing more then propaganda and has little to do with Journalism or truth seeking. As someone that has spent the last 40 years designing, importing, marketing and manufacturing products throughout the world, I can tell you without any hesitation that Trumps economic policies as it relates to Tarrifs and taxes will crater our supply chain and injure everyone other then the billionaires that will buy it all back for Penny's on the dollar. All this man cares about is money, the idea that he cares supports working people is beyond ubsurd...he's game show host looking for ratings and willing to say or do anything to get them.
Ungar-Sargon has a PhD in English literature. As a former lefty English major myself with a master's degree in it, I appreciate her research and writing skills to report on the mythical American Dream. She makes nice arguments fighting for the working class. With that said, I will leave the economics to the actual economists. While I believe her instincts on culture are correct, I don't plan on following her to understand the math.
America’s single greatest threat is our climbing deficit. We cannot continue with excess spending without bankruptcy. In what way are Trump’s tariffs a strategy to decrease Americans spending and reduce debt? I have ready many commentaries from the right and left about the tariffs increasing the cost of goods but nothing about reducing our spending and deficit. Americans are willing to experience the pain of paying back our debt from generations of government overspending but without doing so, we need a government plan to shift this reality. Whose talking about this?
No question, this Administration has gone off it's rocker. Tariff wars have historically lead to increased prices for consumers, retaliatory measures, supply chain disruptions, economic uncertainty and market volatility, and small job gains in protected industries. That is the good news. The bad news is that in the long term they lead to economic slowdowns and recessions, less competition, and geopolitical instability. Not exactly what our new President promised us. You made your bed now lie in it.
Trump is not that stupid. There is a plan behind the tariffs.
I loved all of the thought provoking ideas and topics in today’s edition. Love being a paid subscriber!
But the most eye-catching sentence was found in the lead-in sentence in the last item, paraphrased closely here: “A powerful springtime storm began yesterday . . .” Excuse me? That storm you just now discovered chewed its way onto the west coast, and dropped copious amounts of snow on the Sierra, closing the major east/west highway corridor over Donner Pass closed, for all intents and purposes, from Sunday night through Tuesday night. The snow also saved the seasonal snowpack essential to 44 million Californians, same story in Utah where 95% of available water comes from winter snowfall.
The city folk think the country begins at the Mississippi river.
I question assertions starting with "all the experts say." Free market economists are completely anti-tariff but I want to see how Trump's plan works in practice. I'm concerned about a 1,600 point drop in the Dow today but there are still over 45 months left in Trump's term. Let's see how this plays out.
I love Batya's clear articulation of her position, her courage to seemingly go against orthodoxies on both sides, and her compassion. I'm not sure of every detail of her credo, find myself confused about the whole tariff controversy, but in the large picture, she is very persuasive.
Hmm, who should we trust on the tariff analysis… Batya… a nepo carpet bagger for the working class who wrote a perfectly woke graduate thesis that no one seems to acknowledge:
https://escholarship.org/content/qt3538r0nv/qt3538r0nv_noSplash_c819ddce016cfa2c5ee39717d00c40b0.pdf
Or perhaps we should trust Cowan and Sowell… you know… actual economists
https://x.com/HooverInst/status/1907630250135273527
So Judge Lib Ho…er, Ho…decides a case based on suppositions external to the case at hand and Elon Musk is the biggest threat to the Constitution?
One more very important act by Congress that helped to destroy your knowledge and information. It is the Fair Trade Act of 1975. Before that if you imported an item for $5 it could only be sold to a retailer for $10 and he could only sell it for $20. The Fair Trade Act which is still in effect allows the imported item of $5 to be wholesaled at whatever and priced for sale by the retailer at whatever price they feel they can obtain. Example: a pair of jeans brought into the country for $5 could be wholesaled for $25 and sold for $100. How do I know this is fact……through the family knew a man who did exactly that. And it is called Fair Trade. So, when cheap goods came in from China and India the consumer, completely unprotected by his own government ran to consume. Do away with the Fair Trade Act.
Ice arrested 36 employees of a roofing company in Washington State. Now that's 36 job openings for fired federal employees.
