Understanding Tariffs.

[Bald1]

Our neighbors aren't the only ones who are surprised.

We've been told for several months that the word "tariff" is the most beautiful word in the dictionary...that tariffs would usher in a new golden age...that tariffs would bring in so much money we might even be able to get rid of the income tax. Now we're being told that tariffs were only a threat, designed to scare Canada and Mexico into doing what we want them to do.

I just can't believe we've been lied to...

So here’s the thing. Idle threats don’t work. If the world believes you are in favor of tariffs then your threats have teeth. It gives you leverage. Looks like it works. As for next time around? It’s been proven that tariffs will be put in place. No suprise necessary

 

[biku324]

$611 Million for projects in Somalia??? That would cover an extra ATC in every tower, dontcha think?

When was your last trip to Somalia?

 

[petepeterson]

When was your last trip to Somalia?

That's classified, Ivan.

 

[taz666]

So here’s the thing. Idle threats don’t work. If the world believes you are in favor of tariffs then your threats have teeth. It gives you leverage. Looks like it works. As for next time around? It’s been proven that tariffs will be put in place. No suprise necessary

Great news ... I'll hold on to my tickets to the Broadway musical then.

Also, a simple question, in this brave new land we have here, is shaking in your boots a requirement?

 

[BC38]

...Also, a simple question, in this brave new land we have here, is shaking in your boots a requirement?

Nope. I'm not - who is? Are you?
Frankly I'm far less apprehensive now than I was just a few months ago. We're playing with a much stronger hand now.

 

[biku324]

Next, fire useless and overpaid “contractors”.

I partially agree. If expertise is needed in our national interest in foreign countries, it should be provided by in-service Federal employees. There aren't anywhere near enough, though.

The military would need to expand enormously to be able to provide the maintenance of aircraft, MBTs, fighting and transport vehicles of all kinds, technical equipment from radars to GPS to IT now handled by hellishly expensive defense contract companies. Then there is physical security at embassies and consulates worldwide and provision of PSDs for travel in conflict zones, also nearly all contractors. Would you like to bring back the draft? No branch of military service even now fully meets recruitment targets. Expand the Federal workforce?

Then there is cooking, cleaning toilets, sweeping floors, HVAC and building maintenance, and a zillion other mundane things needed to support large groups of our people in foreign countries.

The business of contracting costs the .gov more than similar numbers of Fed employees would and is less accountable for several specific reasons, IME.

Do you have a concrete solution that simultaneously shrinks Federal positions while reducing contractors?

 

[Bald1]

Great news ... I'll hold on to my tickets to the Broadway musical then.

Also, a simple question, in this brave new land we have here, is shaking in your boots a requirement?

Apparently it is for some.

 

[biku324]

I'm just glad Ukraine won, like he told us they would.

The Ukraine War isn't anywhere near over.

Russian forces continued to suffer high losses in January 2025 despite a slower rate of advance as compared with previous months in late 2024. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (MoD) reported on February 3 that Russian forces suffered 48,240 casualties – over three Russian motorized rifle divisions worth of personnel – in January 2025, making January the second-highest month of losses since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 3, 2025 | Institute for the Study of War

Wonder how Russia's economy doing, since it is slightly smaller than that of Brazil, slightly larger than Mexico? World GDP Ranking 2025 - StatisticsTimes.com The ruble is now worth one penny each. Currency Converter | Foreign Exchange Rates | OANDA

Ukraine will remain indigestible; it's the proven way to grind down even real superpowers, including us, not former superpowers with limited resources. Haven't seen so many Russians in Afghanistan over the past 36 years...let's see how many are left above ground in Ukraine in a few years.

 

[dockmurgw]

I partially agree. If expertise is needed in our national interest in foreign countries, it should be provided by in-service Federal employees. There aren't anywhere near enough, though.

The military would need to expand enormously to be able to provide the maintenance of aircraft, MBTs, fighting and transport vehicles of all kinds, technical equipment from radars to GPS to IT now handled by hellishly expensive defense contract companies. Then there is physical security at embassies and consulates worldwide and provision of PSDs for travel in conflict zones, also nearly all contractors. Would you like to bring back the draft? No branch of military service even now fully meets recruitment targets. Expand the Federal workforce?

Then there is cooking, cleaning toilets, sweeping floors, HVAC and building maintenance, and a zillion other mundane things needed to support large groups of our people in foreign countries.

The business of contracting costs the .gov more than similar numbers of Fed employees would and is less accountable for several specific reasons, IME.

Do you have a concrete solution that simultaneously shrinks Federal positions while reducing contractors?

Contractors are necessary. But we could pay off the national debt by using all volunteer fire departments.

 

[biku324]

That's classified, Ivan.

Ah, I see ... well, I left in February 2024. There we (US) were trying to help a very young Somali federal government fight a war with al Shabab (your friends, perhaps?) and a growing IS threat. That involves training Somali military in concert with the African Union forces, trying to build counterintelligence capacity, creating known terrorist/al Shabab/IS databases with actual biometrics, building air passenger databases (it is one transfer from Mogadishu to anywhere in the US through Dubai, Doha, Istanbul, or other regional air hubs), building EOD capacity in the capital where there were between 9 and 30 IEDs monthly and found ordnance (mortars, rockets, artillery shells, grenades) EOD calls daily. The 'secure' airport at Mogadishu, our project's operational HQ, was rocketed by Russian 107s and mortared ever other month.

Wonder what the cost of one (1) IS terrorist popping an airliner over Miami might be.

And thank you for your (very) secret service in Somalia.

 

[Bald1]

Our neighbors aren't the only ones who are surprised.

We've been told for several months that the word "tariff" is the most beautiful word in the dictionary...that tariffs would usher in a new golden age...that tariffs would bring in so much money we might even be able to get rid of the income tax. Now we're being told that tariffs were only a threat, designed to scare Canada and Mexico into doing what we want them to do.

I just can't believe we've been lied to...

My question is this. You pointed out the amount of “naivete” there is on this forum with regards to tariffs. Yet YOU are surprised in the way the threat of them was used? Am I misunderstanding the post ?

 

[Jon651]

Again you are WRONG!!!!! Importers can put the cost back on exporter by demanding a reduced price on the commodity. It’s all in the deal you make. This is all finance and commerce 101. Here are the numbers. THE ART OF THE DEAL???? Sound familiar

I'm not seeing this. The exporter has no incentive to lower his prices just so the importer's government can collect a larger share of the money changing hands. They are not obliged to play by your rules and can wash their hands of it the moment their products leave their shores and payment has been received. Whatever increases the cost after that point is of no interest to them. In a global market there are always other buyers for a product, or as China has mastered, you can always make something else that somebody WILL buy.

The short answer is tariffs increase the cost of goods to the end-user/consumer. Retaliatory tariffs hurt domestic producers. It's a lesson we already learned the hard way, but is lost if nobody in charge actually reads about our history. Instead of "The Art Of The Deal" perhaps we should be reading "Economics 101"...

 

[ladder13]

There is a threat of tariffs on our so helpful neighbors. .gov 101

 

[llowry61]

Can't believe this thread is still going....... but it is fun to follow.

Carry on

 

[s&wchad]

Can't believe this thread is still going...

I had the same thought.

This thread has become WAY too political. Looking back on it, I probably shouldn't have commented earlier...

We're done here.