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158 sats \ 5 replies \ @kepford 7 Apr \ on: Pleb Economist #6: Analysis of Trump's Reciprocal Tariff Calculations econ
Was just talking to a more progressive colleague about the tariffs and I said my biggest gripe with the talk about tariffs isn't actually about the tariffs. Its the framing of trade deficits. Trump isn't alone in this but he talks about trade balance as if 50/50 is some sort of ideal. When you think about markets this makes no sense. Often you have people making analogies to personal finance that cloud the topic and deceive the listener.
I didn't realize how bad it was until I took this deep dive. So for example that 93% "tariff charged to the US" on Madagascar just means we import a lot more from Madagascar than we export. That's it--it has nothing to do with any actual tariffs.
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Trump is faced with the problem that American voters are not yet ready to face the truth of their situation.
Facing Decline of Empire is never a great vote winner.
Ask Churchill.
The mechanism of democracy sometimes creates an imperative for garnishing the truth!
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Throw more lights on this pls @kepford
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