Soybean farmers are not hurting because of tariffs. The amount of soybeans on the market is the same. The demand for soybeans is the same. The only difference is where those soybeans end up. Originally Posted by kehaarThose soybeans will end up in some "shithole" countries in Africa "free of charge," according to Trump. What a wonderful humanitarian gesture!
Last year I was in the market for a new clothes washer. After about 15 years, my LG washer broke down. I would have preferred another LG washer but since LG washers are made in China and Trump imposed a tariff on them, I had the choice of purchasing an LG for considerably more money than those made by competitors or purchasing a washer made by a company which I thought to be of lower quality.So you had to pay 10% more for an LG washing machine that was made in a factory that likely stole much of its contained IP. Are you saying that is unjust? I'd say you got a bargain, and the IP fee ought to be much higher(something like 50% would do nicely).
People buying soybeans have a similar decision to make, although quality probably does not come into play -- purchase a higher priced product from the U.S. or save money and buy the same product for less money from a different country.
How is this "propaganda" or "biased"? Originally Posted by SpeedRacerXXX
Here are the first 3 articles I get when I google "Soybeans Tariffs." They all show soybean farmers are hurting because of tariffs.Since the fall of the Soviet Union, when has "hooking up" with the Continental Europeans ever been in the U.S.'s interest. Please cite an example. The Continental Europeans are fascists, and only do what they feel is in their "best" interest, which in their mind means fucking the US, and diminishing our influence. All of their decision are made with that objective in their mind. They hate us, and our system of government. Frankly, their governing system has more in common with the Chinese than the U.S. Given that, why should they want to help us contain China.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/10/u...s-farmers.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapo.../#6cb59a3f71f9
https://www.chicagotribune.com/busin...410-story.html
You're correct that my export numbers are only for direct exports to China. I suspect the numbers quoted by the press, 550 billion, would include Chinese content in exports from other countries to the USA.
You'll also be 100% justified in saying I suffer from TDS if Trump does end up negotiating an agreement with China and then drops the tariffs before they really start to fuck things up. That could happen. It would have been so much easier and less dangerous though if he'd hooked up with the Europeans, Canada and Australia and put pressure on China to do the things they should, like protecting intellectual property and improving access and treatment of foreign companies. My hunch is he's really going to muck things up with tariffs, and basically give back all the benefits he and the Republicans created with the tax cuts. And this is going to bite around the time of the 2020 elections. Originally Posted by Tiny
So you had to pay 10% more for an LG washing machine that was made in a factory that likely stole much of its contained IP. Are you saying that is unjust? I'd say you got a bargain, and the IP fee ought to be much higher(something like 50% would do nicely).The Chinese are going to do whatever they can to fuck the soybean farmer, because they want to hurt Trump in red states. They are, for example, increasing domestic soybean production. Otherwise, your reasoning makes sense. The only thing I can think of that you might have missed are transportation costs. It may be a lot cheaper to ship Brazilian soybeans to Europe and American soybeans to China. Now you've got more Brazilian beans going to China and more American soybeans going to Europe. This is what happens in a trade war, everyone loses, the Chinese consumers and the producers in the USA and Brazil.
Why would Europeans pay less for American soybeans than Brazilian soybeans? They can't buy them from Brazil, because those beans are being bought by China(for a higher than market price, fucking the Chinese consumer). I do not understand your logic. Originally Posted by kehaar
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, when has "hooking up" with the Continental Europeans ever been in the U.S.'s interest. Please cite an example. The Continental Europeans are fascists, and only do what they feel is in their "best" interest, which in their mind means fucking the US, and diminishing our influence. All of their decisions are made with that objective in their mind. They hate us, and our system of government. Frankly, their governing system has more in common with the Chinese than the U.S. Given that, why should they want to help us contain China.^^^ This is way over the top. After 9/11, our NATO partners sent thousands of troops to Afghanistan to help rout the taliban. They let us set up CIA "black sites" in places like Poland and Romania where we could waterboard al-queda cockroaches for information that saved American lives. They shared intelligence on terrorists with us. Those are just a few examples. There are many, many more. They are much more democratic than they are fascist. They got rid of fascism in 1945, thanks to us. They got rid of communism in 1989, again thanks to us. Name one fascist government in Europe. You can't because there are none. Do you even pay attention to their politics and elections? A democratic Europe is very much in our national interest. Would you feel more secure if Europe reverted to fascism and/or communism?
Europeans have no foresight. Stalin's quote "they will sell us the rope by which we hang them" has its origins in European culture, and is accurate. Originally Posted by kehaar
^^^ This is way over the top. After 9/11, our NATO partners sent thousands of troops to Afghanistan to help rout the taliban. They let us set up CIA "black sites" in places like Poland and Romania where we could waterboard al-queda cockroaches for information that saved American lives. They shared intelligence on terrorists with us. Those are just a few examples. There are many, many more. They are much more democratic than they are fascist. They got rid of fascism in 1945, thanks to us. They got rid of communism in 1989, again thanks to us. Name one fascist government in Europe. You can't because there are none. Do you even pay attention to their politics and elections? A democratic Europe is very much in our national interest. Would you feel more secure if Europe reverted to fascism and/or communism?You cite Poland and Romania as your examples. This is interesting, and they are the outcasts of Europe. They help us because they are scared shitless of both the Eurofascists, and the Russians. They have a good reason, can read history books, and have some foresight. They are effectively useless as a strategic partner in dealing with China.
There are 44 countries in Europe. They each speak a different language. They each have a different history and culture. If you think it is stupid for them to make sweeping, ignorant generalizations about Americans, it's even dumber for you to do the same about them. Originally Posted by lustylad
Please reproduce that statement, KIt would take me as long to look it up as you. I'd suggest finding it on youtube. I don't care if you believe me or not. I do care about the truth.
Thank you Originally Posted by oeb11
You cite Poland and Romania as your examples. This is interesting, and they are the outcasts of Europe. They help us because they are scared shitless of both the Eurofascists, and the Russians. Originally Posted by kehaarPoland an "outcast of Europe"? Where do you come up with this shit? World War II started over Poland. Romanian oil fueled Hitler's invasion of Russia. I don't care why they help us, as long as they do. We pursue our national interest and they pursue theirs. The next time you are in Chicago, ask the Polish-Americans if they view their native land as an "outcast of Europe".
The Continental Europeans were essentially a liability in actions you list. Their demands, constrictions, and intents made those situations worse in all cases. My discussions with US personnel have indicated that their presence was always a liability. Originally Posted by kehaarNobody uses terms like the "Continental Europeans". Are you carving out the UK and Ireland? You might have more credibility if you criticized the specific behavior of specific countries, instead of making sweeping, ignorant generalizations.
Democracy is but one of the foundations of a civilized society. Pre-Hitler Germany was a democracy. The Soviet Union was democracy. In fact, European society is centrally run by elites, and has but limited relationship to our democracy. Originally Posted by kehaarGermany learned from the failures of the Weimar Republic. West Germany has had a very successful democracy since 1949. They extended this success to East Germany when the Berlin Wall came down. The Soviet Union was NEVER a democracy. It was a "dictatorship of the proletariat" as Karl Marx would say. Every society has elites. And democracies come in more than one flavor. The UK is a parliamentary democracy. They can call a parliamentary vote of confidence and hold snap elections at any time.