My Toyota Camry delivers me all the quality I require.
My $198 50 inch Onn tv works just fine.
My Whirlpool dishwasher broke in December.

I am wondering how this global economic fight initiated by the US helps world economics. And then is there any :unintended consequences that get reflected back on the US. We certainly are NOT making any FRIENDS in the free world. And I wonder if we are making any friends in the non-free world?

Negotiations are ongoing.

Tariffs on hold for 90 days? Sounds like "we (?)" blinked when they didn't.

AKA "economic terrorism" by some.

Not at all random or anecdotal. [/eyeroll]

I bet that the newspapers in Canada have NICE things to say about us.

Only if by "NICE" you mean "HUMILIATING". PS, and well deserved, imo

It has always been there
 

This fight was “initiated” long before now. Tariffs are used by almost every country, they manipulate trade. We have turned the other cheek for way too long. It is correct to address deficit and debt to get our country in order. Tariffs contribute to our trade deficit.

:shrug: No proof of that! That is what has been said for the last 3 months and no arrangements.

The average person does NOT like CHANGE. They don't like to gamble, especially with hard earned money in investment accounts. They prefer economic STABILITY and investments with minimum downsides and a CONSTANT, while small upside. Today we have MAXIMUM financial change. Leaving the small investors perplexed and frightened. Small investors were surprised by the SUDDEN CHANGE to Tariffs for virtually everyone. The question then is, "What class of investors would BENEFIT in this NEW and quickly changing world". I would imagine that it would be those INVESTORS that ALWAYS have benefited from rapid change. Those that probably KNOW that the change is coming. That would be the upper 1 % in the US and world. They communicate with EACH other, not the lowly bottom feeding 99%. The 1% KNEW that radical universal tariffs would start the US market DOWN. So, that was their chance to SHORT the market. It was a no-brainer for the 1% and a fantastic opportunity, with zero risk. They just have to NOT be too greedy and get out before the market comes back. They can even BUY on the way back up. Likely they benefited from some sort of insider information.

Maybe the penguins has high tariff on imported fish? Fish from middle of Congo want to get eaten with paying a tariff? :oops:

Average persons have no investments especially in stock market.

A friend don’t charge you double or triple.

Right now the discussion is about tariffs so I'm going to focus on the subject on hand and not bring up every other world issue of which I can think.

I don't doubt that you like it, was it manufactured in their American plant?

AI Overview: Toyota Camry is assembled in the United States, specifically at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK) in Georgetown, Kentucky.

Perhaps you could go back to the people who over the past thirty years have claimed that something needs to be done about the trade inequities. They are silent now but then again, I'm not surprised.

Seriously? You aren't going to look at what has been going on in full detail so you are educated on the when, wheres and whys but you're wondering how Canada's newpapers read? Yikes!:22yikes:

Japanese technology.

Independent of where a Camry is ASSEMBLED 100% of the parts are sourced from the same source - including Camrys made in Japan.

We have no way of knowing one way or another as to whether negotiations are going on but logically believe they are.

Or we are getting what we asked for.

And it is a very well made car

So you didn't get the message tariffs were coming and the date? How did you miss that?

We had to go out for errands today and strangely enough, didn't see anyone shaking, cowering in corners, crying or red eyed or wringing their hands. The world is still turning and time is needed to accomplish the goal. Hopefully, trade will be balanced on the needs of every country so EVERY COUNTRY has the opportunity for fair trade without tariffs, excise taxes, VATS and non-tariff barriers.

Also bringing certain manufacturing back to the USA is critical for the security of this nation so essential supplies are not withheld from us if a disagreement or worse happens.

And American manufacturing skills, beautiful!

Architects may design homes but it's the labor which creates the finished product and often have to correct errors in the plans.

And you're sure Americans could never cast or create identical parts because after all, we have become stupid and lazy. I whole heartedly disagree.

