As I look at Trump’s executive orders, I toil in vain to find a single one that makes us legitimately stronger. All of them are zero sum measures that fray alliances and national unity.
Dead End- drive carefully. The U.S. is on an isolated road, hampered with poor visibility, that actually heads to the unexpected steep forested hill. Plunging U.S. citizens into the abyss.
I was going to do some major remodeling but the idea that lumber prices just rose by 25% gives me pause. This is really likely to have a negative effect on the housing industry.
According to recent data, Canada trades nearly $55 billion worth of goods with Mexico annually, making Mexico one of Canada's largest trading partners; in 2022, Canada exported approximately $7.39 billion in goods to Mexico alone.
America was never great. We have been a capitalist warmongering world bully since we developed our army & dominated industries built on the backs of women & others that didn't go to war AGAINST fascism in the 30s and 40s while the men faught. If you aren't Antifa. You are a fucking Nazi. Period.
I grew up on a dairy farm in the Midwest. I see not to far in the future abandoned sites with vast amounts of farmland going to seed while Trump & Company continue to dine on the finest McDonald's has to offer. Wish I was joking.
Alot of people are not going to be paying their bills, mortgage, car, food, credit cards,... Beyond the abstract intellectual rambling, this suffering is the cost of electing this intellectually challenged psychopath.
Or to put it another way, when does America First = America Last? It is when you alienate your allies with tariffs, destroy your own government to enable the rich grift and all of which strengthens our enemies without them having to do anything at all. Trump = America Last!
Both parties have screwed the working/middle class for decades. (Who was President in '93 when NAFTA was ratified?) Free trade is good 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙮, but 90% of the benefits flow to the top 1%. Regular people are tired of getting shafted. Result: Trump https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtO2L_ydO7A
You write that strong alliances is necessary to maintain American greatness.
For the empire not to collapse, the US must also maintain a vibrant economy, a strong military, be ahead in technology, have a larger middle class, and a not corrupt head of state.
Why can this make sense to a high school Econ student who has limited life experience, but not to trump and republicans? That’s a rhetorical. He doesn’t have real life experience. He’s gotten bailed out at every turn.
Given how many times vehicle parts are shipped back and forth across borders before actually being installed in manufactured vehicles, I suspect some components will actually experience a 100-200% increase in cost due to tariffs.
He's asking his allies to go along with his demands the US gets welfare cheques to fund his tax breaks for the people who don't need money, and he's giving a pass to the States' rivals. Donald Trump is second to Musk as the welfare queen of the USA.
Trump paid a price to persuade Maduro dictatorship to accept repatriated Venezuelan migrants. What? One guess: Trump will try to replace tariffed Canadian oil with de-sanctioned Venezuelan oil. The two products are similar, I'm told. Gulf coast refineries can substitute one for the other.
stop over-thinking an idiot; no SoAm pipeline, all ships, poor distribution, heavy, sour crude, it would >$80/brl (vs Candian $65/brl) and much less useful and not reliable
Canadian oil generally goes to the US Midwest & Rocky Mountain areas, not the Gulf Coast. Getting Venezuelan crude to refineries in Illinois and Montana may prove complicated / costly.
#Canada needs to accept that the #USA is dead to it. We need to turn our gaze away from the south and to markets beyond the dimmIng horizon of the #America. It'll take time & will mean sacrifice for some years, but in the end we'll be better for it. Time to end the abusive relationship. #tariffs
Gonna take a lot of time and money to make that work. Venezuela’s industry is in rough shape. Could help on the margins but if Canada plays hardball there’s no way to replace it.
The pipelines to the Midwest refineries flow North-South. They would need top get pipelines flowing South-North, at the very least. If this is the plan then good luck with replacing 4mbpd. The US has become like some banana republic with respect to trade. There is no longer any trust.
Hmmm Trump supporters accused Biden of being pro-socialist dictator for the temporary acceptance of Venezuelan oil. But obviously they won’t mind now as T punishes a democratic ally and neighbor, rewards a dictator, and removes US incentives for Venezuelan people to be treated better.
Trump wants to shutdown the borders I say Canada & Mexico should help him. Nothing in, nothing out, for about a month or six weeks should do the trick.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees this, but .. has the twit Dani Smith figured this out yet? She should be working *with* team Canada, not against. She's screwing Albertans & herself
Correct. Most of the Midwest refineries run heavy crude from northern AB. There is some pipeline capacity to Cushing that then can go all sorts of places, but the majority is to Midwest.
Says a lot that for all Trump's screaming about "Marxism", he'd rather deal with one of the few remaining old-school Communist dictatorships than with democracies like Canada and Mexico. (See also the Koreas)
He likes tyranny and despises democracy. That transcends all other issues for him.
Venezuelans were expecting a tougher stance from the US with Rubio at the helm but Trump seems to have thrown everyone under the bus in the name of pragmatism?
Lots of discussion below on why this physically won't work for most non-coastal refineries, but on top of that, Venezuelan oil production has seriously collapsed in recent history. It's not just like they can suddenly turn on a tap. It will take years to re-establish it.
Right, but of course like WE all know, that change takes months and months to enact… he’s a child that thinks it will just magically replace by tomorrow
Transportation costs/pipeline capacity for heavy being the issue. The refineries that run heavy are mostly in PADD2 - Midwest. Will be more expensive than our WCS, that has direct pipeline and I believe a steeper discount when transport is factored in (would need to fact check myself on that)
We only have pipeline egress to the Asian markets via one pipeline, the rest is to the States. And it’s 4 million barrels per day. We can’t ship that much volume elsewhere.
