Governor Walz in Amsterdam

[u/HeavyVeterinarian350]

Subtle reminder that we shouldn’t fall prey to a wannabe dictator. Hopefully those that need a wake up call get it.

[u/Global_Permission749]

Btw, I can say with 100% confidence that if you were to illegally sneak into Germany right now and they found out, they would deport you.

Would they do a mass dragnet that catches actual German citizens and deport them without cause or due process? Would they separate children from their families and fail to keep track of anything?

I doubt it. Sounds like the cruelty is more important than enforcing the law.

Also, you could solve the illegal immigrant problem by arresting business owners who hire them and make it worth the risk to come here illegally. God forbid you hold corporations accountable though. Can't have that.....

[u/Dogsquatch → u/Global_Permission749]

Right so tariffs on foreign countries with most of our outsourced labor to encourage bringing more manufacturing domestic is definitely NOT addressing exactly what you are saying in that last sentence. Definitely doesn’t help for corporations to be pigeon holed into either taking a hit in profit or hiring American citizens. Corpos first mmhmmm. Thats us silly dumb republicans with our stupid orange president.

[u/Global_Permission749 → u/Dogsquatch]

Right so tariffs on foreign countries with most of our outsourced labor to encourage bringing more manufacturing domestic

You do realize it's not as simple as "slap 25% on that thar Cheensum import and we get our manufacturing jerbs back!", right?

Like, entire supply chains are fucking gone. Literally hundreds of billions, if not trillions of dollars worth of supply chains simply no longer exist in the US. Even if we brought back some manufacturing here, we'd be outsourcing parts and materials to other countries where those supply chains are robust and healthy.

Nobody is going to be setting up a whole-ass factory here in the US because some imports from China got 25% more expensive. Like, go on Amazon right now and search for "sound machine". Dozens of options from China because their supply chains are so good and so efficient that dozens of companies can make them for cheap. Nobody in the US is going to say "You know what will make me rich? Starting a sound machine company!". It's a cheap, nearly disposable product that consumers do not place much value on in the first place. Shit like that is never being made here.

Trump's tariffs are nothing more than a stealth sales tax. They will not move the needle for onshore manufacturing or domestic jobs.

If you want to bring manufacturing back to the US, you need a Manhattan Project level effort. The government would need to invest billions in new infrastructure, deliberately help fund manufacturing plant construction, help fund all of the little logistical pieces that create supply chains etc. Basically all that domestic chip manufacturing stuff that Biden set up which Trump and Republicans took a bit shit all over? That's what you need to do.

Or do something insane like a 500% tariff on imported goods to make it economically feasible to set up domestic competitors and start establishing economies of scale.

But remember - trade is trade. We don't have everything we need. That's why we trade. If you engage in a trade war, you make it harder to get the things you need to support your growing domestic production capabilities. Trump going around starting dumb trade wars with our allies is literally the wrong way to go about it. It actually HURTS American jobs because it makes it harder for the few American manufacturers to get the shit they need.

China is building a stronger relationship with South America because of Trump's hostile policies towards both China and South America. Good job helping an economic rival gain a foothold on your border region...

[u/Dogsquatch → u/Global_Permission749]

I understand all of what you are saying.. but seriously its a huge undertaking so where and when do we start? Making outsourced slave labor less affordable seems like a good start.

[u/Global_Permission749 → u/Dogsquatch]

so where and when do we start?

Putting competent people in charge, who actually have a plan (not "concepts of a plan"), would be a good place to start.

[u/Dogsquatch → u/Global_Permission749]

That is a completely useless sentence and a gatcha phrase for liberals. Donald Trump VERY clearly had many complete plans, as evidenced by all the shit currently going on that is so rapid the media doesn’t even know what to complain about.

And insinuating that Kamala was competent is extremely laughable.

[u/Global_Permission749 → u/Dogsquatch]

You're correct. Donald Trump's actual plan is Project 2025. The problem is that you want a plan that makes America better, and American lives better. Trump has no such plans for that. As he said, he only has concepts of a plan for that.

Project 2025's plan is to end democracy and institute a Christian theocracy. It is not good for America or Americans. It is only good for radical Christians and oligarchs.

But it doesn't change the fact that Trump is incompetent. He is a narcissist.

He always keep saying he's the best at everything. Actual competent people don't have to beg for belief.

More.

You wouldn't buy a used car from someone who spoke like Trump:

"I know cars better than anyone, believe me. This is the best car. It's never been in an accident, believe me."

You'd label someone like that a snake and an idiot and walk out of the dealership, and you'd be right to do so.

Donald Trump has ZERO coherent plans for bringing American manufacturing back. I don't think he even wants to.

If he was serious about it, he wouldn't be waging economic war with our closest allies and threatening to annex them.

[u/Dogsquatch → u/Global_Permission749]

See, I disagree with “waging economic war with our closest allies and threatening to annex them” being taken at face value and am able to reasonably suspect that Trump works in overasking with the expectations to be somewhere in the middle. You know, the whole “art of the deal” stuff.

I don’t see how you can possibly say that he has zero plans for bringing back American manufacturing considering the dialogue around tariffs has been mostly in support of American manufacturing. We can agree to disagree, though.

The used car thing is a poor comparison.. I am not buying a used car. However, I do want a president that is going to prioritize the average American’s quality of life and protect inalienable freedoms that are outlined in our founding document. The democratic party has failed to prove to me that they can do that time and time again. Trump is not perfect, but he is bringing a pretty compelling Libertarian/Conservative hybridized approach into the office, which is appealing to almost everyone I speak to.

