kekepana.bsky.social
Former trade negotiator, economist and U.S. diplomat in Europe and Asia. GATT and Tokyo Round. NSL4A. Currently paddling outrigger canoes in Hawai’i.
1,292 posts
872 followers
413 following
Regular Contributor
Active Commenter
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55% is way more than double the pre-Trump tariff and is amply enough to kill most trade. The “reduction” from 145% is largely cosmetic, designed to make us think things are getting better. Most investors fall for it every time.
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A valiant effort worth trying. But I’m afraid that reasonable results must await the return of sanity in certain national capitols. I may not live that long.
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Should we ever see a text, look for the clause that states that neither party views this agreement as legally binding. Just like Trump’s “deal” with the UK.
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The more they say, the more it begins to sound like an agreement on a concept for a framework of a plan for an agreement. Do I have that straight?
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Gee, it’s not like the TACO man has ever backed down on tariffs before.
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Will ICE deport him now?
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Bravo! It’s not just military veterans who feel the way you do. Those of us who served our country as diplomats took the same oath and will always live by it.
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The Tariff Man will never admit this to himself. He can only handle oversimplified versions of trade, or anything. I’m just glad he hasn’t realized that services are traded, too. Though it might be useful if he recognized education and tourism as the yuge export industries they are.
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But Tariff Man assured us that trade wars are easy to win! Hey, I’ve worked on trade agreements that took five years to complete. And that was back when we knew what we wanted.
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I mostly read nonfiction, but I keep coming back to Dune. There’s a new level to explore every time.
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Every day is TACO day. I’ve been enjoying more Mexican food lately.
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This is how all countries should handle the tariff bully. Trump doesn’t understand surgical retaliation that goes beyond tariffs, nor does he respond well to being ignored. Ignore him and get your elbows up.
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Never before in history have we seen such wishful thinking.
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Actual paper maps are far superior to computer maps when it comes to trip planning. It’s easier to spot interesting side trips and adventures with a paper map. You don’t just tell a program to take you to destination, you actually look around and even change things on the fly.
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Some of us are pulling for the return of the Habsburgs.
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MAGAs really don’t like maths. Too likely to uncover facts they don’t want us to know.
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Gee, those nefarious Canadian steel makers must be more of a national security risk than we realized.
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The stable tariff genius masters destabilization.
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Didn’t Musk teach Republicans to stop displaying empathy?
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It must be nice for him to have such an active fantasy life.
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The “This place sucks!” scene when the penguins arrive in Antarctica in “Madagascar”.