If you want to be really cynical, you might think that Trump is trying to stir up protests in the street (food prices skyrocketing, Medicaid cut, etc.) so that he can invoke the Insurrection Act & declare a "national emergency"--and then REALLY seize power.
The “best part“ of all this is that Trump‘s putting the tariff in supposedly to stop fentanyl which is what gives Billy and Bob‘s drugs that extra kick.
So Trump is punishing Canada ("the U.S.'s most loyal, close ally") while rewarding Venezuela (a corrupt narco-state with an election-rigging authoritarian leader).
That ought to tell you all that you need to know, about why "trusting the United States" is the stupidest idea since "trusting Putin".
That's what I'm noticing too. The silence from US politicians but also the silence from Canadian politicians. Sitting here on a Saturday wondering what the heck to think.
We will quickly devolve into a small venal country, with a large population of very poor people, I see a possible Depression greater than the 1930s in the works...all so our quickly becoming Trillionaire class can live large.
Nah, I'm a pessimist. Remember when Trump first announced these tariffs, several Canadian premiers suggested that Canada throw Mexico under the bus. Well, I predict that it won't be long before these same premiers start throwing each other under the bus, causing Canada to eventually break up.
These are the last gasps of a nation that thought rave parties never end. Meanwhile, the nations they marginalized are slowly assembling a coalition that will obfuscate the imperium of America.
It follows a trajectory portrayed in one of Aesop's Fables.
We also can't ignore that this can and most surely will raise home and auto insurance rates as well. I work for a body shop for a VW dealer. Their popular models are assembled in Mexico and parts for them come from both North American neighbors...
...So when insurance companies see the price of auto parts to repair vehicles they insure will rise they will adjust rates accordingly. 3M is a massive supplier of consumables for the collision repair industry and a large amount of that is produced in Canada.
Not to mention 3M supplies a lot of consumables for the medical field as well. So it's not a far fetched idea that it could affect health insurance too. And if petroleum prices go up so will the cost of paint products that are used to refinish those damaged vehicles.
The irony is, America's decline, or demise, will make other G7 countries much Stronger. Normal Democracies, 🇨🇦, 🇲🇽, 🇬🇧, 🇪🇺; will become closer & more reliant on each other & marginalize the Bully. Focus on shared Trade & Security with reliable partners.
I am looking forward to a globalized world without US. There is nothing US produces that the rest of the world doesn’t. But we can cut off anything US is short. Like potash and water.
Construction costs are going to skyrocket. The need for materials in CA is huge. Along with these Trump taxes, average person will never be able to afford to build a home or even repair a damaged one. Thus insurance costs will soar as well.
Comments
And, take Canada & Mexico with them. Surprise, it was never about you or the price of eggs.
According to recent data, Canada trades nearly $55 billion worth of goods with Mexico annually, making Mexico one of Canada's largest trading partners; in 2022, Canada exported approximately $7.39 billion in goods to Mexico alone.
Step 2: It is imposed on the exclusive authority of Donald Trump, not government. It's the Trump Tax.
Step 3: The 25% Trump Tax will not appear on the bill when you buy something Made in Canada. It's Hidden.
Americans OK with the Hidden Trump Tax??
Start a trade war.
Automatic stock sell off happens.
Market crashes.
Billionaire cronies buy everything at bargain basement prices.
Then rescind the tariffs.
There's no stopping them now.
Goldman Sachs reports a surge in short bets against US stocks
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/01/31/hedge-funds-bet-billions-against-trumps-america/
Trump got away with it during his campaign on egg prices.
https://youtu.be/VeVhHNSe9Ks?...
Both parties have screwed the working/middle class for decades. (Who was President in '93 when NAFTA was ratified?) Free trade is good 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙮, but 90% of the benefits flow to the top 1%. Regular people are tired of getting shafted. Result: Trump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtO2L_ydO7A
Answer: Both parties
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2016/live-updates/general-election/real-time-fact-checking-and-analysis-of-the-first-presidential-debate/fact-check-clinton-dod-call-tpp-the-gold-standard/
For the empire not to collapse, the US must also maintain a vibrant economy, a strong military, be ahead in technology, have a larger middle class, and a not corrupt head of state.
The economic decline is now in the 2nd inning.
That is the deal- Venezuela will replace Canadian oil.
Venezueleans in Florida who supported GOP - should be happy - Maduro will stay and those sent back will have to accept him as their President.
Against the Trump- Musk evil!
🤷♂️
Advantage Canada. Big Advantage.
doesn’t admire?
He likes tyranny and despises democracy. That transcends all other issues for him.
I love saying that.
Gulf of MEXICO
Gulf of MEXICO
Gulf of MEXICO
https://www.co-production.net/mexico-manufacturing-news/mexico-auto-parts-industry-2024.html
It lessons the competition for Musk’s Teslas.
That ought to tell you all that you need to know, about why "trusting the United States" is the stupidest idea since "trusting Putin".
As a fellow dual national I am disgusted with US politics and am, for the first time in my life, an anti-American.
It follows a trajectory portrayed in one of Aesop's Fables.