Ours is the country that built ships and airplanes quickly during WWII and is teaming with innovation and brilliance counter to what some would have us believe and continue to espouse. If you tell someone often enough that they can never do that, they begin to believe you.

90% of assembly lines = robots. Robots don't make errors. Humans that program robots make errors.

Yes, Canada is our LARGEST trading partner. Also until recently Canada was our friend and followed us into 2 World War. So now out of the BLUE (the red, white, and blue) we pull a fast one on them and lay Tariffs on them. We, the US of A, are the bad guys in this movie. We should be ashamed.

Why don't you do some actual fact checking on Canadian tariffs and restrictions for trade with American and get back to us.

I am not ashamed and a fast one wasn't pulled and that language creates hate which isn't needed in the trade conversation.

I love Canada and Canadians even more. We have met some wonderful Canadians in The Villages. If Canada would agree to discuss the trade restrictions and policies with the USA, who is to say what deal could be worked out. Toxic hyperbole is a nonstarter and does no country any favors.

Good news, robot assembly lines, (which require human interaction), are in America and, therefore, we can bring that manufacturing back to the states.:wave:

I believe we can cast or create parts identical. However I do believe in capitalism - best part at best price. I don't know how to cope with an uneven playing field. On the other hand I personally would be a hyprocrypt to prescribe to two wrongs make a right. Above my pay grade. As far as WW2 no other industrialized country was in the position we were due to the fact of our location remote from the battle fields and other frontliners having the misfortune of their infrastructures being wiped out.

I agree with the last paragraph. High end semiconductors, medical equipment, and national security equipment need to be made in the USA. The difference, I see, is that these things take years (maybe 3 or 4) to operationalize. A large factory might take 6 to 10 years to get going. AI and robotics need to be part of top end products. We have, at least, two advantages over China. We don't have to ship goods over a large ocean to get our products to us. When we trade with China they STEAL our technology. And our LARGEST market Canada is very close to us and up until recently, we had great working relations between us and Canada. China has the disadvantage of its political system.

The US DID have some advantages before and after WW2. Back then we had a REAL middle class with wealth brought about by relatively good primary and secondary schools and large labor union participation. Also there was a tax system that favored the middle class and NOT the upper class like today.

I agree with your statements for the most part in that I feel our relationship is going to recover with Canada and I hope they also will be successful with their new president at the helm.

Factories can be established far quicker than 6-10 years. It will be amazing what can happen here when our citizens have goals and jobs outlined for them. It was astonishing what the USA did for WWII after having a large number of our planes and ships destroyed. We need to pull together as a country, we will be up to the challenge.

Well said. Sad that some Americans think so poorly of their country and its people.

Yes, we had a steady middle class because employment, ambition and pride were in the mix. Labor unions, despite what you believe, are not the answers to all problems. If the jobs are here, companies will pay to keep their good employees and be profitable. Do you remember what schools were like in the 50's and 60's? The schools worked because children knew if they got in trouble or didn't finish their homework, Dad and Mom would be on their case. Teachers now want to quit rather than deal with the many children raised with permissiveness and no boundaries but that is another thread and time.

And I don't believe in a "one class" society, it kills incentive and innovation unless your leader is holding a weapon to one's head. I'll pass.

[QUOTE=SoCalGal;2422975]You understand why uninhabited islands were included, right?

Tariffs, which imposed a baseline 10% tax on imports from over 180 countries and territories, included remote and uninhabited locations like the Heard and McDonald Islands, an Australian territory in the sub-Antarctic with no human population. Several explanations have emerged for this unusual decision.

One key rationale, articulated by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, is the aim to close potential loopholes in trade policy. Lutnick argued that listing even uninhabited territories prevents other countries from exploiting them as conduits to ship goods into the U.S. and evade tariffs. This perspective suggests a deliberate strategy to ensure no region, regardless of its population or economic activity, could be used to circumvent the tariffs, drawing from past experiences where countries like China rerouted exports through third parties during Trump's first term.[/QUOTE