Higher retail prices equals higher sales tax income for states means less federal revenue sharing for states.
No federal income taxes under 150k.
What pain?
Tariffs have become the Rights version of rent control. Its not controversial that tariffs don't work, and in fact are quite harmful. Yet just like the Left the Right just cannot help itself. It has to touch the stove.
Watching MAGA justify how the economy tanking and the start of a recession is "just part of the pain" and how the tariffs will be "good in the long run" is so parallel to the way democrats deflected inflation as "transitory" and how increased government spending would be good for it is remarkable. The New Right is aping the Left, using the same tools and tactics that caused such a brisk downfall of the Left would be hilarious to me if it wasn't all of us touching the stove together. Instead I have to watch ass people who, as recently as 3 years ago, knew this was a Bad Idea write articles about how its a Good Idea, No Please Ignore The Burning Building Around You and This Isn't "Inflation" its an "Adjustment."
Its like the Right just cannot wait to give power back to the Left and they are doing everything in their capacity to accomplish it.
Trump wants to replace income tax with tariffs.....now factor in no IRS and no budget for IRS
I can't tell if this is a joke or just impressively sad.
No joke Jeff...nor sad...it will be trump reality...
This is a cult belief, you are in a cult.
This is completely contradictory to what Trump claims the goals of the Tariffs are. He has claimed:
1. They're just a negotiating tactic to extract concessions
1a. Those concessions are to reduce reciprocal tariffs.
2. Its to shift manufacturing back towards America.
3. Its to generate revenue to replace the IRS.
These are irreconcilably different goals and only one of them can actually be the primary goal. If its negotiating tactic the tariffs are to be removed in response achieved goals: then Tariffs aren't going to accomplish #2 or #3.
If its to shift manufacturing back to America then the theory is that the tariffs drove this shift and thus we aren't importing anymore. Then it didn't accomplish #1 or #3 because its only useful as a negotiating tactic if its removed, and no one is capitulating for no benefit, and if were not importing anymore then its not #3. But that doesnt' matter because Tariffs won't drive manufacturing back to the US, all that will happen is US prices will go up.
If its #3 it didn't accomplish #2 or #1. Even then, if it instead of just burdening Americans with more inflation, at 100% tariff on all imports and absolutely no change in how we spend money (a aboslutely ridiculous assumption) then such a tariff would race ~$2.5T. The IRS revenuded $5T.1B last year.
$2.5T << $5.1T. You have turned your brain to the "Anything leader Trump says" setting despite the obvious lies.
I’m not against tariffs, but I’m not a fan of Trump’s approach to this. My wife and I argue about it, she says give him a chance, I say it doesn’t make good sense. But I try and give way to her opinion, you see she is a very good cook, and I like to eat!
@BarisWeiss let me say upfront, I am so glad you've taken over The Front Page! River's attempts to channel Nellie were driving me nuts!
Tariff outrage: some people sure fear change and cling to the safety of the status quo no matter how rotten it is. Give it time; let's see what happens.
A LITTLE PAIN FOR SOME POSSIBLE GAIN , BETTER THAN BIDET LOTS OF PAIN NO GAIN
I grew up in a manufacturing family. The wonderful clothing industry which was union and
and proud to be American Made. All gone now. Destroyed by Clinton, et al., giving away our country. We did not understand what lay ahead. The why is sadly simple. Until the advent of the internet we did not know. Clinton is an example of a serial psychopath who enters government where he can use his charm. Obama was similar. Forget Bush, let him paint by numbers eternally. I want unions back as well as fabric, buttons, seamstresses, designers, cutters, and yes, I will pay more but did we really need a dozen blouses at $5 each? The journey will be painful as we return to a normal position of workplace ethics but how wonderful to wear something that says “ made in America by union workers” . One other important thing none of you know…..those workers were every color and nationality but first and foremost they were Americans.
You've hit on an important point. If you buy half as many blouses at $10 as you would have at $5, you still have the same amount of money and twice as much space in your closet.
Consumerism driven by cheap crap from China has not enriched our lives. It has bankrupted our souls