Canada, Mexico, EU retaliate against U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs
Canada, Mexico, EU retaliate against U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs
MAY 31, 2018 6:31 PM EDT*
Effective July 1, Canada will impose tariffs of 25 percent on shipments of U.S. steel and 10 percent on aluminum, as well as on other products, such as playing cards, inflatable boats and yogurt. Canada's finance ministry estimated the value of the U.S. goods subject to those tariffs at up to C$16.6 billion ($12.8 billion),
Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, said the European Union also will apply news tariffs on American goods, with the trading bloc signaling it would target products made in states represented by key Republican leaders. The EU has said it would respond with tariffs on $3.3 billion in American imports as early as June 20
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Mexico's government said Thursday it would levy taxes on imported U.S. products including pork bellies, apples and cheese, along with some types of steel.
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Sen. Ben Sasse was blunter in criticizing the tariffs.
"This is dumb. Europe, Canada and Mexico are not China, and you don't treat allies the same way you treat opponents," the Nebraska Republican said in a statement. "We've been down this road before -- blanket protectionism is a big part of why America had a Great Depression. 'Make America Great Again' shouldn't mean 'Make America 1929 Again.' "
For once Ben Sasse said something I agree with. (He’s got his eye on the White House doncha know?)
Anyway. Cheetolini sure has created quite a mess. He’s a one-man wtecking crew. He’s insulted all our traditional allies. Good grief, he’s even picking on Canada.
Comments
America is now, officially, a reality show.
Let’s make a deal. Deal or no deal. Who wants to be a millionaire (life lines not included). WTF is going on? All this at OUR expense. We will, ultimately, pay the price.
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
You know, that’s the PERFECT description.
A reality show.
Unfortunately the main characters are psychopaths.
I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks
Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa
Yikes!
You’re right!
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
I wish I understood this stuff more
but I don't know what's good for the country or not. Just know that nafta screwed the country. Just one more part of Bill's legacy.
Today democrats commenters were upset that Trump is screwing with the Volker rule. I guess they forgot that the rule wouldn't have had to be passed if ole Bill hadn't deregulated the banks in the gawd-dam first place! I love their amnesia.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
Amnesia? You’re too kind. They’re insane.
They think that money grubbing war mongering old harpy he’s married to is presidential material. That’s one of the reasons the only ‘sin’ he ever committed was his affair with Lewinsky.
That’s why they NEVER bring up the many things he did that have brought us to where we are today And she was right there helping him.
.
I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks
Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa
Screwed Mexico too
It was a direct cause of the peso devaluation and collapse of corn prices. Mexican corn, produced by small farmers using (charitably) 19th Century methods couldn't compete with US corn grown on ten thousand acre farms using modern fertilizer, modern pesticides and modern irrigation and machinery. All those three acre farmers, never very well off financially, were totally destroyed financially and started the great wave of illegal immigration to the USA. Naturally, criminal organizations followed to prey on them. The rich, of course, in both countries were tipped off by the corrupt Mexican government and converted their bank holdings to US dollars just ahead of the devaluation. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal no less!
Massive human suffering (and death in the desert) just so the rich could get richer.
The good part was that enterprising immigrants (and immigrants generally are enterprising - they took the chance to leave the countries they knew) took their farming background and became landscape and nursery workers in the USA. Almost everyone on my block now has their lawn mowed and trees/bushes pruned by local companies with Mexican names. Everyone but me (I enjoy it) and the neighbors who are immigrants themselves! (Mexico, India, the Philippines, Poland and I think the new neighbors across the street are Greek)
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
Bing! (As usual, lol.)
The corporate coups being termed 'trade deals' somehow manage to screw over the countries and people concerned while enriching a relative few, not just draining away living standards but democratic rights and corporate control of domestic law.
Actual trade deals made by actual democratic governments in actual democracies would be beneficial for all involved, and would be Fair Trade, with reasonable profits for producers and living wages all around, with domestic standards, protections, laws not sacrificed to corporate profiteering.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
It is more serious than just a little bit of retaliation
I think it's the beginning of a war between the US and Germany and/or the EU. Up to you to decide who to blame for this unimaginably idiotic disaster.
FYI, The infamous Smoot-Hawley Tarriff
is nothing but free market capitalist propoganda. It had about as much to do with causing the great depression as (insert your favorite idiotic lie here)Tariffs should equal good paying jobs - if the jobs they create don't pay enough to compensate for the higher prices they also create that's a different problem.
Yes, Trump is doing things stupidly, and it won't work because he's stupid, (and evil) but that's not the tariffs' fault.
On to Biden since 1973
I thought tariffs were good, because Thom Hartmann said so
thanks, I remember nodding along to the radio listening on Air America (not the CIA airline) a couple of presidents ago. I think Bernie thought they were pretty good too. It's been so long... a whole decade. lol
omg please tell me most of the $$ is steel and aluminum, NOT playing cards, inflatable boats and yogurt. moo
Perhaps tariffs will reduce the amount of plastic produced, that would be good. But with Trump's EPA I think the plan is different. Steel and aluminum industries are heavy air polluters, good jobs for bad air is not so smart if you ask me. dang it
jane stop this crazy thing
Not so crazy.
The United States had an $800 billion goods trade deficit in 2017. If even half of that was pumped into the US economy instead of squandered abroad, the country would be much better off. We can't support $15 minimum, universal health care, and other progressive dreams when we're investing in the betterment of other countries (China's military build-up, for example) instead of taking care of our own.
Might have helped, I suppose,
if US corporations hadn't moved off-shore to exploit the most desperate prospective workers elsewhere in order to avoid paying Americans living wages so that Americans could still A.) manufacture things in America and B.) have enough money to buy products, not to mention stuff like pay into SS at a higher rate... too depressing to even begin, even if a few are laughing all the way to the banks expected to crash again shortly...
Edit to add that the trillions spent on attacking/running other people's countries on BS pretexts could have provided all you mentioned and more. But of course, you knew all this already...
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
pretty foolish to start a pissing match with Canada, though.
the US-Canada trade situation is close enough to balanced that according to the US government (notwithstanding the ravings of DT), the US has a trade surplus with Canada, and according to the Canadian government, Canada has a trade surplus with the US.
it's senseless to challenge them over steel and aluminum, because an ENORMOUS fraction of what comes here from Canada is raw materials (lumber, minerals, grain, petroleum), which they can always sell to someone else. realistically, every time a 2x4 leaves canada on a train or a boat, the Canadians are shooting themselves in the face.
Trump's expressed concern is not with the economics of it, but with the national security implications of relying on another country for strategically significant resources. The Canadian response is, "I'm sorry? Are you suggesting that Canada might prove to be an unreliable supplier?" Since I personally wouldn't mind seeing Canada do just that, I can't necessarily fault Trump's concern, but I'm not sure how hard it would really be to ramp up aluminum or steel production in the US if Canada suddenly got fussy about selling strategic metals to a rogue nation like the US.
The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.