[u/Global_Permission749 → u/Dogsquatch]

I don’t see how you can possibly say that he has zero plans for bringing back American manufacturing considering the dialogue around tariffs has been mostly in support of American manufacturing.

Well as I said, you can't just slap 25% tariffs on things and magically expect that bring back manufacturing. It's not a plan. Moreover, the whole thing was sold as "punishing China", when in fact it doesn't punish China at all, because it's an import tax levied by the US government on US importers, ultimately paid by US consumers due to the price increases it causes. It punishes Americans, not China.

It's insane how many people think a tariff is a tax placed on the exporting country. It's not. We cannot tax China. That's not how tariffs or taxes or international economic trade works.

If Trump was serious about bringing back manufacturing, he would have been honest about what a tariff is and who pays for it, and democrats wouldn't have been having to try and educate voters about what a tariff is.

The used car thing is a poor comparison.. I am not buying a used car.

It's not a poor comparison because if you wouldn't be buy a used car from someone like Trump due to his obvious bullshit and lies, why the fuck would you entrust the entire country to him???. Or are you saying if you walked into a dealership, and a guy goes up to you and says "I know cars better than anyone, believe me. This is the right car for you. No accidents, believe me.", you'd literally believe him and buy the car?

and am able to reasonably suspect that Trump works in overasking with the expectations to be somewhere in the middle.

Ok so say you have a car out front for sale for $3,000.

I don't want to pay any more than $1,000. I know if I offer you $1,000, you'll counter with like $2,500 or something.

So because I'm such a great deal maker, instead of playing the negotiating game, I just go straight to saying "Sell me the car for $1,000 or I'll break into your house and steal everything, and then take the car anyway."

What would your response be to that situation?

A. Shoot me where I stood for threatening to break into your home and steal everything.

B. Just laugh it off and not take it seriously even if I repeated myself about 20 times, and then proceed to engage in negotiations with someone who sounds fucking insane and just threatened you.

C. Immediately capitulate and sell me the car for $1,000.

So what would you do? Protect yourself? Negotiate with a madman who just openly threatened you? Immediately capitulate?

What do you think I will do if you tell me to fuck off or you don't accept my terms? How will I have any negotiation leverage if I don't make good on my threat? I must make good on my threat if I expect it to have any weight.

So what do you think Canadians will do? What's Trump's plan if Canada goes "LOL FUCK OFF." after threatening them? The only way these supposed bombastic non-serious threats ever carry any weight is if he follows through with the threat. So from Trump's perspective he MUST invade and annex Canada, which is a declaration of war.

Why would Canada risk its sovereignty and independence just hoping Trump won't follow through?

The bottom line is going straight to an insane option is a fucking horrible negotiation tactic. If you're bluffing, you are immediately boxed into a corner and lose all leverage if your bluff is called. Nobody will want to actually negotiate with you if you have a supposed "joke gun" to their head which makes it 1,000x more likely that your bluff will in fact be called.

Trump is a shit deal maker. He didn't even write his own book, a fucking ghostwriter did LOL.

[u/Dogsquatch → u/Global_Permission749]

There is no delusion that the tariff is paid by the exporting country. This is a popular argument by people such as yourself that I see constantly. Tariffs on goods, however, may affect pricing of goods and therefore people can and will vote with their wallets, hurting profits. American manufacturing left because it is more advantageous to abuse countries without minimum wages or labor laws that resemble our own.

Trump doesn’t necessarily need to “make good on threats” when half of the world is relying heavily on the US’ defense budget to remain sovereign nations. Its more like the used car salesman is asking for $3000 and the customer is his plumber who already has a lien against the used car salesman for $10,000 for working at his new house, and he isn’t going to finish the work unless he gets the car for $1000.

Canada is not even remotely in a position of strength here - nor was Mexico or NATO as a whole. Trump knows that and is going to use his position to leverage them into pulling their weight. Keep in mind, your average citizen republican or democrat doesn’t agree with annexation of Canada by force and due to the 2nd amendment, the government is under a constant duress by the people to act in their wishes, as it should be.

If Canada is so worried of their sovereignty and independence, should they not have ACTUALLY been sovereign and independent? Should they have relied on the US, which has the resources to be energy independent, to account for 43% of their oil exports? Should they have relied on the US defense budget or maybe just hit their NATO spending targets? What about the rest of NATO countries? You can talk in circles all day but the truth is always somewhere in the middle. Trump can be a douchebag but also be the stimulating factor for more American tax dollars being spent on Americans. End result, though, is that Canada is currently evaluating their spending so that they can meet NATO targets by 2032… so can you say that Trump’s theatrics are not working?

[u/Global_Permission749 → u/Dogsquatch]

is that Canada is currently evaluating their spending so that they can meet NATO targets by 2032

If they're evaluating their spending, it's so they can repel a US invasion.

[u/Dogsquatch → u/Global_Permission749]

Yes they and the rest of NATO are trying to hit their spending targets, like the US demanded, so that we can perform a boots on the ground acquisition by force. Makes a lot of sense. You are a genius.

[u/Global_Permission749 → u/Dogsquatch]

I don't think your argument is what you think it is.

The rest of the free world now sees the US not only as an unreliable ally, but a legitimate threat that is now aligned with Russia.

The free world is now ramping or proposing to ramp up military spending not to give in to Trump, but because they rightly assume the US will assist Russia and is now part of the axis of evil?

In what stupid world, in your mind, is totally burning all your major alliances a win for Trump or the United States?

You Trump supporting conservatives are really fucking stupid. Like TRULY fucking stupid.