Tariffs Once Again

The latest round of tariffs from the Trump administration sees Australia and New Zealand imposed with a 12.5% tariff barrier. The excuse given relates to forced labour. Kind of weird that as I don't see how forced labour is involved in producing NZ wine. But, I laughed at Australia which has gone out of its way to be a lapdog of the US, only to be kicked in the teeth as well. 

Interestingly, NZ faces a 12.5% tariff on its lamb meat, but not beef. That would be because hamburger patties sold by McDonalds are made with NZ beef. The NZ beef has the right consistency to hold together and is therefore easier to cook and serve as a hamburger.

US Imposes 25% Tariffs on EU Cars and Trucks

If this kind of random imposition of tariffs continues, European manufacturers may simply decide to pack up and leave the US. It'd be a sensible move as they could write off the cost and avoid tax in their own countries.

Trump's 100% Tariff Gamble

China controls the supply of rare earth elements. The US doesn't seem to have a solid grasp of this and it has also been using its ordnance by supplying Ukraine and Israel, meaning that without China resupplying these critical elements, US production will have to be scaled back.

The world is in a strange place at the moment.

US Farmers Impacted by Trade War

China has stopped buying soybeans from the US. They now mostly buy from Brazil and Argentina. Then peculiarly, for some reason, the US has just bailed out Argentina after its economy collapsed yet again. Yeah, it doesn't make sense.

Source: NY Times

This is turning out to be massive act of self-harm committed by the Trump administration, but they don't appear capable of admitting they got it badly wrong with these ridiculous tariffs. 

They're Coming for Your Money

People don't seem to connect the dots, but the following videos are connected and I'll explain what I think is going on.

People are living in cars, storage units, sheds, caravans, RV's, tents while they're still fully employed. They are forced to do this as they cannot afford rents and the overall cost of living. This is planned by the powers that be.

Firstly, tariffs are an effective tax on the people. When Donald Trump says trillions are flooding into the government coffers, he's not wrong, they are, with YOUR money. Importers pay those tariffs and then raise prices. When Trump says the exporting country is paying, he's being misleading. All that happens to the exporter is they may sell less to the US, but they don't pay anything at all.

These people are hurting, because they're being taxed to the max.  

Secondly, the next stage will be the full digitising of boomer wealth. Thus, their children will inherit tokens which can be cancelled or directed any which way. You'll still own these 'assets' but have lost control. 

The sad news is, people support MAGA because this seizure of assets is being sold as patriotic. It is all a lie, just like the thing in 2020 was for your safety.

Trump Movie Tariff

Now we hear of 100% US tariffs being place on 'foreign made' movies. This begs the question; what exactly is foreign: are we talking about movies in a language other than English, or movies produced by studios outside of US control? 

As I understand it, these days movies are made all over the show, with special effects and various scenes being filmed in multiple locations. The industry is still centred in the US, but these same US capital sources produce the movies everywhere. Is a movie deemed US-made if 50.01% of it is 'made' in the US?

I saw a recent video where bicycle parts from China were shipped to Mexico, assembled into a bicycle there and then imported to the US, thus legally evading China tariffs as the parts had been transformed into something.

Movies may go the same way, with components being made elsewhere, but the movie being assembled in the US. I don't know the industry all that well, but I'm thinking now is not the time to invest in the cinema business.