Return to Tariffs

Partisan Collapse

Most people in Omaha get their national news from television so they really have no idea what is going on. So, this post.

First, Trump is playing the "madman theory" of foreign policy as did President Nixon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_theory). This makes him seem unhinged and unpredictable. From taking Greenland, and the Panama Canal to renaming the Gulf, the Gulf of America, China and Russia have to figure out what Trump is doing. The idea of the theory is to force others to realize you are not afraid to act on your ambitions and thus force a resolution because they are uncertain just what you will do or how far you will go.

Also, Trump is a lot like President Clinton but no one is allowed to make the comparison. Trump and Clinton both took issue with immigration but had solid economic policies. Clinton stymied progressives, while Obama was their pagan God. The Democrats have been so overtaken by progressives, it is breathtaking. Trump has mopped up on the internal feud among Democrats and picked up many who have demanded reform.

While everyone is talking about the DC airplane/helicopter collision, and failing to blame Buttigieg for the disaster (https://apnews.com/article/trump-crash-reagan-washington-buttigieg-diversity-biden-ef1e07684bbc845e9e7981c1ae060af2), drama in the US Senate commenced as former Democrat presidential candidates took each other on. The exchange between Robert F. Kennedy, Junior and US Senator Bernie Sanders was breathtaking as these were the dynamos of the Democrat Party at one point. Yet, the typical US mainstream media totally missed it. Hence, try this from Australia:

Now comes Trump tariffs on Canada and Mexico (https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-imposes-tariffs-on-imports-from-canada-mexico-and-china/). Daring, risky, but not necessarily stupid. He wants action on immigration and drugs. The United States will always support free trade as it benefits everyone, but not without a cost. Tariffs are a consumption tax and can reduce income tax as economist Stephen Moore has suggested (https://x.com/StephenMoore/status/1884595785200816338).

The real problem with tariffs is they can cause trade wars. In fact, nearly all wars are caused by some form of restriction on trade, including the US Civil War. For those who doubt this, read President Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address (https://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/1inaug.htm) where he specifically says there need be no war if the duties are paid. I know some want to dispute this but secession started with a nullificatio of tariffs (https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/nullification-crisis/).

Now, Canada and Mexico responded to Trump with retalitory tariffs (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/canada-and-mexico-order-retaliatory-tariffs-on-u-s-as-trumps-tariffs-spur-trade-war). How far will Canada and Mexico go with their retaliatory tariffs? Will they act against drugs and illegal immigration? Who knows?

Note, Americans are not for or against immigration. Americans are for due process. If the process is right and fair, there would be little need for deportation at all, but because the process is broken, thousands must be deported for not following due process.